Gaming lounges are booming in India as consoles disappear from stores

As gaming consoles grow harder to find on Indian store shelves, a different kind of gaming venue is picking up the slack: gaming lounges and parlours, which are reporting solid growth even as retail stock for consoles has all but dried up.

The shortage comes as enquiries for consoles have surged ahead of the anticipated launch of Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) later this year. But retailers say the demand hasn’t converted into sales. “It is not just Mangaluru, there is practically zero stock across India. The last batch of around 18 units we received was sold out within a day,” one authorised retailer said, describing a shortage playing out nationwide.

An executive from Infinity Gaming Lounge said most people now prefer to visit gaming lounges or simply buy consoles for games, since building a PC “takes time and are costlier.” An executive from Keera gaming lounge echoed that view, noting that many customers avoid buying consoles altogether because both the hardware and the games have become more expensive, making lounges a more practical option.

A looming price hike is adding to the pressure. Global prices for a major console brand have already been revised, and retailers expect the increase to reach India soon, with one dealer predicting “the next restock will likely come at a higher price” — a shift that has already stirred some consumer hesitation and online backlash.

Some consumers priced out of consoles have looked at gaming PCs as an alternative, but that route has its own cost pressures. Nagendra Prabhu of Suprabhata Computers said rising prices for RAM, SSDs and processors over the past six months have discouraged many from building PCs too, a trend that’s helping push more casual gamers toward lounges instead.