Cloud gaming, often called the “Netflix for games”, is an emerging model where video games run on remote servers and are streamed live to players’ devices. The Indian market has a large mobile first audience and is particularly well suited to cloud gaming. Many gamers use both, a smartphone and a television or a set-top box (STB), and cloud gaming’s inherent multi-device support makes this ideal. Its cross-platform capability eliminates the need to purchase multiple versions of a game, helping in cost-saving. Unlike traditional gaming, which requires consoles or graphics cards to execute the game software, these components sit in a distant data centre, and not in the player’s home. Moreover, games are available on-demand and ready to play without heavy downloads, which is particularly useful for those with limited storage. Interestingly, platforms highlight “play instantly” as a key benefit, allowing players to jump into or switch games with a single click.
Further, the rise of affordable 4G/5G data plans and widespread smartphone adoption has already made India an online gaming powerhouse. This aligns with cloud gaming. Recognising this trend, Indian telecom operators and other global giants view it as an upselling tool and a way to lock in subscribers through immersive digital content and rewards. However, they still face hurdles. A look at the opportunities and challenges in the market…
Opportunities in the market
Since major cloud gaming providers such as Sony (PlayStation) and Microsoft (Xbox) have not launched their services in India, domestic telecom operators have stepped in to fill the gap with their own cloud gaming portals.
Reliance Jio launched JioGamesCloud in beta around late 2022, and formally rolled it out in early 2023. This service, being provided in a 10-year partnership with French firm Gamestream, offers a catalogue of over 100 games that can be streamed across PCs, smartphones and Jio STBs. Jio has now introduced special gaming prepaid plans, each of which bundles free access to JioGamesCloud alongside specific data allowances.
Furthermore, Bharti Airtel has explored gaming bundles on its Xstream fibre broadband. Although it has not launched its own independent cloud streaming service, it offers special gaming data plans and has partnered with Blacknut, a cloud game provider, to sweeten its plans. Airtel’s loyalty programme, Airtel Thanks, includes exclusive perks such as free in-game currency, discounts on gaming gear and even invitation-only e-sports tournaments. Airtel had also formed a partnership with e-sports firm Nodwin Gaming to launch a nationwide “Airtel India Esports Tour”, featuring top competitive titles and prize pools.
Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) launched Vi Cloud Play in April 2023 as a mobile-focused cloud gaming service, in partnership with Paris-based CareGame. This collaboration allowed Vi to offer cloud gaming experiences without requiring users to download large files or own high-spec phones. Targeted at Vi’s smartphone-heavy user base, the service is designed to run even on entry-level Android devices, making it highly accessible. Vi Cloud Play supports instant play for popular hyper-casual and mid-core games, all hosted remotely and streamed to users’ phones with minimal latency.
India’s cloud gaming ecosystem has also witnessed the rise of several homegrown start-ups. OnePlay, launched in 2019, offers a decentralised platform with over 50,000 users and 100,000 app downloads. It supports modding, downloadable content and livestream sharing. Meanwhile, AntCloud, launched in 2024, is a hybrid cloud gaming and PC platform. It enables users to play games on-demand or spin up a full windows-based cloud PC for productivity. It has already gained 10,000 users. Xtreme Cloud Services, launched in 2022, markets itself as a premium provider offering dedicated high-performance hardware with over 1,000 subscribers. Users can stream games and applications at up to 240 fps on licensed windows systems.
Meanwhile, NVIDIA’S GeForce Now is a PC-cloud service powered by RTX graphics. In early 2025, NVIDIA announced that it would launch GeForce Now in India with a local data centre in Mumbai equipped with RTX 4080 graphics processing units (GPUs). This means Indian gamers can soon stream PC games at high settings. GeForce Now will offer both free (1080p/60fps) and paid tiers (up to 4K/240fps on RTX 4080 machines), similar to its global roll-out. NVIDIA has emphasised that Indian players will be able to enjoy “the latest AAA titles in 4K” without buying an expensive gaming setup.
Challenges and shortcomings
Cloud gaming in India faces several interlinked challenges. Chief among them is network reliability. Even in metro cities, which have better coverage, users often experience congestion on 4G networks, leading to input lags and frame drops. These issues are especially disruptive in fast-paced games such as shooters or racing titles. Although 5G is expanding, its reach remains limited, making consistent low latency a challenge.
Data consumption is another concern. Cloud games can use up to 3 GB per hour – that too at 720p – which is manageable on unlimited broadband but problematic on mobile data caps, resulting in speed throttling.
Moreover, compatibility issues affect user experience. Older smartphones and certain android versions sometimes struggle with gamepad drivers or laggy wireless input.
On the backend, server infrastructure is costly. Supporting high performance GPUs for each user session requires substantial investment. True low latency gaming demands edge servers or regional points of presence (PoPs) close to end users, but deploying these beyond certain cities is slow and capital-intensive, therefore limiting national reach. As a result, many domestic platforms are restricting gameplay to 1080p/60fps until more powerful, scalable infrastructure becomes viable across the country.
Cloud gaming in India also faces mindset challenges. One of the most significant concerns is lack of ownership. In cloud gaming, users essentially “rent” access to games hosted on remote servers rather than purchasing and owning them outright. This clashes with Indian gaming habits, where players are accustomed to buying discontinued games or using pirated copies that offer lifetime access. Moreover, if a cloud platform shuts down or a title exits the catalogue, players lose access altogether, making the model feel risky and foreign to many. This ownership issue is further compounded by licensing limitations. To stream games legally, providers must secure expensive distribution rights, which restricts the availability of globally popular or locally relevant titles.
Furthermore, there is also confusion among consumers regarding the medium for gaming. Many do not understand that these services require consistent high-speed internet and mistakenly assume games run via virtual private networks. Other deterrents include controller compatibility issues, lack of regional language support and lack of clarity in some games with regards to device compatibility.
Moreover, monetisation models are still evolving. Indian gamers spend less on games on average, so convincing them to pay recurring cloud fees is tricky. Indeed, Indian cloud services have launched introductory pricing as low as Rs 50 to 100 per hour (or Rs 599 per month). Local PC gaming lounges also charge similar hourly rates. Nonetheless, people still favour free-to-play titles due to their dominance, therefore limiting the willingness of people to update.
Cloud gaming platforms also face significant cybersecurity and privacy concerns. These services collect sensitive user data, such as accounts and behaviour patterns, which, if left unprotected, are vulnerable to breaches. Weak application programming interface security or poor encryption protocols can lead to account hijacking. Moreover, obtaining and integrating reliable, compliant payment gateways remains a major hurdle for companies, especially start-ups. A recent case in point was Blizzard Entertainment, which suffered from a distributed denial of service attack on its Battle.net service in April 2025, causing login issues, high latency and disconnections.
On the telecom operators’ side, JioGamesCloud has the widest device reach (including TV set-top boxes) and deep pockets backing it, but is limited to Jio’s network subscribers or bundle purchases. Airtel’s approach piggybacks on its already large fibre base and offers a modest game library via Blacknut. Meanwhile, Vi’s Cloud Play is affordable and phone-centric, but has fewer high-end titles and no TV integration. Adding to this, popularity remains uneven. Many users sign up to try these services, but churn and adoption depend on the user experience (latency and game library) and how aggressively each telco markets the service. Nonetheless, these initiatives mark the first big local push in Indian cloud gaming, giving consumers homegrown alternatives until global platforms arrive.
Outlook
India’s cloud gaming future looks promising. Industry estimates project an overall gaming market growth at an approximately 24 per cent compounded annual growth rate by 2026, with cloud gaming potentially growing even faster at 45 per cent annually.
As telcos extend 5G and fibre access across urban and rural areas, cloud platforms will capitalise on improved connectivity, low latency streaming and broader device access. Since operators are already deploying local cloud servers, bundling gaming into their plans, and offering free trials to reduce scepticism and encourage adoption, these efforts can help in customer engagement and retention. India must overcome local challenges such as platforms, regional partnerships and tailoring content to Indian tastes. Educating customers about game ownership, stability and data usage is also necessary.
While India’s cloud gaming ecosystem is still in an early experimental phase, the momentum is strong. India could leapfrog into a cloud gaming culture, where blockbuster games are streamed as easily as movies.
Harshita Kalra
