Southeast Asia has long been home to some of gaming’s most passionate communities. Millions of people discover games on their phones, follow competitions, and build friendships that continue long after a match ends. Now, new projections from Niko Partners suggest that the region’s commercial growth has further to run.
According to Niko Partners, the six Southeast Asian markets it tracks generated more than $5.6 billion in video game revenue in 2025, an increase of 4.7% from the previous year. The research firm projects revenue will exceed $5.9 billion in 2026 and reach approximately $7 billion by 2030. It also expects the number of players across these markets to surpass 300 million in 2026.
Those headline figures describe an expanding industry. The more interesting story is that growth does not look the same in every country. Across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, reaching new players is only one part of what comes next. Local content, live events, community connections, and the ways people choose to pay are also shaping the market’s future.
Also read: The Games Market in 2026 Is Growing. yet The Way It Grows Is Changing.
One Region, Different Paths to Growth
Indonesia is the largest market in Niko Partners’ group by player count, with more than 126 million gamers. Niko expects it to be among the countries driving the next wave of revenue growth, alongside Thailand and the Philippines. It forecasts Indonesian player spending will reach $1.5 billion by 2030.
Thailand offers a different example of the region’s scale. Niko projects its player spending will exceed $2 billion in 2026, years before Indonesia is expected to reach the $1.5 billion mark. The figures are a reminder that the country with the most players does not necessarily generate the most revenue. The size of an audience and the amount its members spend tell related, but distinct, stories.
Niko identifies rising smartphone ownership and internet access as important sources of new players in populous markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In more mature markets, including Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, it points to localized content, live events, community engagement, and esports as increasingly important sources of growth.
These are broad market patterns rather than a fixed formula for each country. They do, however, show why Southeast Asia cannot be understood as a single audience. A game or campaign that connects with players in one market may need a different approach elsewhere, shaped by language, local culture, access, and the communities already built around gaming.
What Players Are Telling the Industry
Niko’s research also offers a glimpse of how expectations are changing. Across its SEA-6 findings, 67.5% of players said they support mandatory age verification for games rated 18+. The figure points to an interest in player safety, although support for the principle does not necessarily imply support for every system used to put it into practice. Niko itself notes the mixed response to regulatory efforts, including Indonesia’s IGRS, and calls for collaboration among stakeholders.
Another finding is that 61.4% of players exclusively play official versions of games. Niko sees an opportunity for the industry to reach players through legitimate channels. It also cautions that the result should not be taken as evidence that piracy is in long-term decline. The finding speaks to the behavior reported in this research, not to every form of access across the region.
How players prefer to make purchases may be changing as well. Nearly one-third of surveyed players said they prefer buying in-game content through payment methods outside an app, with the preference exceeding 35% among Thai respondents. This is a measure of preference, not the share of game revenue already flowing through those channels. Even so, it suggests that convenience and choice in payments may matter as publishers consider how to serve players directly.
Taken together, the findings describe players whose expectations extend beyond simply having access to a game. They care about where they can play, how they are protected, and how comfortably they can take part in the experiences they enjoy. For an industry looking toward 2030, understanding those expectations could be as important as counting new players.
The Opportunity Behind the Forecast
Niko Partners’ $7 billion projection is a forecast, and the path toward it will depend on how the six markets develop over the coming years. It should not be mistaken for a figure covering every country in Southeast Asia, or for a promise that each market will grow at the same pace.
What the outlook makes clear is that the region has both scale and variety. In some places, more people are coming online and discovering games for the first time. In others, the opportunity lies increasingly in experiences that speak to local players and give communities reasons to stay connected.
For the millions who already make gaming part of their lives, the industry’s future will be felt in the games they can access, the events they can share, and the ways they choose to participate. Revenue forecasts measure the size of that opportunity. The players across Southeast Asia will determine what it becomes.