Games by Russian Developers Gain Serious Popularity at Home and Abroad
Domestic video games are reaching international audiences while setting sales records inside Russia.
In 2025, Russian video games significantly strengthened their market positions. This is not only about growing attention at home, but also about rising sales abroad. Games developed by Russian and Russian-speaking studios are increasingly appearing in top charts and finding audiences beyond the domestic market.
Breaking Records
According to VK Play, the platform’s peak monthly audience grew from 12.5 million to 19 million users over the year, with the record set in the autumn. The growth was driven not by a single blockbuster, but by an entire wave of releases.
VK Play strategy director Aleksandr Zhiganov said player interest was sparked by several projects at once.
According to Zhiganov, strategies and tactical titles remain a traditionally strong area for domestic developers.
Strategy and Tactics
The trend is also visible outside Russia. In 2025, several games by Russian teams sold more than 500,000 copies on Steam. Among them were Broken Arrow, No I’m Not a Human, Rusy protiv yashcherov 2, and Escape from Tarkov. Experts stress that this success is tied not to the origin of the games, but to quality and precise genre positioning.
Vladimir Tolmachev, CMO of the Plus Gaming service, said the originality, even distinctiveness of virtual worlds and visual style are especially important for international audiences.
A New Level in the Year Ahead
Growth is also confirmed by other platforms. Russian games dominate on RuStore. On Wildberries, video game sales in 2025 rose by a third in value terms and by 50 percent in units sold. Experts expect interest in domestic projects to persist into 2026, given a packed release schedule. New sales records and fresh releases may lie ahead — if only there is enough time to play them.
