Report Overview
Mintegral, the AI‑powered mobile advertising platform, released the India Gaming Growth Outlook 2026 on 14 July 2026, incorporating insights from the Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), Singular and Insightrackr. The study analyses data collected between January and April 2026 and examines cost structures, retention, acquisition channels and engagement metrics for Indian mobile games.
Cost Advantage
The report highlights that Android user‑acquisition costs in India are roughly twenty times lower than the global average, while global eCPM rates are about twenty‑two times higher than those in India. This disparity creates a strong growth foundation for studios that can leverage cheap installs.
Retention Findings
Seventy‑five percent of the games examined fall below a 3 % Day‑30 retention rate, meaning fewer than one in thirty‑three players remain active a month after install. Among the top‑quartile performers, mid‑core titles achieve 11‑12 % Day‑30 retention and casual titles 7‑8 %, underscoring a sizable gap to global benchmarks.
Acquisition Channel Mix
The analysis shows Indian studios use fewer acquisition channels than global peers. For example, top‑performing puzzle games worldwide employ about twenty channels compared with fourteen in India, while card and board games use seventeen globally versus nine locally.
Genre‑Specific Cost Differentials
Acquisition costs vary markedly by genre: global costs are approximately fifty‑eight times higher for word games, thirty‑three times higher for simulation games and twenty‑seven times higher for puzzle games relative to India.
Engagement Metrics
Indian audiences exhibit high curiosity, clicking on game video ads at rates of roughly 67 % for puzzle titles and 78 % for word titles, well above the global averages of 43 % and 38 % respectively. However, completion rates in India are low, ranging from ten to twelve percent, compared with global norms of forty to fifty percent, indicating an opportunity to convert initial interest into sustained engagement.
Growth Maturity Framework
The report proposes a four‑stage scorecard for studio growth maturity: Install‑focused → Event‑optimized → Revenue‑optimized → Value‑optimized. It notes that many Indian studios remain in the earlier stages relative to the retention and monetisation performance they could support.
Commentary
Phoena Pang, Vice President of Global Partnerships at Mintegral, stated that India has proven its ability to scale installs and that the next chapter focuses on retaining players, building original IP, owning audiences and creating clearer pathways to global markets. She emphasized Mintegral’s continued long‑term investment in the region.
Press Contact
Sanil Shirsat – +91 99230 78968 – Sanil@ellerton.sg