Africa and Middle East games market forecast to reach $8.5bn as African gamer base hits 406m

• The wider MEA region now has 640.12m gamers, representing more than 17.3% of the global player base.
• Egypt was Africa’s largest games market at $458.1m in revenue.
• Turkey and Saudi Arabia led the Middle East with $1.65bn and $1.59bn respectively.
• Africa added an estimated 36.6m new gamers in 2026 alone.

Africa and the Middle East’s games market is forecast to reach $8.53 billion in 2026, up 10.3% year-over-year, as Africa’s gamer population is expected to surpass 406 million.

That’s according to a new report from Carry1st and Newzoo, which found that games revenue across Africa grew 11.9% yoy to $1.98bn, nearly twice the global games market’s 6.1% growth.

The Middle East is forecast to generate $6.55bn in games revenue, up 9.8% yoy, with mobile accounting for 64.3% of spending.

Africa’s growth was even more heavily driven by mobile, which is set to generate $1.62bn or 81.8% of the continent’s total games revenue.

Growing audience

The number of gamers in Africa looks to reach 406.25m in 2026, up from 369.66m in 2025 and 186m in 2021. This represents a 118% increase over five years and means Africa now accounts for 10.98% of the world’s 3.70bn gamers.

The wider MEA region is expected to be home to over 640m gamers when the Middle East’s 233.86m players are included, representing more than 17.3% of the global player base.

Egypt is forecast to be Africa’s largest games market by revenue at $458.1m, followed by South Africa at $263m and Nigeria at $226.6m. 

In the Middle East, Turkey is forecast to lead with $1.65bn, followed by Saudi Arabia at $1.59bn. Israel and the UAE generated $595.3m and $593.1m respectively.

“Our latest data with Newzoo highlights what we have long believed: Africa and the Middle East are the primary growth engines of the global video games industry," said Carry1st CEO and co-founder Cordel Robbin-Coker.

“Watching Africa's gaming population grow from an estimated 186m players in 2021 to over 406m today demonstrates the immense velocity of this market. As the industry points to a structural plateau in mature markets, Africa's sustained expansion proves where the next billion players will come from."

You can pre-register for Newzoo's Global Games Market Report here.