Uttar Pradesh amongst top five states with the highest number of mobile gamers

India, January 16, 2023: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar and West Bengal have emerged as the top five states with the highest number of mobile gamers, according to a report called India Mobile Gaming Report (IMGR) 2022 released today by Mobile Premier League (MPL), a mobile esports and digital gaming platform.

In Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Ghaziabad and Allahabad have the highest share of gamers. 36% of the total gamers in UP hail from these cities. This is the second year in a row that Lucknow has earned recognition for its gaming prowess—last year’s IMGR revealed that growth in Lucknow outpaced all metros.

Maharashtra, in the second spot, counts Pune as the number one gaming city. Pune registered 20% more gamers than Mumbai, which is placed second. Thane, Nagpur and Nashik are also in the top five.

In Rajasthan, capital city Jaipur leads the way, with over 200% more gamers than Jodhpur which is the second highest in the state. They are joined by cities like Udaipur, Alwar and Kota.

Bihar’s massive growth in gamers is fueled by mobile gaming’s popularity in the capital, Patna along with Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur. The number of gamers in the capital city is more than twice the number of gamers in the rest of the four top cities combined.

In the number five spot is West Bengal. Kolkata, Midnapore, Murshidabad, Howrah and Darjeeling are the biggest gaming cities in the state. Altogether they command over 30% of the state’s total mobile gaming population.

Tier 2 and 3 cities see massive growth

The report further highlighted that Odisha (55%), Punjab (53%), Tamil Nadu (42%), Puducherry (38%) and Himachal Pradesh (23%) saw the highest increase in mobile gamers in 2022 vs 2021.

According to the report, tier 2 and 3 cities, which witnessed explosive growth in mobile gaming, among other internet leisure activities, have rapidly ascended to the top, unseating gaming hubs such as the metros cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. Unlike last year, which saw Delhi take the pole position in terms of user growth, metros don’t occupy any spot in the top 10 gaming cities on the list. This growth is testament to the extensive popularity of mobile gaming beyond the big cities.

Odisha’s Bhubaneswar (with a growth of 1652%) saw a huge number of players taking to mobile games, along with other places like Cuttack, Dankuni, Bajitpur and Jajpur.

Punjab, ranked second among cities that saw the highest increase in gamers, is home to Mohali which is the best performing city in India, registering a whopping growth of 7130% in 2022 vs 2021 in mobile gamers. The administrative and commercial hub is joined by Malerkotla, Fazilka, Dinanagar, Beas, Shahkot and Samrala joined Mohali to record impressive growth in mobile gamers in 2022, according to the report.

Carrom, Fruit Dart, Ludo Dice, Snakes & Ladders, Block Puzzle and Poker were some of the top games enjoyed by gamers across different Indian cities as per IMGR 2022.

Commenting on the report, Namratha Swamy, Country Head – India, MPL, said “The findings of the report show the love for online gaming in Indian cities and towns. Players from across the length and breadth of the country are taking to online mobile gaming with gusto. Enhanced internet penetration and the availability of safe esports and gaming platforms have worked wonders to contribute to this rise. As a responsible gaming platform, we will continue to enhance the quality of games that we offer and introduce more player-first initiatives to create a safe community of mobile gamers.”

Last year, India became the largest consumer of mobile games in the world, recording over 15 billion downloads, as per a report by Lumikai, a gaming-focused venture capital fund. India’s gaming market was worth $2.6 billion in FY 2022 and it will reach $8.6 billion by 2027 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27 per cent. The central government recently also proposed draft rules that will help provide further impetus to India’s gaming industry.