The gaming digital spending has experienced a notable increase through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), reaching its peak transaction value of 2025 in October, as stated by NPCI’s recent report. This surge occurred despite the ban on real-money gaming platforms in August, which had led to consecutive declines in UPI transactions related to gaming.
Data reveals that transactions under the “Digital Goods (Games)” section hit 464.1 million, amounting to Rs 12,641.49 crore in October. This marks the highest value since July 2024, when the category recorded 363 million transactions totalling Rs 13,693.28 crore.
In comparison, digital spending on gaming witnessed a significant drop in August, with the category showing 271 million transactions worth Rs 7,441 crore, down from 351 million transactions valued at Rs 10,076 crore in July.
Interestingly, the term “gaming” was absent from NPCI’s focus on the top 30 digital spending categories and might have been included under different classifications in the dataset.
UPI Spending Overview in October
In October, grocery and supermarket transactions led the UPI spending with 1,880 million transactions valued at Rs 46,115 crore, followed closely by fast-food establishments and restaurants. The telecom sector logged 659 million transactions, amounting to Rs 15,116 crore. Notably, the Digital Goods: Games category recorded 464 million transactions worth Rs 12,641 crore, establishing itself as one of the highest-value segments.
Trends in Digital Gold Transactions
Another significant section, digital gold, noted 20.92 million transactions worth Rs 550.12 crore in October. This represents a dramatic decline of 80% in transaction volume and nearly 61% in valuation compared to 103 million transactions valued at Rs 1,410.18 crore in September. This downturn may be attributed to SEBI’s advisory that cautioned investors against purchasing digital gold from unregulated sources, indicating that such products fall outside its regulatory framework.