Russia's gaming market: Level-up despite obstacles

The Russian video game market is estimated to be worth around 200 billion rubles in 2025, equivalent to 2.2 billion euros. This puts Russia in the middle of the pack in international comparison: the global games market reached just under 167 billion euros in 2025, with Russia contributing around 1.5% of global sales. The German gaming market is significantly larger than the Russian market and had a turnover of around 9 billion euros in 2025, more than 5% of global sales.

After the slump in 2022, the Russian market gradually stabilized from 2023 onwards. The volume in 2023 was around 176 billion rubles, or 1.9 billion euros at the current exchange rate, and in 2024 it was around 187 billion rubles, or 2.07 billion euros. Further growth of 5% is expected for 2026.

Restart in 2022, expansion in 2025

The year 2022 marked a turning point for the Russian gaming industry. International providers and platforms restricted their activities, and international payment transactions became more complicated. As a result, the focus shifted to local infrastructure. Platforms such as VK Play and RuStore gained in importance, and large companies invested in their own distribution models.

A phase of reorganization began in 2023. The market grew moderately again and reached its pre-crisis level in 2024.

In 2025, established online titles and long-lasting service games are among the most played games in Russia. These include World of Tanks, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Minecraft, and EA Sports FC 2026 in the console and PC segment. Although mobile games have the largest reach in terms of user numbers, PC and console titles dominate in terms of sales.

Payments as the final boss: buying games despite sanctions

Since 2022, key international payment methods for gaming have been restricted for Russian users or can only be used indirectly, as platforms such as Steam, Google Play, and the App Store have stopped working directly with Russian banks. Since then, games have been purchased more frequently through third-party providers, foreign cards, or alternative payment service providers, which makes the process more complex and, in some cases, more expensive. 

According to data from payment service provider YuKassa, the number of gaming transactions in Russia rose by 19% in 2025 compared to the previous year. At the same time, the average payment amount fell by nine percent to 508 rubles, around 5.50 euros. 

The number of transactions also doubled by the end of 2025 for money transfers to the world's leading gaming site, Steam. However, the average amount fell by 4% to 782 rubles, equivalent to €8.50. 

A survey of more than 2,000 gamers revealed that 79% of Zoomers, born between 1997 and 2010, 61% of Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and 65% of Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, purchase games through official stores. Generation Alpha, born in 2010 or later, has the highest daily gaming activity: 75% say they play every day.

The state gets involved

The Russian state has significantly expanded its role in the gaming sector since 2022. The "Institute for the Development of the Internet" plans to invest around 3.4 billion rubles, or around 40 million euros, in gaming projects between 2026 and 2027. 

Since 2022, a total of around five billion rubles, or 55 million euros, has been made available for almost 50 projects. In an industry survey of more than 200 development studios, 47.2% cited tax breaks and 45.1% cited development grants as the most important sources of funding.

The media regulatory authority Roskomnadzor is the regulator of digital platforms. In 2024, the communication service Discord, popular among gamers, was blocked, followed by the official blocking of Roblox at the end of 2025. Roblox is an international online platform where users can create their own games and play the projects of others. Before the ban, Russia was one of the larger markets in Europe, with estimates of several million active users, especially among children and young people. The blockade by Roskomnadzor at the end of 2025 meant that the platform was officially no longer accessible.

Russia's answer to PlayStation

In recent years, the Russian game studio with the highest turnover was Lesta Games, which published the game World of Tanks in Russia, generating around 24.8 billion rubles, or 300 million euros, in revenue in 2024. In April 2025, the Moscow Tagansky District Court seized Lesta Games' assets at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office.

Other major development studios include Astrum Entertainment with €100 million in revenue, Krista Games with €40 million, and Innova with €32 million. In total, there are several hundred development studios in Russia, predominantly small and medium-sized companies.

In the wake of Western export restrictions on game consoles, the development of a Russian game console has been under discussion since 2024. Electronics manufacturer Fplus has presented several prototypes of a portable console, but there is no mass production yet.

A survey by the state market research institute VZIOM shows that 82% of Russian gamers primarily play on PCs, 63% on smartphones, 24% on PlayStation consoles, and 9% on Xbox systems. Only 27% of respondents had heard of the initiative for a Russian console.

This article first appeared in the exclusive newsletter of the German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade.