For years, India’s gaming story has been told almost entirely via the lens of a smartphone. Cheap data, affordable smartphones and mass accessibility turned the country into one of the world’s largest mobile gaming markets. However, there is a visible shift. The conversations are no longer just about playing games. It is about performance, longevity and whether India is finally ready to take PC gaming seriously.
To know in depth about how India’s PC gaming is evolving, we sat down with Vishal Parekh, COO, CyberPowerPC India. He talked about what the industry is experiencing right now, is not a sudden change but a gradual reset that has been building over time. ‘The process of reset is not confined to one year. It has already started. What has really changed is the kind of conversations gamers are having today,’ he said.
Those conversations, he noted, are no longer centred around whether a Rs 40,000 machine can run a game. Instead, they are about progression. ‘Earlier, people would ask which game to play and which machine to buy. Now they say, “I am playing Valorant, I am at this level, and the next game I want to try is this.” That shift tells you the consumer has evolved,’ he added.
India has never lacked gamers. It has struggled to convert that population into consistent esports success. While the debate frequently revolves around talent and opportunity, Parekh believes the distinction is far more practical than philosophical.
‘People underestimate how much inconsistent or underpowered setups affect a player. If you are training on compromised hardware, you are building skills around limitations you don’t even realise exist,’ he added.
He explained that many aspiring players start their journey on machines built purely around budget constraints rather than long-term performance. ‘When a gamer walks in, 99% of the time, the first conversation is about money. Not about the game they want to play or where they want to go,’ he added.
That decision, he claims, has long-term implications. ‘They practised for years on an 80 or 100Hz screen. Then they suddenly find themselves in a competitive environment with 240Hz or 400Hz displays, faster RAM, and better cooling, and they feel lost. The game remains the same, but the experience is entirely different,’ he added. At that moment, the problem is no longer skill. It is conditioning.
The past year has also prompted difficult discussions about pricing. GPU cycles are accelerating, component costs have skyrocketed, and AI-driven workloads are quietly redefining what “performance” means.
‘Yes, pricing has become a challenge,’ Parekh admitted. ‘Previously, the difference was 5% here and there. Now you’re seeing 300 to 400% increases in certain components,’ he added.
But he believes that the pressure has made buyers more thoughtful. ‘Previously, people would overbuy because they could. Today’s conversation is more intelligent,’ he claimed. ‘You really need to ask yourself what you are going to do with your PC for the next three or four years,’ he added.
Instead of pushing for maximum specifications, he suggests a more modular approach. ‘If you only play Valorant and have no plans to move on to AAA titles, why do you need the most powerful GPU available today? Start with what you need, then upgrade as your journey progresses,’ he added.
This shift, he said, represents a shift away from luxury purchases and toward conscious investments. ‘Future-proofing does not imply purchasing the most expensive parts. It entails not locking yourself into bad decisions,’ he added.
Convergence is another notable shift in purchasing behaviour. Indian gamers no longer regard their PC as a single-purpose device.
‘The boundaries are gone,’ Parekh said. ‘Previously, it was either gaming or professional work, such as editing or animation. Today, people want a single machine that can game, stream, work, and create content,’ he added.
This convergence has changed the way system builders interact with buyers. ‘The customer is asking additional questions. They expect the seller to have a thorough understanding of gaming, performance, and the ecosystem. That in itself demonstrates maturity,’ he added.
While pricing is still an issue, Parekh believes education is India’s biggest challenge. ‘Mobile gaming requires only a phone and the internet. PC gaming requires many things to work together,’ he said, citing connectivity, cooling, peripherals and display quality.
The transition can be overwhelming. ‘When people switch from playing on their phones to sitting in front of a high-performance PC, their reflexes, response time, and everything else must be faster. It’s like going from watching a movie on your phone to a 4K screen with surround sound. The experience changes completely,’ he added.
Without guidance, many new PC gamers struggle. ‘They buy a system not realising it is something they will live with for four or five years. That first decision shapes their entire gaming journey,’ he stated.
If hardware is the foundation, then community is the multiplier. Parekh frequently drew parallels between gaming and traditional sports. ‘Every sport progresses through a cycle. Players, spectators, stars, and more players,’ he explained.
India has already completed that cycle via mobile. He believes the next phase will take place on a PC. ‘LAN events, intercollegiate tournaments, and grassroots competitions. This is where serious communities form,’ he stated.
He cites an increasing number of college-focused initiatives and local tournaments as indicators of momentum. ‘When people play together, watch together, and aspire together, ecosystems grow naturally,’ he said.
Despite the challenges, Parekh remains cautiously optimistic. ‘The question is no longer whether PC gaming has a future in India. It’s about how soon that future arrives,’ he added.
He believes the next two years are critical. ‘If awareness improves and people start buying the right machines for the right reasons, India can build a very strong base of gamers,’ he stated.
Long-term, the ambition is clear. ‘I don’t see any doubt about India competing and winning internationally,’ he said. ‘The skill is there. The hunger is there. We just need to align the ecosystem,’ he concluded.
For 2026, that alignment is still in progress. But for the first time in years, the conversation feels less about entry and more about evolution. And that, perhaps, is what a real reset looks like.