Esports is officially stepping into the spotlight at the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2025 as a demonstration event, giving Indian gamers a long-overdue platform within a national, government-backed sports program.

Set to take place at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna, Bihar, from May 6 to 7 (IST), the esports showcase will feature four popular titles like Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Street Fighter 6, eFootball, and yes, even Chess, which is being embraced in its new digital avatar.

Mobile, console, and mind games: All under one roof

The mix of titles covers all major gaming formats like mobile, console, and strategic thinking. While BGMI continues to dominate India’s esports scene, Chess stands out this year. Once seen as strictly traditional, it’s now gaining ground in the esports circuit.

In fact, Chess was recently added to the Esports World Cup 2025, which has a massive prize pool of USD 1.5 million (₹12.7 crore).

“The inclusion of titles like BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball in the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 signals a big step forward for grassroots esports in India,” said Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and MD of NODWIN Gaming. He added that Chess being part of the lineup “shows how in tune this initiative is with global trends.”

Rathee also stressed this is not just about prize money or tournaments. “It’s about creating real opportunities to discover talent from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, places that have been overlooked for too long,” he said.

Big names back the grassroots shift

India’s top esports orgs are already on the move.

S8UL recently signed grandmasters Aravindh Chithambaram and Nihal Sarin to represent India in Chess at the EWC 2025. The org will also send players in Street Fighter 6, EAFC25, Tekken 8, and more.

Animesh Agarwal, S8UL Co-founder and CEO, believes the KIYG esports lineup shows “a thoughtful push to diversify beyond mobile gaming and build a more well-rounded competitive ecosystem.” He added, “It is especially encouraging to see Street Fighter 6 and Chess recognised through a government-led initiative… this is a strong indicator of the growing legitimacy of esports in India.”

Bihar takes the lead

Before KIYG added esports, Bihar had already started laying the groundwork. The state ran the Bihar State Esports Open Championship and inter-school/college esports tournaments over the past year.

Other states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland have also begun formalising grassroots esports programs.

Mikhail Bhuta, Co-founder of Dirtcube Interactive, summed it up: “Including esports in the Khelo India Youth Games is a practical step toward building a grassroots ecosystem for new-age sports… we envision having Made-in-India esports-based games be part of KIYG’s future seasons.”

Looking ahead: from KIYG to Olympics?

Esports will officially debut as a medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games, and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is coming in 2027. With state and national bodies now backing the movement, KIYG 2025 could be remembered as the moment grassroots Indian esports truly found its footing.

And honestly? It’s about time.