84.3 million gamers by 2029: Inside the Middle East’s race to build a gaming industry

The Middle East’s gaming market is expanding alongside major government-backed investment in the sector, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE setting ambitious targets for gaming, esports and related jobs.

Saudi Arabia expects gaming and esports to contribute $13.3 billion to its GDP by 2030 and create nearly 39,000 jobs. The country’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy also aims to incubate 250 gaming companies by 2030.

Dubai’s Gaming Program 2033 aims to create 30,000 gaming-related jobs and increase the sector’s contribution to Dubai’s GDP by approximately $1 billion by 2033. The program also seeks to place Dubai among the world’s top 10 cities for gaming.

The consumer market is growing alongside these investment targets. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, collectively referred to as MENA-3 by Niko Partners, had 72 million gamers in 2024. That figure is projected to reach 84.3 million by 2029, while games revenue is expected to increase from $2 billion in 2024 to $2.8 billion in 2029.

Women accounted for more than 37% of the MENA-3 gaming population in Niko Partners’ 2025 research, up from 32.6% in 2023. The UAE recorded the highest female share among the three markets at 37.3%, compared with 32.2% in Egypt and 28.2% in Saudi Arabia in the earlier dataset.

Across the wider Asia and MENA markets tracked by Niko Partners, women accounted for 42% of players in 2026, up from 39.5% the year before.

Smartphones are the most widely used gaming device across MENA-3, with 87.2% of gamers playing on mobile. Players spend an average of 8.7 hours a week gaming on smartphones, according to Niko Partners data.

The market is also seeing growth across other platforms. Niko Partners expects the launch of major titles including Grand Theft Auto VI to support console growth in 2026, although higher hardware prices could constrain adoption.

Esports is another significant part of the region’s gaming investment. Saudi Arabia’s 2024 Esports World Cup featured 1,500 players across 23 events and 22 game titles, with a prize pool exceeding $60 million.

The following year, the 2025 Esports World Cup attracted more than three million visits and generated more than 750 million online views, according to figures cited by AppsFlyer.

Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya Esports and Gaming District is targeting 10 million annual visitors by 2030 and plans to incubate 30 game development companies.

Niko Partners expects MENA-3 to remain the second-fastest-growing region by gaming revenue among the markets it tracks, behind India. Player spending across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt is projected to reach $3 billion by 2030.

The broader Asia and MENA games market generated $88.9 billion in revenue in 2025 and is projected to reach $103.6 billion by 2030. The number of players across the 13 markets tracked by Niko Partners is expected to rise from 1.77 billion in 2026 to 1.99 billion in 2030.

For the Middle East, the growth is being accompanied by continued government investment, expanding player numbers and a larger role for esports. Saudi Arabia and Dubai have set specific targets for jobs, companies and economic contribution, while the MENA-3 consumer market is projected to continue growing through the end of the decade.