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Mobile gaming has taken India by storm this year, with the popularity of mobile games surging among the youth, especially millennials and Gen Z.

India's gaming market reached $2.6 billion in revenue this year, which is expected to quadruple to $8.6 billion by 2027, according to a report by Lumikai, a gaming and interactive media venture capital fund.

India is home to 507 million gamers, of which about 120 million are paid gaming users, with at least $20 revenue per user. With 15 billion downloads, India was the world's largest consumer of mobile games in FY22 (fiscal year 2022).

Nearly 48 per cent of gamers spend money on mid-core games, while 65 per cent of paying gamers claimed they had engaged in in-app purchases at least once, the report mentioned.

Indians are spending an average of 8.5 hours per week on mobile games.

Three big trends are changing the mobile gaming industry -- better gameplay, improving graphics and new monetisation models.

As the gaming community is growing in India like a rollercoaster, developers are trying their best to offer new games to satisfy the gamers.

Here are the top 5 mobile games that may make their mark in 2023:

1. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile from gaming company Activision Publishing is a tactical shooting game with Battle Royale mobile game experience. The game will allow for up to 120 live players in a match on mobile. It is the next era of the Call of Duty franchise.

The game will be available on both iOS and Android devices, and is expected to release next year. However, pre-registrations for the game have started on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

2. Underworld Gang Wars (UGW)

Underworld Gang Wars (UGW) from the Mayhem-Studios is the most promising upcoming battle royale mobile game which will be rooted in India and is built for gangsters. It will be available on both Android and iOS devices, and pre- registrations for the game are open and even crossed over 2 million.

The game features a gang war between two opposing sides. It's up to the gamers "to pick a side and defend it with your might".

3. Rainbow Six: Mobile

Tactical shooter game Rainbow Six: Mobile is a competitive and multiplayer first-person shooter experience game. Gamers can compete in the game's classic 'Attack vs. Defence' game modes. Gamers can play as an Attacker or Defender in fast-paced 5 versus 5 matches and face intense close-quarter combat while making timely tactical decisions.

The Ubisoft-owned game will be available on both iOS and Android devices. The game developer in September had announced that it is rolling out a closed beta version to some gamers who pre-registered the game.

4. Battlefield Mobile

Battlefield Mobile is from the video game company Electronic Arts. It is an action shooter game where gamers can play high intensity player versus player combat in epic large-scale battles. The game allows players to explore massive 3D destructible maps and wartime environments at the scale only Battlefield can bring to mobile.

It will be available on both Android and iOS devices, and is expected to launch in early 2023. However, pre-registrations for the game have started at the application stores.

5. Dragon Siege: Kingdom Conquest

Dragon Siege: Kingdom Conquest' is a massively multiplayer (MMO) casual fantasy game from NDREAM Corporation. In this game, players can start an exciting adventure at the Fantasy World, Dragonia. Gamers can expand their village, farm and harvest resources, and can even battle with other players. They can also build their troops in real-time and can enjoy strategic combat.

This game will only be available on Android devices and pre-registrations for the game have started on the Google Play Store.