CorpKing

Are Gaming Cafe Profitable?

I have always been into gaming and spent a good decade playing in a gaming cafe in my teen years and always had a dream to open one.

I have been thinking about it again lately and want some inputs from the community.

Is there anyone who has invested/operated in a gaming cafe? How was the experience? Do you recommend going for it? Any pros & cons to keep in mind?

Any advice/suggestions will be great.

9mo ago

salt

Gojek9mo

Hard to Operate. Arbitrage exists in Tier-2/Tier-3 cities but Tier-1 is unlikely to get big. If you believe in India growing then it is a bad bet to start this business.

CorpKing

Crypto9mo

Difficult in Tier 1 because everyone has their own set ups nowadays?

salt

Gojek9mo

Yes

TheOatmeal

Stealth9mo

You have to keep it very active so that the footfall increases. Buying pc’s and keeping it idle won’t work.

Weekly, monthly tournaments would be necessary to keep this alive.

Also city matters. Tier 1 cities would be tough.

CorpKing

Crypto9mo

Why will Tier 1 be tough?

TheOatmeal

Stealth9mo

As @salt said, everyone owns this system. May be better than what you will keep in the cafe.

Itachi777

Stealth9mo

I don't think this is very viable anymore. a lot of people can afford a decent setup and play at their own convenience. Back in 2000s having your personal laptop/pc was rare in India. Nowadays phones also offer decent gaming experience of you are a casual gamer

Itachi777

Stealth9mo

Only way to make it work would be to have very high end PC with VR capabilities which most people might not be able to afford for personal use. But then the fees you will charge will also be high need to keep customer affordability in mind

CorpKing

Crypto9mo

I see. There are still a lot of people who can't afford the 1Lakh+ set up at home. But I guess the overall fun of Gaming cafe is more inclined to playing together with Friends on LAN instead of playing solo at home.

Kamlesh

Stealth9mo

It's better to open a proper arcade with games and machines that aren't available for consumers.

I came across a startup in Delhi that rents out a gaming van with a few consoles installed inside for parties. Convenient for a few hours/one day. That was also an interesting model but dunno how profitable they are.

CorpKing

Crypto9mo

That's an interesting one, like the Battle Bus of Fortnite.

Loanman

Startup9mo

I’ll put it this way - It is similar to q-commerce.
It’s brilliant to be the user.
But sucks being a business owner. Razor thin margins with tons of management.

Don’t waste your time even if it’s even tier 2city. Been there, done that, burnt money. Atleast not if it’s for a side hustle or just 1-2 cafés.

I tried my hand in Vizag and hyd. Burnt at both places. Similar to PVR/Inox - Your margins are in the food you serve and not the actual cost to use the pc/console.

Hope this helps.