SEA Mobile Gaming Market Hits $5.6B in 2025
Southeast Asia’s mobile gaming revenue topped $5.6 billion in 2025, marking a 4.7% rise from 2024 and setting the stage for a projected $7 billion by 2030.
Southeast Asia (SEA) generated $5.6 billion in mobile gaming revenue in 2025, up 4.7% from 2024, according to an updated Niko Partners model released Aug. 4 2026. The figure places the region on track to exceed $5.9 billion in 2026 and reach roughly $7 billion by 2030, a 4.8% compound annual growth rate over five years.
Market Size and Growth
The latest model shows a clear upward trend. The table below compares the key revenue milestones reported by Niko Partners and Sensor Tower.
| Year | Gaming Revenue (USD) | Mobile Share | Downloads (B) | IAP Revenue (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5.37 billion | 70.78% | - | - |
| 2025 | 5.6 billion | - | 18.1 billion | 5.3 billion |
| 2026 | 5.9 billion | - | - | - |
| 2030 | 7.0 billion | - | - | - |
The table shows that mobile gaming accounts for 70.78% of SEA’s gaming revenue in 2025, underscoring the region’s mobile-first culture. The 18.1 billion downloads in 2025 rank SEA second worldwide for both downloads and time spent.
Downloads and Monetisation
In Q1 2025, SEA recorded 1.93 billion new mobile-game installs, a 3% increase from Q4 2024. The region generated $625 million in in-app purchase (IAP) revenue, placing it seventh globally.
| Country | Downloads (M) | IAP Revenue (M) |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 870 | 118 |
| Thailand | - | 162 |
| Malaysia | - | 103 |
Indonesia led with 870 million installs, about 45% of all SEA downloads that quarter. Thailand, however, generated $44 million more in IAP revenue than Indonesia, showing a higher spend per player.
The disparity highlights that while SEA delivers massive reach, monetisation remains a key growth area as smartphone adoption, digital payment infrastructure, and disposable income improve.
Player Penetration and Demographics
Niko Partners estimates that the six principal SEA markets-Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam-had about 290 million players in 2025, with Indonesia alone accounting for over 126 million. The model projects the total to surpass 300 million in 2026.
Deloitte’s Let’s Play! report found mobile accounted for nearly 55% of all gaming hours in SEA, making it the dominant platform. The same study noted that YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming play a larger role than Twitch in the region.
Esports Audience
The esports audience in SEA is slightly male-skewed, with women representing 43% of viewers. Millennials (46%) and Gen Z (35%) together comprise roughly 80% of all esports viewers, while Gen X and those 59+ make up the remainder.
Deloitte reported a 94% esports term-awareness rate across six markets, higher than Europe’s 85%. However, only 75% had watched professional esports at least once, 46% in the past six months, and 31% watched at least once per week.
Vietnam stands out, with a 94% term-awareness rate and 59% regular viewership, compared with Singapore’s 18% regular viewership. The data suggest that awareness does not automatically translate into consistent engagement.
The esports viewership statistics can be cross-checked in our standings data, which tracks regional audience metrics.
Conclusion
The numbers show that SEA’s mobile-first gaming ecosystem is expanding rapidly, driven by affordable smartphones, free-to-play titles, and a vibrant social gaming culture. The region’s large, young audience and growing esports viewership present significant opportunities for developers and sponsors alike.
For a deeper dive into the revenue figures, see our stats page. The ongoing tournaments and match schedules are available on our fixtures page.
