Mobile leads as Africa’s games industry generated $2.29bn in 2025 

• The region is growing faster than the global average, posting a 12.32% CAGR in 2025 compared to roughly 7.5% worldwide.
• Monetisation remains a major constraint, with around 90% of Africans lacking access to credit cards or app-store credit.
• Cloud gaming is the fastest-growing segment, expanding at an estimated 14% CAGR as a potential alternative to consoles.

The African games industry generated approximately $2.29 billion in revenue in 2025 with mobile accounting for about 60% of the total market value.

That's according to a new State of the African Video Game Industry 2026 report from SpielFabrique and Xsolla, which showed that the region's annual growth is estimated to be a CAGR of 12.32% in 2025, compared to a global growth rate of around 7.5%.

However, the report also found that monetisation continues to be constrained by payment friction, noting that around 90% of Africans do not have access to credit cards or app-store credit.

Google Play remains the primary mobile app distribution platform across Africa. The App Store holds a smaller share of the market but remains relevant in countries like South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco. 

Even so, monetisation challenges persist due to inconsistent payments and storefront coverage, while device affordability continues to limit broader adoption. As a result, iOS is primarily used to reach premium spenders and international audiences.

Global-first strategy 

Despite mobile's dominance, cloud gaming is the fastest-growing segment, with an estimated CAGR of 14%, offering a potential alternative to traditional console experiences, though its growth remains closely tied to internet infrastructure.

The report also showed that African studios often prioritise global markets over local audiences due to the continent’s still limited domestic market, a strategy aimed at reducing commercial risk.

While this has enabled some international successes, it has also constrained the development of Afrocentric narratives and increased reliance on overseas consumers for revenue.

Unity remains the most widely used game engine across the continent, followed by Unreal Engine. Adoption of Godot is increasing rapidly, though it still represents a small share at scale.

The ecosystem is largely built around early-stage and semi-professional developers, alongside a smaller but steadily growing number of fully professional studios, with some regional exceptions.

Emerging storefronts

The report noted the emergence of new mobile distribution players. Gara Store, launched in 2023, is positioning itself as an African-focused digital store, initially targeting French-speaking West Africa before expanding across the continent. 

Beyond these, OEM app stores such as Huawei AppGallery and Samsung Galaxy Store play a role, though their impact varies by device and region. 

KaiOS KaiStore supports games within feature-phone ecosystems, while third-party APK stores remain fragmented and carry higher trust and security risks.

While still small in scale, these platforms are gaining traction for developer networking, game jams, and community-driven distribution.