Middle East games revenue forecast for 2026, up 9.8%, with mobile at 64.3%
Source: Carry1st and Newzoo, via PocketGamer.bizData hub · Updated 8 October 2026
UAE and MENA gaming statistics 2026
The latest numbers on gaming in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East: market size, how many people play, mobile versus PC and console, spending, esports, investment and studios. Every figure links to its source and names the countries it covers, because "MENA" means different things in different reports.
Compiled by Amal Perera, Founder and CEO, Proud Lion Studios · Updated Key statistics
Gaming in the region at a glance
average yearly spend per gamer in the UAE, the highest of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt
Source: Niko Partners and Xsolla white paperof gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt play on mobile
Source: Niko Partners and Xsolla white paperof gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt were women in 2025
Source: Niko Partners, 10 Major Trends to Watch in 2026gaming companies in Dubai, 260 of them game developers
Source: Dubai Future Foundationnew jobs targeted by the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033, plus a $1 billion GDP boost
Source: Dubai Future FoundationPIF-led take-private of Electronic Arts, completed in August 2026
Source: Game DeveloperEsports World Cup 2026 prize pool, the largest in esports, watched by 850 million viewers
Source: Esports World Cup, via PocketGamer.bizHow gamers play: share of gamers by platform
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt combined
Average yearly spend per gamer, USD
2024, by country
$84.60
$54.89
$3.39
UAESaudi ArabiaEgypt
How much the region spends on games
Games market size
How big is the Middle East games market in 2026?
Middle East games revenue is forecast at $6.55 billion in 2026, up 9.8%.
Combined with Africa, the region reaches $8.53 billion. Newzoo's Middle East figure includes Turkey and Israel.
Source: Carry1st and Newzoo, via PocketGamer.bizHow fast is the Middle East games market growing?
The Middle East and Africa was the fastest growing games region in the world in 2025, up 15%.
Global games revenue reached $201.6 billion in 2025 (Newzoo).
Source: Newzoo, via GamesBeatHow much do gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt spend?
Gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt spent $2 billion on games in 2024.
Niko Partners forecasts more than $2.2 billion in 2025 and $2.8 billion by 2029. Saudi Arabia made up 59.1% of 2024 spending, the UAE 33.7% and Egypt 7.2%.
Source: Niko Partners, via PocketGamer.bizHow big is the UAE games market?
UAE games revenue is forecast at $593.1 million in 2026.
That is Newzoo's forecast, with Carry1st. UAE players also spend the most per head in the region.
Source: Carry1st and Newzoo, via PocketGamer.bizHow big is the Saudi Arabia games market?
Saudi Arabia's games market was worth $1.19 billion in 2024.
Savvy Games Group's annual report, using Niko Partners data, forecasts $1.64 billion by 2028.
Source: Savvy Games Group annual report, via PocketGamer.biz| Market | Revenue | Year | Countries covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle East | $6.55 billion | 2026 forecast | Middle East incl. Turkey and Israel (Newzoo) |
| Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt | $2 billion | 2024 | Three countries (Niko Partners) |
| GCC | $2.24 billion | 2023 | Six Gulf states (Niko Partners) |
| Saudi Arabia | $1.19 billion | 2024 | One country (Savvy, Niko data) |
| UAE | $593.1 million | 2026 forecast | One country (Newzoo) |
Gamers in the UAE, the Gulf and the wider region
How many people play
How many gamers are there in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt?
There were 72 million gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt at the end of 2024.
That is about half of the three countries' population, and Niko Partners forecasts 84.3 million by 2029.
Source: Niko Partners, via PocketGamer.biz; Niko Partners and Xsolla white paperHow many gamers are there in the GCC?
The six Gulf states had 33.7 million gamers in 2023.
Niko Partners and the Saudi Esports Federation forecast 38.9 million by 2028.
Source: Niko Partners and Saudi Esports Federation, via AletihadHow many gamers are there in the Middle East?
The Middle East has a forecast 233.86 million players in 2026.
With Africa, the region has 640.12 million players, more than 17.3% of all players worldwide.
Source: Carry1st and Newzoo, via PocketGamer.bizWhat share of MENA gamers are women?
37% of gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt were women in 2025.
That is up from 32% in 2022, according to Niko Partners.
Source: Niko Partners, 10 Major Trends to Watch in 2026; Niko Partners and Xsolla white paperHow and how much people play
Platforms and spending
Is mobile, PC or console gaming most popular in the Middle East?
Mobile. 94% of gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt play on mobile, 49% on PC and 34% on console.
61% play on more than one platform and 16% on all three. Mobile is also forecast to take 64.3% of Middle East games revenue in 2026.
Source: Niko Partners and Xsolla white paper; Carry1st and Newzoo, via PocketGamer.bizHow much does the average gamer in the UAE spend?
UAE gamers spend an average of $84.60 a year, the most in the region.
Saudi gamers spend $54.89 and Egyptian gamers $3.39 (Niko Partners, 2024).
Source: Niko Partners, via PocketGamer.bizHow many hours a week do MENA gamers play?
Gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt play about 10 hours a week.
Niko Partners reports 10.8 hours a week. Its white paper with Xsolla reports 10.2 hours.
Source: Niko Partners, via PocketGamer.biz; Niko Partners and Xsolla white paperHow many gamers pay for games or in-game items?
63.4% of gamers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt spend money on games.
In a separate Ipsos survey, 66% of UAE gamers bought in-game items, spending an average of AED 92 a month.
Source: Niko Partners and Xsolla white paper; Power League Gaming and Ipsos, via Games MEAPopular games, genres and language
What people play
What are the most popular games in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
Minecraft, PUBG and Fortnite top the UAE. Fortnite, PUBG and EA Sports FC top Saudi Arabia.
That is from a Power League Gaming and Ipsos survey of 300 gamers per country in December 2024. Three in five Saudi gamers play Fortnite.
Source: Power League Gaming and Ipsos, via Games MEAWhich game genres are most popular in the Gulf?
Sports games lead: about a third of PC gamers and 44% of console gamers name sports as their top genre.
Football accounts for 70% to 80% of sports game engagement (Niko Partners).
Source: Niko Partners, via PocketGamer.bizHow important is Arabic localisation for Gulf gamers?
41% of GCC gamers only play, or are more likely to play, games in Arabic.
That is from a Niko Partners and Saudi Esports Federation survey of 1,225 gamers.
Source: Niko Partners and Saudi Esports Federation, via AletihadThe Esports World Cup and the region's leagues
Esports
How much prize money does the Esports World Cup offer?
The Esports World Cup 2026 offered a $75 million prize pool, the largest in esports.
That included $30 million for the Club Championship and $7 million for the winning club.
Source: Esports World Cup Foundation, via Arab NewsHow many people watched the Esports World Cup?
The 2026 Esports World Cup drew 850 million viewers, up 13%.
Viewers watched 440 million hours, up 26%, with a peak of 4.3 million.
Source: Esports World Cup, via PocketGamer.bizWhere is the Esports World Cup held?
The 2026 edition was held in Paris, its first outside Riyadh. It returns to Riyadh in 2027.
Enterprise AM reported the move was made because of the US-Iran conflict.
Source: Enterprise AM| Edition | Prize pool | Viewers | Hours watched |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025, Riyadh | Over $70 million | 750 million | 350 million |
| 2026, Paris | $75 million | 850 million | 440 million |
Saudi and UAE money and plans
Investment and government targets
How much is Saudi Arabia investing in gaming through Savvy?
Savvy Games Group's strategy commits SAR 142 billion across four investment programmes.
Savvy has disclosed more than $17 billion of acquisitions since 2022, including Scopely for $4.9 billion and Niantic's games for $3.5 billion.
Source: Argaam (Saudi Press Agency); NaavikWhat did PIF pay for Electronic Arts?
A PIF-led group took Electronic Arts private for $55 billion, or $210 a share.
All approvals were cleared by 30 July 2026 and the deal closed in early August.
Source: Gulf News; Game DeveloperWhat are the targets of the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033?
Dubai aims to create 30,000 gaming jobs and add $1 billion to GDP by 2033.
The programme also aims to make Dubai one of the world's top 10 gaming hubs.
Source: Dubai Future FoundationWhat are Saudi Arabia's gaming strategy targets?
Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and Esports Strategy targets 250 companies, 39,000 jobs and a SAR 50 billion GDP contribution by 2030.
It also aims for 30 competitive games developed in the Kingdom.
Source: Argaam (Saudi Press Agency)Who builds games in the region, and with what
Studios, engines and Web3
How many game studios are there in Dubai?
Dubai has more than 350 gaming companies, 260 of them specialised game developers.
More than 60 joined after the Dubai Program for Gaming launched in November 2023 (Dubai Future Foundation, June 2025).
Source: Dubai Future FoundationWhich are the biggest game makers in the region?
12 UAE-based studios made PocketGamer.biz's Top 30 MENA game makers of 2025.
They include Yalla Group, Tamatem, Babil and Jawaker.
Source: PocketGamer.biz, Top 30 MENA game makers of 2025Which game engine do Middle East developers use most?
Unity. 84% of Saudi game developers surveyed used Unity, against 6% for GameMaker.
That is a 2022 survey by Nine66. In 2025 Savvy signed a deal giving qualifying Saudi teams free access to Unity's backend tools.
Source: Nine66 (Savvy Games Group), via PocketGamer.biz; Savvy Games GroupHow big is blockchain gaming in the Middle East?
About 20% of respondents to the 2025 Blockchain Game Alliance survey came from MENA, up from under 1% in 2021.
It is a survey of people working in blockchain gaming, so it shows the industry's growth in the region rather than player numbers.
Source: Blockchain Game Alliance, via Blockchain GamerMethod and sources
How we put this together
MENA means different things
Newzoo's Middle East includes Turkey and Israel. Niko Partners often reports Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt only, or the six GCC states. We name the countries next to every figure, and never compare figures with different scopes.
Spend per gamer varies by study
Niko Partners puts UAE spend at $84.60 a year, and other studies report higher numbers using different methods. We lead with Niko because it measures every country the same way.
How we source
Every figure links to the page we read it on. Where a primary report is not public, we link to the news coverage that reports it and name the original publisher. We do not round, combine or estimate figures.
Updates
We check this page every quarter and whenever a major new report is published. Spotted a newer figure or an error? Email amal@proudlionstudios.com and we will update it.
Using these numbers? Please cite this page:
Proud Lion Studios, "UAE and MENA Gaming Statistics 2026", updated 8 October 2026, https://proudlionstudios.com/mena-gaming-statisticsQuestions
About this data
Which country in the Middle East spends the most per gamer?
The UAE. Niko Partners puts average yearly spend at $84.60 per UAE gamer in 2024, ahead of Saudi Arabia at $54.89.
How many game companies are in Dubai?
More than 350, including 260 specialised game developers, according to the Dubai Future Foundation in June 2025.
Can I use these statistics and charts?
Yes. You are welcome to quote any figure or use the charts on this page. Please cite Proud Lion Studios with a link to this page, and the original source named under each figure.
How often is this page updated?
At least once a quarter, and whenever a major new report is published. The date at the top shows the last update.
Build your game in the UAE
Proud Lion Studios is a Dubai game studio building Unity, mobile and Web3 games, from first prototype to live launch, since 2021.
