How Russian Gamers Purchase and Consume Video Games

In the past few years, Russia has undergone major changes due to political and military conflict. These shifts have affected the video game industry, with restrictions and sanctions shaping the way games are accessed, purchased, and consumed. This has created new challenges for developers and players alike.

As the Russian games market continues to adjust and navigate through the disruption, we will be delving into the current state of the industry, the purchasing habits of players, and what the future of gaming might look like in the country.

The State of the Russian Video Game Industry

There are estimated to be 25 million gamers in Russia today and growing. In recent years, the games industry has been affected by the military conflict with Ukraine, which has caused Russian studios to relocate and major companies to depart from the Russian market or reduce operations in protest. This is also because, for a period of time in 2022, payments from Steam to developers in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus were suspended. Steam was developed by Valve and is a US company, therefore, they would be violating governmental sanctions by taking money from Russian gamers. Purchases could only be made through Steam wallet and PayPal.

As a result of developers not receiving payments and gamers being unable to use their credit cards on the platform, the online games market declined by 80% in 2022 compared to the previous year (Russian Association for Electronic Communications – RAEC). However, Steam reinstated payments to Russia and Ukraine months later by using foreign intermediaries if developers’ Russian banks were under sanctions. As it stands, Belarus is still unable to receive payments.

This initial restriction and the restriction of credit card spending have led to more limited access to games. XYZ Online school found that in 2024, the Russian pirated video game market grew by 13% and reached 281 billion rubles ($3.5 billion). 69% of respondents in the study admitted to pirating at least one game, with 27% admitting to pirating three or more and 20% pirating ten or more titles. This contrasts with statistics in the UK which indicate that in 2022, 17% of respondents played pirated video games. This disparity in piracy rates is likely due to the restrictions on games in Russia.

Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, hosted a talk at the Washington Technology Industry Association's (WTIA) Tech NW conference. Here, he stated that “piracy is not a pricing issue, it’s a service issue.” He also noted that the people warning about Russians pirating games are the same who “wait six months to localize their product into Russia.” Newell’s comments speak to a wider issue of accessibility for games and the ease with which piracy was taking place in Russia.

To re-stabilize the games industry in Russia and make up for the sanctions from other organizations, Russia began creating its own game platforms. VK introduced VK Play, and RuStore was created to provide access to PC and mobile games. The latter offers four thousand games and has over seven million users to date.

With the Russian games industry experiencing so many changes, it is interesting to see how gamers are consuming, purchasing, and engaging with games.

Russian Consumer Buying Habits

Despite setbacks with the Russian games industry, reports indicate that it is again showing growth. Notably, mobile gaming dominates the Russian market due to its convenience, affordability, and the rise of 5G. Free-to-play models continue to thrive, with in-game purchases also being very popular.

In another study conducted by XYZ online school, it was found that in 2024, Russian gamers spent 204 billion rubles on in-game payments ($2.36 billion), equivalent to spending 12,000 rubles ($145) per person. In comparison, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) reported that in 2024, Americans spent $50.6 billion on video game content. A report by Newzoo also indicated that 58% of PC gaming revenue was generated from microtransactions, equal to $24.4 billion.

These figures demonstrate how alternative payment modes are competing with traditional one-time purchases. Growth in subscription-based models, where players pay a monthly fee to access a library of games, is also strong, accounting for 15% of total Russian game spending in 2024. This model also encourages long-term engagement with gaming platforms and is especially appealing to those who are conscious of the money they spend.

So, how does this compare to traditional spending on video games?

In 2024, Russians spent 173 billion rubles ($2.02 billion). Top titles included Black Myth: Wukong, Helldivers 2, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Of this 173 billion, TAdvisor reports that mobile gaming accounts for 63% of all spending, with PC games accounting for 37%. Revenue for mobile games increased by 10% from 2023. Globally, mobile gaming has the largest market share of all, with 49% and a $92 billion revenue (Newzoo). Considering that half of all gaming is on mobile, Russia follows this trend.

A Rambler&Co survey of 90,000 Russians found that 59% of gaming enthusiasts periodically spent money on in-game purchases, whereas 39% made purchases every few months. 8% purchased games a couple of times a month, 7% three times a week, and 5% stated that it was an everyday occurrence. Reasons cited for these purchases include buying cosmetic skins, trying to progress within a game, supporting developers, gaining collectibles, or standing out from other players.

Taking into consideration how the industry looks, what might the future hold for the Russian games market?

The Future of Gaming in Russia

Despite these setbacks, from 2023 onward the Russian games market has continued to see growth. In the same year, Rambler&Co found that Russians began spending 20% more time playing games. 6Wresearch predicts that from 2025-2031, the Russian games market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2%. It was valued at 177.98 billion rubles ($2.2 billion) in 2023 and is projected to reach 292.02 billion rubles ($3.55 billion) by 2031.

This seems more feasible when organizations are planning to help grow the industry. The Institute for Internet Development (IDI) plans to spend two billion rubles ($24 million) to accelerate game development in 2025. The government is backing investments to improve the economy and increase online entertainment and educational games for younger generations. The IDI supplied grants of over 1.5 billion rubles ($18.2 million) over the last three years to support Russian developers in creating titles, including Smuta, Periphery Front, Sparta, and Secrets of the Museum. By focusing on local projects, there is hope that this will drive game development and growth in Russia.

To Conclude…

While Russia has faced major changes over the past few years, ultimately affecting the games market, there are signs of significant recovery and growth. This is backed by the growing number of 25 million players, the shift toward microtransactions and subscription models, and the 204 billion spent on in-game payments in 2024 alone. With emerging platforms like VK Play and RuStore bridging the gap left by other organizations like Steam, government support and funding of billions of rubles, and an increase in domestic projects being supported, this marks a turning point for the market. With all of this and a projected growth rate of 9.2% up to 2031, the Russian games scene is stabilizing and looking toward a resilient and self-sufficient future.