Marvellous Mena
Dubai Esports & Games Festival returns on May 8th as the city doubles down on its gaming ambitions
The festival blends esports tournaments, industry networking and community activities under Dubai’s digital economy strategy
Summit
Important update: Dubai GameExpo Summit 2026 powered by PG Connects
Wednesday, May 20 - 21, 2026
Dubai World Trade Centre, 2nd Zaabel Road (D 73 Rd), Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Find Out More:
Details
- Region: Middle East
- Event Type: Summit
- Audience Type: Developers, Indies, C-level, Marketing, Students, Creatives, Investors, Publishers, Tool Providers, Technical Teams, Ad Companies, Media, Youtubers / Streamers, Aso Practitioners, App Marketers, App Advertisters
- Find out more information on Important update: Dubai GameExpo Summit 2026 powered by PG Connects
Important update: Postponement of GameExpo Summit 2026 powered by PG Connects
Please note that while the wider Dubai Esports & Games Festival is still going ahead, May 22 – June 7 at Dubai World Trade Centre, one element of it, the GameExpo Summit powered by PG Connects, has been postponed to 2027.
We remain committed to hosting an even bigger and more impactful GameExpo Summit powered by PG Connects when it returns next year.
We encourage you to fill in the form below to register your interest and be among the first to receive updates and news regarding the summit’s 2027 edition.
This May 20–21, world-renowned independent games industry conference series Pocket Gamer Connects once again partners with Dubai Economy & Tourism to deliver the Dubai GameExpo Summit 2026, alongside the Dubai Esports and Games Festival.
The leading b2b games conference for the MENA region, the event brings together 1,500 international games industry professionals for two intense days of expert talks, panels, networking, and business.
The programme spans five focused themed tracks, plus two standout additions: The Investment Summit, connecting studios with investors and funding opportunities; and Xbox Discovery Day, offering developers direct access to Xbox insights and publishing support. Sessions will cover emerging technologies, development and monetisation trends, and the rapidly-growing opportunities within the thrilling MENA games market.
Coverage related to Important update: Dubai GameExpo Summit 2026 powered by PG Connects
Events
Dubai GameExpo Summit returns in May after record 1,400 game professionals from 70 countries in 2025
The two-day event returns on May 20th and 21st 2026 to engage with the vibrant MENA games market once more
Speaker Opportunities
Inspire and help define the games industry agenda at Pocket Gamer Connects
Speaker applications to San Francisco, Dubai, and Malmö now open
Events
The Dubai GameExpo Summit returns on May 20th and 21st
Save the date for the 2026 edition of the two-day conference powered by Pocket Gamer Connects
DIAMOND SPONSORS
Xsolla
xsolla.comXsolla is a leading global video game commerce company with a robust and powerful set of tools and services designed specifically for the industry. Since its founding in 2005, Xsolla has helped thousands of game developers and publishers of all sizes fund, market, launch, and monetize their games globally and across multiple platforms.
As an innovative leader in game commerce, Xsolla’s mission is to solve the inherent complexities of global distribution, marketing, and monetization to help our partners reach more geographies, generate more revenue, and create relationships with gamers worldwide.
Headquartered and incorporated in Los Angeles, California, with offices in London, Berlin, Seoul, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Raleigh, Tokyo, Montreal, and cities around the world.
For additional information and to learn more, please visit: xsolla.com
GOLD SPONSORS
Epic Games Store
store.epicgames.com/Epic Games operates one of the world’s largest games, Fortnite, and develops Unreal Engine, the most open and advanced real-time 3D tool.
Through Fortnite, Unreal Engine, Epic Games Store, and Epic Online Services, Epic provides an end-to-end digital ecosystem for developers to build, distribute, and operate games and other content.
FastSpring
fastspring.com/FastSpring is how gaming publishers sell in more places around the world.
For nearly two decades, FastSpring has been a trusted payment provider you can use to sell games or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your game with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you.
FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great games!
To learn more about how FastSpring supports game developers, visit fastspring.gg/.
SILVER SPONSORS
ID@Xbox
www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/idThe id@xbox developer acceleration program's mission is to Empower underrepresented creators with the resources and information needed to bring your creativity, innovation, and originality to Xbox.
BRONZE SPONSORS
BIGO Ads
bigoads.comBIGO Ads is a deep learning-based intelligent advertising platform, dedicated to becoming a global leader in one-stop marketing and monetization solutions. Leveraging full-stack AI capabilities, advanced oCPC and ROAS-based bidding models, and cutting-edge in-app bidding technology, BIGO Ads empowers global partners to efficiently scale user acquisition and maximize ad revenue.
To date, the platform has served over 50,000 direct partnered apps, with business coverage spanning key markets in North America, Europe, Japan, and South Korea, while actively expanding into high-potential emerging regions.
Moving forward, BIGO Ads remains committed to advancing intelligent advertising technologies and solidifying its leadership in the global digital advertising landscape.