India’s Top Young Game Developers Set to Shine at WAVES Summit 2025

Introduction

India’s most innovative game developers have secured their place in the spotlight with the announcement of the Top 10 games from the inaugural Road to Game Jam, a highlight of the Create in India Challenge: Season 1 under the Government of India’s World Audio-Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES). These exceptional titles will be showcased at the WAVES Summit in Mumbai from May 1-4, 2025, celebrating the creativity shaping the future of gaming.

The "Road to Game Jam" is an exciting opportunity for India’s game developers to showcase their creativity and innovation. Organized by Game Developer Association of India (GDAI) in collaboration with KGeN (Kratos Gamer Network), this initiative falls under Pillar 2 of WAVES, which focuses on AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics, along with Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality and the Metaverse). By providing a national platform for emerging talent, the initiative aims to foster creativity, encourage collaboration, and strengthen India’s growing game development ecosystem.

Response & Participation

With an overwhelming 5,500 registrations from more than 1,650 colleges across 453 cities and towns in India, the Road to Game Jam marked a significant step in nurturing young game development talent. The initiative included AMA sessions and knowledge-sharing workshops led by industry leaders, offering participants practical insights into game design, storytelling, and the business of gaming.

Following several rounds of elimination, over 175 teams submitted original games, each of which was rigorously evaluated by a jury of seasoned professionals from the gaming industry.

Top 10 Finalists

The final Top 10 games selected through the Road to Game Jam will be showcased at the WAVES Summit in Mumbai from 1 to 4 May 2025. These original titles reflect a range of creative voices from student teams and solo developers to early-stage startups, and represent the best of India’s emerging game development talent.

Rewards and Recognition

The above-mentioned winning teams will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the WAVES Summit in Mumbai, where they will present their games to a global industry jury. The top three entries will also receive a combined prize pool of ₹7 lakh, with ₹3.5 lakh for first place, ₹2 lakh for second, and ₹1.5 lakh for third.

Game Jam Themes

Here are the unique themes for the Game Jam, each designed to motivate participants to blend creativity with technical innovation.

India’s Growing Strength in Game Development

India is rapidly emerging as a global force in game development. According to a recent report by Lumikai, India’s pioneering interactive media and gaming venture capital firm, the country is home to over 550 million gamers, with 175 million of them making in-game purchases. This massive user base is underpinned by key enablers such as affordable data access, a mobile-first gaming culture, and a digitally savvy, youthful population—more than 65 percent of whom are under the age of 35.

India’s true strength lies not just in its consumption but in its creative potential. With a vast pool of engineering and design talent, a thriving indie developer community, and growing government and industry support, the country is well-positioned to become a global hub for game creation and production. Increasing investments in skilling, infrastructure, and funding are laying a strong foundation, while national and state-level game education initiatives continue to gain momentum. Global publishers, studios, and platforms are also showing growing interest in co-developing and investing in Indian talent, further cementing the country’s standing in the global gaming ecosystem.

Conclusion

The Road to Game Jam has not only spotlighted the immense talent and imagination of India’s next generation game developers but has also demonstrated the country’s growing capability to lead on the global gaming stage. By bringing together aspiring creators, industry mentors, and international platforms, the initiative has laid the groundwork for a stronger and more inclusive game development ecosystem. As the Top 10 teams gear up to present their games at the WAVES Summit in Mumbai, their journey reflects a broader national ambition to position India not just as a vibrant gaming market but as a powerhouse of original and world-class game creation.

Source: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

Road to Game Jam

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Santosh Kumar/ Ritu Kataria/ Saurabh Kalia