<p>At a recently held tabletop games expo in Bengaluru, Kiran purchased 15 board games worth Rs 30,000. Four were Indian-themed or developed by Indian studios. The Yelahanka resident chose them deliberately “to support local designers” and because “games are a great way to tell the stories of a country”.</p>.<p>His spending reflected a wider trend at TTOX, the expo. Enthusiasts spent an average of Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000, picking up four to five titles each. According to Phalgun Polepalli, who runs the expo with his wife Shwetha Badarinath, Bengaluru has the highest spending power for board games in India. It also has the country’s "largest ecosystem" of board game designers, meetups, cafes, and players, complemented by game design courses.</p>.<p>The three-day event drew over 1,800 attendees, featured more than 65 indie designers and 25 publishers, and showcased over 1,000 games across tables, sale counters and tournaments. By comparison, its debut edition in 2024 had 500 visitors and 80 games.</p>.<p>At its sixth and latest edition, only 10% of the showcased games were Indian. While Polepalli says this is a very small number in global terms (smaller countries like South Korea have over 600 homegrown games), it is a significant “rise” from a few years ago. He attributes this growth to Gen Z and Gen Alpha embracing board games for socialising and as an alternative to screen time, schools adopting game-based learning for problem-solving skills, corporates turning to gamification to build team spirit, address sales bottlenecks even, and films exploring game adaptations. Catalysing this change are board game cafes that cater to existing enthusiasts while also serving as entry points for those discovering the hobby.</p>.<p><strong>Evolving scene</strong></p>.<p>Polepalli says new-age Indian games are moving beyond the familiar territories of war and mythology, and are backed by research and nuance. He cites some examples that featured at the expo: ‘Kabutar’ is a satire on urban migration. In ‘Karigar-e-Taj’, players have to build the Taj Mahal and win Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s favour. ‘Uninvited Guests at a Wedding’ revolves around gatecrashing, while ‘Birds in the City’ focuses on building a bird-friendly Bengaluru.</p>.<p>Launched in the second half of 2025, 'Birds in the City' has been created by ecologist Priti Bangal and game designer and researcher Prasad Sandbhor, on a grant. It challenges players to build a bird-friendly Bengaluru. Priti says that it was designed to engage citizens, especially children aged 14 and above, with nature around them. “We have donated 100 copies to educators and other community spaces but parents looking to provide their children a break from their screens have also bought it,” she says.</p>.<p><strong>State grant</strong></p>.<p>Around 75% of the 40-plus titles created by Polepalli and Shwetha’s Mozaic Games draw inspiration from Karnataka. In November, the studio even received a grant from the Karnataka government to develop Indian-themed games aimed at capturing the export market.</p>.<p>Tacit Games is another Bengaluru company that is creating board games and puzzles to tell Indian stories to a global audience. In 'Hampi and the Sun Jewel', players build the historic city, its farms, roads, temples, ponds and markets, tile by tile, while 'Bimba' involves interpreting mystical shapes and landscapes. Its founder, Kiran Kulkarni, argues that it is incorrect to say India is only now warming up to board gaming. He says India has long had a board gaming culture, though it was largely confined to homes, festivals and family gatherings. In Europe too, he argues, board games were once largely family affairs, played indoors because of the cold. Kulkarni says the culture of meetups, conventions and video reviews emerged when German games such as ‘Catan’ spread in the US. That culture has now taken root in Indian cities as well, driven largely by people who have experienced board gaming abroad.</p>.<p>However, he adds that games with complex mechanics still have a limited audience in India, with most players gravitating towards simpler rules.</p>.<p>Homegrown games with relatable themes, quick to follow rules and colourful artwork have also gained ground at Now Boarding Café, a board game destination in Jayanagar and HSR Layout. Where its Indian board game shelf was almost empty three years ago, now it is “overflowing” with titles, says owner Avikant Bhardwaj. He says ‘Chai Garam’ and ‘Masala Lab’ are top picks among their patrons, and both happen to be centred on food. In the former, players step into the shoes of a tea vendor who must please customers by brewing chai to their liking while also optimising the business. The latter is a three-part game in which players prepare ingredients, serve a sadhya meal, and fulfil orders from fussy customers. Bhardwaj says also lauds ‘Tycoon’, themed on nation-building in post-colonial India, and ‘Nayakas’, set after the fall of the Vijayanagar empire. He feels these Indian titles are as good as “Western heavyweights”. While his Jayanagar outlet attracts people across the 13-70 age group, the HSR Layout outlet sees a more focused demographic of 20- to 35-year-olds.</p>.<p>Player preferences are shifting as well. Bhardwaj observes more women are taking to strategy games, once thought to be a male preserve. Board game manufacturer Prajwal Manuvacharya of Manu Graphics says Indian audiences favour large-group games that can be finished quickly, allowing multiple rounds in a short time. The expo, however, revealed a change in behaviour: nine of the 10 most-played games were designed for two players. Kulkarni adds that some avid gamers are even collecting board games as collectibles now!</p>.<p><strong>Production gaps</strong></p>.<p>Polepalli says that the lack of publishers and distribution channels are the only major bottleneck in India’s board gaming scene. Manuvacharya echoes this and brings up a fascinating development: “Since 2024, I have been making board games in small batches of 15 to 500 copies for Bengalureans who wish to share them within their friend and family circles.”</p>.<p>“I have made two games designed by children whose parents wanted to see their ideas come alive,” he says. One was themed around Formula One racing, the other around the city of Thiruvananthapuram and its landmarks. His adult clients have included a part-time yoga instructor who commissioned a card game to simplify yoga asanas for students, and a classical dancer who created a memory game to teach body postures.</p>.<p>Costs vary widely. “Twenty copies of a card game can cost Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000, while a board game can go up to Rs 20,000, and even Rs 1 lakh, depending on how refined you want the game experience to be,” he adds.</p>
<p>At a recently held tabletop games expo in Bengaluru, Kiran purchased 15 board games worth Rs 30,000. Four were Indian-themed or developed by Indian studios. The Yelahanka resident chose them deliberately “to support local designers” and because “games are a great way to tell the stories of a country”.</p>.<p>His spending reflected a wider trend at TTOX, the expo. Enthusiasts spent an average of Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000, picking up four to five titles each. According to Phalgun Polepalli, who runs the expo with his wife Shwetha Badarinath, Bengaluru has the highest spending power for board games in India. It also has the country’s "largest ecosystem" of board game designers, meetups, cafes, and players, complemented by game design courses.</p>.<p>The three-day event drew over 1,800 attendees, featured more than 65 indie designers and 25 publishers, and showcased over 1,000 games across tables, sale counters and tournaments. By comparison, its debut edition in 2024 had 500 visitors and 80 games.</p>.<p>At its sixth and latest edition, only 10% of the showcased games were Indian. While Polepalli says this is a very small number in global terms (smaller countries like South Korea have over 600 homegrown games), it is a significant “rise” from a few years ago. He attributes this growth to Gen Z and Gen Alpha embracing board games for socialising and as an alternative to screen time, schools adopting game-based learning for problem-solving skills, corporates turning to gamification to build team spirit, address sales bottlenecks even, and films exploring game adaptations. Catalysing this change are board game cafes that cater to existing enthusiasts while also serving as entry points for those discovering the hobby.</p>.<p><strong>Evolving scene</strong></p>.<p>Polepalli says new-age Indian games are moving beyond the familiar territories of war and mythology, and are backed by research and nuance. He cites some examples that featured at the expo: ‘Kabutar’ is a satire on urban migration. In ‘Karigar-e-Taj’, players have to build the Taj Mahal and win Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s favour. ‘Uninvited Guests at a Wedding’ revolves around gatecrashing, while ‘Birds in the City’ focuses on building a bird-friendly Bengaluru.</p>.<p>Launched in the second half of 2025, 'Birds in the City' has been created by ecologist Priti Bangal and game designer and researcher Prasad Sandbhor, on a grant. It challenges players to build a bird-friendly Bengaluru. Priti says that it was designed to engage citizens, especially children aged 14 and above, with nature around them. “We have donated 100 copies to educators and other community spaces but parents looking to provide their children a break from their screens have also bought it,” she says.</p>.<p><strong>State grant</strong></p>.<p>Around 75% of the 40-plus titles created by Polepalli and Shwetha’s Mozaic Games draw inspiration from Karnataka. In November, the studio even received a grant from the Karnataka government to develop Indian-themed games aimed at capturing the export market.</p>.<p>Tacit Games is another Bengaluru company that is creating board games and puzzles to tell Indian stories to a global audience. In 'Hampi and the Sun Jewel', players build the historic city, its farms, roads, temples, ponds and markets, tile by tile, while 'Bimba' involves interpreting mystical shapes and landscapes. Its founder, Kiran Kulkarni, argues that it is incorrect to say India is only now warming up to board gaming. He says India has long had a board gaming culture, though it was largely confined to homes, festivals and family gatherings. In Europe too, he argues, board games were once largely family affairs, played indoors because of the cold. Kulkarni says the culture of meetups, conventions and video reviews emerged when German games such as ‘Catan’ spread in the US. That culture has now taken root in Indian cities as well, driven largely by people who have experienced board gaming abroad.</p>.<p>However, he adds that games with complex mechanics still have a limited audience in India, with most players gravitating towards simpler rules.</p>.<p>Homegrown games with relatable themes, quick to follow rules and colourful artwork have also gained ground at Now Boarding Café, a board game destination in Jayanagar and HSR Layout. Where its Indian board game shelf was almost empty three years ago, now it is “overflowing” with titles, says owner Avikant Bhardwaj. He says ‘Chai Garam’ and ‘Masala Lab’ are top picks among their patrons, and both happen to be centred on food. In the former, players step into the shoes of a tea vendor who must please customers by brewing chai to their liking while also optimising the business. The latter is a three-part game in which players prepare ingredients, serve a sadhya meal, and fulfil orders from fussy customers. Bhardwaj says also lauds ‘Tycoon’, themed on nation-building in post-colonial India, and ‘Nayakas’, set after the fall of the Vijayanagar empire. He feels these Indian titles are as good as “Western heavyweights”. While his Jayanagar outlet attracts people across the 13-70 age group, the HSR Layout outlet sees a more focused demographic of 20- to 35-year-olds.</p>.<p>Player preferences are shifting as well. Bhardwaj observes more women are taking to strategy games, once thought to be a male preserve. Board game manufacturer Prajwal Manuvacharya of Manu Graphics says Indian audiences favour large-group games that can be finished quickly, allowing multiple rounds in a short time. The expo, however, revealed a change in behaviour: nine of the 10 most-played games were designed for two players. Kulkarni adds that some avid gamers are even collecting board games as collectibles now!</p>.<p><strong>Production gaps</strong></p>.<p>Polepalli says that the lack of publishers and distribution channels are the only major bottleneck in India’s board gaming scene. Manuvacharya echoes this and brings up a fascinating development: “Since 2024, I have been making board games in small batches of 15 to 500 copies for Bengalureans who wish to share them within their friend and family circles.”</p>.<p>“I have made two games designed by children whose parents wanted to see their ideas come alive,” he says. One was themed around Formula One racing, the other around the city of Thiruvananthapuram and its landmarks. His adult clients have included a part-time yoga instructor who commissioned a card game to simplify yoga asanas for students, and a classical dancer who created a memory game to teach body postures.</p>.<p>Costs vary widely. “Twenty copies of a card game can cost Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000, while a board game can go up to Rs 20,000, and even Rs 1 lakh, depending on how refined you want the game experience to be,” he adds.</p>