The Middle East was not in the global gaming conversation just over a decade ago. It showed promise and potential but did not really have the infrastructure or expertise to pull it off.
Fast forward to 2026, and the narrative has changed. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has an impressive annual growth of 25 percent, three times higher than China’s 8%.
Around 60% of the population consider themselves gaming fans. Analysts reckon that around half of all the apps downloaded in the region are games.
That is more than the 40% recorded worldwide, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) which examines the MENA gaming market.
With billions of dollars in funding, record-breaking acquisition deals and forward-thinking national strategies, the Middle East is becoming a global gaming powerhouse.
The video game industry has become the second largest entertainment industry and is worth roughly $185 billion, with more steady growth expected.
Intriguingly, the iGaming sector has played a significant part in the gaming revolution. Online gaming is a contentious topic, especially where casinos are involved.
However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has established a regulatory framework for gambling and several other countries are pondering a similar move.
The best Arab casinos online have traditionally operated under licenses issued in other jurisdictions, but the UAE is leading the charge to grab greater control of the sector.
A Market on Fire
The numbers don’t lie. According to Sensor Tower estimates, gamers’ spending in the Middle East grew by 18% year-on-year in 2024, hitting $1.2bn.
There was also an uptick in the number of downloads, which is impressive considering that most of the major gaming markets in the world were struggling to put up numbers in both categories.
North America and Asia are up there in terms of raw spending. But the Middle East isn’t far behind. Experts claim the region could hit $7.04bn in gaming revenue by the end of 2026.
The metrics also predict that it could soar as high as $12bn over the next half a decade. That accounts for a compound annual growth rate of over 11%, almost double the pace of their competitors.
Mobile gaming is a major reason why the sector is recording ridiculous numbers. It has dominated the regional landscape thanks to the widespread use of smartphones and access to high-speed internet.
Mobile gaming has become a lifestyle for gamers in the Middle East. Around 84% of adults play mobile games in Saudi Arabia. The average gamer in the UAE spends around $115 every year.
Mobile gaming is more pronounced in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, where smartphone usage is expected to reach 91% by the end of the year.
Combine that with a young, tech-savvy population – over 70% of Saudis are under 30 – and you have fertile ground for explosive growth.
Vision & Investment Abounds
The Middle East gaming boom is the result of a well-laid-out, forward-thinking plan brought to life by bold leadership and an unprecedented capital investment.
Middle Eastern nations have shown that they are ready to loosen their purse strings in an effort to reap the vast benefits of the gaming sector.
There is a healthy competition going on between the top guns which inadvertently translates into a joint effort that could end up taking the region to the top of the global gaming sector.
Saudi Arabia is sparing no expense to become a global hub. The nation’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), through Savvy Games Group, invested a whopping $38bn into gaming and eSports.
The Kingdom took another huge step when Savvy bought Scopely for $4.9bn. That was a massive move that brought one of the biggest mobile game publishers in the world under Saudi control. It also placed the Kingdom at the centre of the global gaming economy.
The chain of events continued when Scopely struck a $3.5bn deal to acquire Niantic’s gaming business, including Pokemon GO.
That effectively established Saudi Arabia as the driving force behind two of the most popular mobile gaming franchises in the world – Monopoly GO and Pokemon GO.
These moves become less surprising when you consider the fact that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, HRH Mohammed bin Salman, is a huge gamer.
That sends a powerful message about what the future holds for both the Kingdom and the Middle East in the global gaming sector.
