MENA-3 games market set to reach $2.8bn by 2029 

• Growth is driven by rising player numbers, localisation, and higher ARPU - led by the UAE.
• Sports remains the region’s top genre, while women now make up over 37% of the player base.
• Egypt leads MENA-3 in playtime as gamer base climbs toward 84m by 2029.

The MENA-3 region including Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt generated $2 billion in games revenue in 2024, a 5.4% year-on-year increase. 

That's according to findings from Niko Partners which forecasted that the MENA-3 games market will grow from $2bn in 2024 to $2.8bn by 2029, with a 5-year CAGR of 6.8%.

Revenue is projected to reach $2.2bn in 2025 driven by a growing player base, higher spending per gamer and greater localisation.

The region had 72 million gamers at the end of 2024, a number that is predicted to reach 84.3m by 2029. The UAE leads in average revenue per user (ARPU) at $84.60, followed by Saudi Arabia at $54.89 and Egypt at $3.39.

Leading genre

Niko Partners' report further showed that sports games remain the dominant genre across MENA-3, particularly football titles like EA FC and eFootball.

Around 33% of PC gamers and 44% of console gamers list sports as their top genre, while it ranks second on mobile just behind puzzle games.

Football accounts for 70% to 80% of sports game engagement across platforms, and although playtime declined in 2025, average spending rose. Sports game players are also the most engaged with esports. 

Moreover, women now make up over 37% of the MENA-3 games population, up from 32.6% in 2023. Egyptian gamers are the most engaged, averaging 11.8 hours of gameplay per week, above the regional average of 10.8 hours. 

Awareness of generative AI is also high at 82.2%, with strong interest in its games applications - led by the UAE at 59.3%. 

You can access the full 2025 MENA Gamer Behavior & Market Insights here.