Video games are a rapidly growing industry in Thailand, with an average growth rate of 15% per year since 2017. In 2021, the Thai games market generated over a billion dollars, making it one of the highest-profile games markets in Southeast Asia. The number of gamers in Thailand also reached 32 million according to a report by Newzoo, an international games and esports analytics and market research group. In 2022, Thailand was ranked among the top Southeast Asian video game markets, with a revenue of US$1.24 billion (47.48 billion baht) that is forecasted to reach $1.4 billion (53.53 billion baht) in the same year.
History The earliest video games in Thailand date back to 1977, with the launch of the Atari 2600 as the first home console system, but it was not well received. Nintendo's Game & Watch series of handheld games became popular during the 1980s. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was released in Japan in 1990 and saw great success in Thailand due to its expansive game library and accessories. Despite its Japanese release in 1994 and its domestic release in 1996, the Sony PlayStation struggled to sell in Thailand due to its steep price. The 2000s brought the launch of several popular gaming systems, including the PlayStation 2, Microsoft's Xbox, and the Nintendo GameCube, with the PlayStation 2 becoming the most sought after due to its backward compatibility and famous Japanese game developers.
The Xbox 360 was released in 2005, but it failed to gain popularity in Thailand due to the widely reported issue known as the "Red Ring of Death". On the other hand, the Wii, launched and distributed in Thailand in 2006, was well received by Thai adults who enjoyed using it for exercising or playing sports. Meanwhile, Sony released the PlayStation 3 in November 2006; it was of high quality but came with a high price tag, which deterred some Thai gamers who still preferred the PlayStation and PlayStation 2.
Arcade games were also present in Thailand, imported by the Galaxy Group Thailand Company starting from 1993. These games were mostly located in shopping centers and included popular titles like Space Invaders, Street Fighter II, and The King of Fighters, with fighting games being the most popular genre. In the 2000s, rhythm-and-dance games such as Dance Dance Revolution and DrumMania gained popularity among Thai teenagers.
In 1995, the launch of Microsoft's Windows 95 allowed more people to use PCs for gaming. PC games were initially distributed on 1.44 MB floppy diskettes but with advancements in technology, Thai gamers were able to play games such as Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Command & Conquer, Diablo, and StarCraft. Initially, these games were played in single-player mode, but with the establishment of LANs in the late 1990s, Thai gamers began playing in multiplayer mode. Popular games included Counter-Strike and other first-person shooters, leading to the establishment of game shops all over Thailand, particularly near schools and universities. B. M. Media (Thailand) Co., Ltd. licensed games such as Valve's Half-Life and Sierra Entertainment's Pharaoh, while foreign companies such as Electronic Arts and New ERA Company established branches in Thailand to sell licensed games.
The popularity of online games in Thailand began in the early 2000s, starting with Ragnarok Online, a game developed by the Korean company GRAVITY and published in Thailand by Asiasoft. This game was very successful and resulted in the establishment of 23 servers. The first online game launched in Thailand was King of Kings in 2002, developed by a Taiwanese company Lager and published by Just Sunday Cybernation, but it was not as popular as Ragnarok Online. Many foreign online games were imported and published in Thailand, with the majority coming from South Korea and Japan. Around 2004, the Thailand online game industry shifted to a free-to-play model based on item sales. Ini3 Digital was the first publisher to offer this model with Pangya, a simulation golf game developed by the South Korean company Ntreev Soft. From then on, Thai gamers played for free but bought items to enhance their gameplay, Pangya become the most popular online games in Thailand at that time. Some popular online games in Thailand at that time included Yogurting, Point Blank, Heroes of Newerth, Yulgang Online, Special Force, FIFA Online, RayCity, MapleStory, Dragon Nest, Cabal Online, Mu Online, C9, Silkroad Online (Blackrogue) and Audition Online.
With advancements in computer technology and Thai education, some Thai players have become game developers, mostly developing console games due to lower costs compared to arcade game machinery. As of early 2013, there were approximately 150 online games and 30 game providers in Thailand. Additionally, game development had become an educational program offered in some Thai universities, such as Rangsit University, Sripatum University, and Bangkok University.
Video game development CyberPlanet Interactive, established in 2000, is considered a pioneer in video game development in Thailand. They created Magic Chronicle in 2003, the first real-time strategy and PC game developed by a Thai company. At the time, they were also considered the first and largest console game developer in Southeast Asia. Their product line on consoles included casual games for the DS, Wii, PSP, and PS2, as well as mobile games. In 2005, the company released CEO City, a city-building game that incorporated Thai cultural elements, which gained a cult following and remains a beloved title among fans of the genre in Thailand. The company was renamed to United Power of Asia in May 2015 and has since converted to an energy company.
Debuz, established in 2006, developed Asura Online in 2007, which was proclaimed by the company as the first MMORPG created by Thai developers. The House, a flash horror game developed by Sinthai Studio, was released in 2005 and quickly gained popularity. It was followed by its sequel, The House 2, in 2010, which also became a hit among horror game fans. K.I.A. Online (Killed In Action) is a World War II themed third-person shooter released in 2010 by Virus Studio; due to a low player base, the game was closed in 2013, with Virus Studio shutting down operations following its closure. A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda is a 2.5D side-scrolling action platform game released on December 14, 2010 and developed by Extend Studio. The same company also developed So Many Me, a puzzle platformer game that was released in 2014.
was considered one of the most popular online games in Thailand at the time in 2008 to mid 2010s. The game was an action-RPG developed by a team of four Thai developers at Big Bug Studio. Development began in April 2008 and took three years, with its official release in 2011. The game was closed in 2016, but it was relaunched in 2021 by a different publisher.
A number of Thai horror games have been released, including ARAYA, a first-person horror-themed adventure launched in 2016 and developed by MAD Virtual Reality Studio for Microsoft Windows. Another notable Thai horror game is Home Sweet Home, a single-player survival/horror/puzzle video game developed by Yggdrazil Group. This game draws on elements of Thai folklore and is available on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and various VR devices. Several Thai-developed mech games have been released, such as M.A.S.S. Builder, an RPG-mech-fighting game developed by The Vermillion Digital and released in 2019; and Project Nimbus, a high-speed mech action game set in a devastated future Earth and developed by GameCrafterTeam, also first released in 2017.
There have also been Thai survival games, including Mist Survival, which was developed by a single person and was first released in early access in August 2018.
Timelie and Kingdoms Reborn are two highly successful games released in 2020. Timelie is a single-player stealth puzzle game where a young woman with time-controlling abilities must escape hostile robots in an unfamiliar dimension, while Kingdoms Reborn is a city builder that allows players to construct and manage a procedurally-generated world map with simulated citizens. Both games received critical acclaim and commercial success, with Timelie being recognized with multiple awards and Kingdoms Reborn becoming the fastest-selling game in Thailand on Steam, generating 100 million baht (approximately 3.2 million US dollars) in under a year.
Game companies in Thailand Game developers from Thailand
Studio Timeline Releases 1Moby Studio 2015 The Casts Paradise (2018), The Last Bug (2020) 7EVIL Studio 2019 Rainbow Gate (2026), Preta The Game (TBA) Amita Innovation 2022 NYYO The Forbidden Kingdom (2022) Big Bug Studio 2007 12 Tails Online (2011), DemonsAreCrazy (2018) Bionic Penguin Studios 2016 The Falconers: Moonlight (2017) Corecell Technology 2002 Wicked Monsters Blast! (2011), AeternoBlade (2014), Crazy Strike Bowling: EX (2016), AeternoBlade II (2019) Critical Damage Studio 2022 Tactics Wanderer (expected 2027) Debuz 2006 Asura Online (2007) Dev It With Cat Studio 2021? Sole Saga (2023) DIDTC / Quantum Peaks 2011 Bloody Bunny The Game (2021), Joojee's Journey (2021), Together Out (TBA) Dimension 32 Entertainment 2019 Mist Survival (2018. EA.) Dream Zero 2019 Lost Melody (2023) Earthshine 2020 Kingdoms Reborn (2020. EA.) Electrified 2022 The Last Knife (TBA). Extend Interactive 2008 A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda (2010), So Many Me (2014), Panthera Frontier (2017), Pandora Hunter (2019) Extreme Studio 2016 Project: Werewolf (TBA), Project: Kangkaroo (TBA), Project: Cheetah (TBA) FairPlay Studios Co., Ltd. 2018 Fallen Knight (2019), The Land Beneath Us (2024), At Your Service (TBA) GameCrafterTeam 2008 HyperSonic (2008), Ace Squad (2009), HyperSonic 2 (2010), HyperSonic 3 (2011), Battlefield Legend (2012), HyperSonic 4 (2012), Smash Cat (2013), Nimbus series (2017-2023) Gecco Studio Games 1993 Fallen Angel (2022), Safehouse (2023) Good Job Multimedia(Also co-dev) 2014 Krut: The Mythic Wings (2022) Hardworker Studio 2004 Santhai (2007), Santhai 2 (2008), Santhai New Legend (2021) MAD Virtual Reality Studio 2015 Araya (2016) Momosundeass (Old name: Complex Blue Studio) 2018 Complex SKY (TBA) MotionX Studio 2018 XALT: Last Stand (2018), Dash Dash World (2020) Nanuq Studio 2019 Bounty Brawl: Most Wanted (2026) Nomadic Games (Ex-Casasoft Studios till 2023) 2020 Burning Sword: Death Sun (TBA) Pixel Perfex 2012 Xenon Shooter: The Space Defender (2012), Earth Atlantis (2017), Krut: The Mythic Wings (2022) Revolution Industry 2021 Airship: Kingdoms Adrift (2023) Secret Character 2013 Banchou Tactics (2023) Shameful Guys Development 2020 Bangkok Story: A Stray Dog (2026) Somnolent Team 2023 Encoded War (2023), Asuji - The Legend of You (2023) Squid Shock Studios 2020 Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus (2024) Sunny Syrup Studio 2021 Spirit Mancer (2024), Tomorrow is not Monday (TBA) Teapot Studio 2007 Heroes Guardian: Dark Genesis (2019), The Verse (TBA) True Axion Interactive 2017 Invictus: Lost Soul (2019) Urnique Studio 2018 Timelie (2020), Narin: The Orange Room (2023), Project Steampunk (TBA) Varisoft 2013 PakaPow: Friendship Never Ends (2019), Neokami: God Challengers (2020), Knock Knock Run (2022) Vermillion Digital 2018 M.A.S.S. Builder (2019) Vonder Games 2023 Aether Wizard Life (2028) Yggdrazil Group 2006 Home Sweet Home (2017), Goi: Let's Play Together (2023),Home Sweet Home: Online (2023) Zai Studio 2018 7 Sins: Lost in Labyrinth (2023), Dala and the Cursed Forest (TBA)
Misc
Virtual Realms (Online games)
Co-Development Services
HotNow (In-game ads, marketplace system) HotPlay.Games (In-game ads, casual games) MOTIONX STUDIO (AR/VR games, Sim tech) NAMSON Digital (Graphics & art) RiFF Studio (Animation & graphics for multimedia & games) RingZero Game Studio Ltd (Remote work. Game development, serious games, QA, updates.) Studio Porta (Animation & post-production for multimedia & games)