The Middle East and North Africa’s games industry has spent the past few years proving it’s more than just a market to watch.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Morocco have each turned gaming into a pillar of national economic policy, backing studios, esports leagues and infrastructure with public investment funds worth billions. Egypt, though a significant market in its own right, remains without a public gaming strategy to match its neighbours.

Global headlines tend to focus on other hubs like Türkiye and China whenever the conversation involves fast-growing gaming regions. But MENA has quietly built something those hubs took decades to establish: a young, mobile-first population, sovereign wealth actively chasing games investment, and a wave of accelerator programmes training the next generation of developers and sharpening existing founders. It’s why we’ve been hosting events for years in key industry hubs like at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan (November 7th and 8th) and the Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by PGC.

Revenue across the region keeps climbing year-on-year, driven overwhelmingly by mobile. Newzoo forecasts the Middle East and Africa combined will once again be the fastest-growing region for games revenue in 2026, rising 10.3% Y/Y to $8.5 billion.

The number of active studios has grown well beyond what existed a decade ago and investment keeps arriving, even as many founders choose to build in stealth long after securing funding. Developers across the region are releasing games rooted in local culture but built for a global audience and learning fast despite limited exposure to international markets compared to more established hubs.

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