Erika Masako Welch is the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer at Lucidity Insights, focused on democratizing access to quality data for startups and venture capitalists across the MEAPT region. She also hosts "The Perfect Pitch" podcast, where she interviews top venture capitalists and entrepreneurs about fundraising and growth strategies. A Stanford GSB graduate and former international strategy consultant, Erika has over 15 years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies in 50+ countries and 20+ sectors. She is also a selective angel investor in the wellness and sustainability space. Passionate about community building, wellness, and exploration, Erika is a foodie, yoga enthusiast, and lifelong seeker of eudaimonia.

Co-Founder & Chief Content Officer

Erika Masako Welch

Middle East & Africa Gaming Review 2025

Articles

Turkey: The Region’s Latest Gaming Unicorn Factory

Gaming & ESports

Global Gaming Industry Trends – In-Depth Analysis & Forecast | Lucidity Insights

The Global State of Gaming & eSports in 10 Graphs

Staff Writer

Gaming & eSports Market – In-Depth Analysis | Lucidity Insights

Welcome to the World of Gaming & eSports

We are a team of passionate Researchers, Data Junkies, and Story-Tellers that believe there is not enough quality business insights and compelling data analysis available in the marketplace, told in the formats users want. We want to give an insider's look into the industries, businesses and economies that are changing the world today, so our users can become inspired, empowered and equipped to run their businesses as best they can.

Lucidity Insights Research Team

Infobytes

African Gaming: $365M – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Mapping the Explosive Growth African Gaming Startup Ecosystem

MEA Gaming Funding 2025: Israel & Turkey Lead – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Follow The Money: The Top 20 Most Funded Gaming & ESport Companies in MEA (2025)

MEA Gaming Market: 9.3% CAGR to 2033 – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

The Middle East & Africa’s Map of Gaming Titans

Mobile Gaming MEA 2024: Saudi Defies Decline – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top Mobile Gaming Markets By Downloads in 2024

Gaming Investments 2025: $1B Surge – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

The Most Active Gaming Investors In The Middle East & Africa (As Of 2024)

MEA Gaming Startups 2024: $3.4B Raised – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

2024 Middle East & Africa Funding And Number Of Startups & Scaleups

GCC Gaming Revenues: 42.8% of MEA – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Middle East & Africa Gaming Market Size Distribution By Region (2024)

MEAPT Gaming Startups 2024: $3.4B Raised – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Who Really Captured MEAPT Gaming Startup Funding 2024 When Two Countries Took 75% of the Cash?

Saudi Gaming Startups: Vision 2030 Rise – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 5 KSA-Based Gaming Startups (Based On Funds Raised To Date)

Global Gaming Market: $564.5B by 2033 – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

A Visual (Non-Exhaustive) History of Gaming & Esports: From Pinball to Play-To-Earn

Arcade Gaming: $180B Industry Origins – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

The Highest Grossing Arcade Games of All Time (2025)

Top Consoles: 160M PS2 Sales – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

The Top-Selling Consoles That Shaped Gaming History (2025)

Top eSports Players: $7.1M Earner – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 10 Esports Players of All Time (2025)

Africa Gaming 2024: $1.8B Market – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 5 African Countries By Number of Gaming Startups in 2024

Crypto, Blockchain & Web3

Africa Gaming 2024: Egypt Leads – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 5 African Countries By Number of Gaming Scaleups in 2024

Africa Gaming Startups: Rapid Growth – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 10 Africa-Based Gaming Startups (Based on Funds Raised To Date)

Israel Gaming 2024: $1.6B Raised – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 5 Israel-Based Gaming Startups (By Funds Raised To Date)

AI Investment Trends 2025: $3.3B in Q2 – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 10 Computer Games of All Time (2025)

Turkey Gaming Hub: Top 5 Global Rank – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 5 Turkey-Based Gaming Startups (By Funds Raised To Date)

UAE Gaming Vision 2033: $1B Goal – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Dubai Program for Gaming 2033

Dubai Gaming: Global Branding Boost – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

The Hottest Gaming Events Happening in The UAE in 2025

Dubai Gaming Startups: Web3 Surge – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top UAE Gaming Startups (By Funds Raised To Date)

Global Gaming Industry Market Forecast 2033 Shows Asia Pacific Is the Fastest-Growing Frontier

eSports Industry 2025: $2.53B Market – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 10 Esports Tournaments By Prize Pool (2025)

Global Gaming 2024: 3.42B Players – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Who’s Playing? Distribution Of Gamers in 2024

MEA Gaming Market: $11.5B by 2033 – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Middle East & Africa’s Gaming Market Size 2024 & 2033 Forecasts

Special Reports

Saudi Arabia’s Electric Mobility Evolution

Mobility

Middle East And Africa Gaming Market Report 2025 | Lucidity Insights

Mini Report 2025: MEAPT PropTech Review 2024

MEAPT PropTech Review 2024

Proptech

Special Report: The State of Fintech in the Middle East

The State of Fintech in the Middle East

Fintech

United Arab Emirates

Dubai Green Future: Powered by Renewable Energy 2024 Report

Dubai’s Green Future: Powered by Renewable Energy

Sustainability & ClimateTech

Global

Top Blockchain Innovations in 2024 | Lucidity Insights

Special Report: Innovations in Blockchain

Saudi Arabia

To Your Doorstep: The Future of Food Delivery in Saudi Arabia

The Future of Food Delivery in Saudi Arabia

FoodTech

Egypt

Special Report: Investing in Egypt’s Startup Ecosystem in 2024

Investing in Egypt’s Startup Ecosystem

Entrepreneurship

Special Report "The Business of Impact Investing in 2023"

The Business of Impact Investing in 2023

Special Report: "Exploring MENA Healthtech Business"

The Business of Healthtech in MENA

HealthTech

Special Report: "Sustainable International Trade for a Resilient Future"

Sustainable International Trade for a Resilient Future

Special Report: The State of the Electric Vehicle Revolution 2023

The State of the Electric Vehicle Revolution 2023

Special Report: Foodtech in MENA, How Innovation is Transforming the Culinary Landscape

The Growing Business of Foodtech

Special Report: "Opportunities in Web3"

Opportunities in Web3

Dubai's Venture Capital Ecosystem | Special Report

Dubai's Venture Capital Ecosystem

The Future of Fintech in Africa

Diriyah and Saudi's the Giga Projects | Special Report

Diriyah and the Giga Projects: Defining the New Saudi Arabia

Tourism

The Evolution of the KSA Startup Ecosystem: A Deep Dive into Growth and Innovation (2010-2022)

The Evolution of Saudi Arabia Startup Ecosystem 2010-2022

Dubai's Digital Economy and Startup Ecosystem | Special Report

Dubai’s Digital Economy and Its Expanding Startup Ecosystem

MENA's M&A Landscape 2017-2022: A Comprehensive Review

The Middle East & North Africa’s M&A Landscape 2017-2022

<h2 bis_size="{" x="">MEA Gaming Market 2025: The Rise of a Global Powerhouse</h2>

<meta charset="utf-8" />

The MEA gaming market 2025 is no longer a footnote in global industry reports &mdash; it&rsquo;s a headline. As the&nbsp;Middle East and Africa gaming industry, including Turkey and Pakistan (MEAPT), surges past&nbsp;US $7.4 billion in value, with a forecasted leap to&nbsp;US $19.4 billion by 2033, the region is rewriting the rules of engagement. With a compound annual growth rate&nbsp;(CAGR) of 11%, MEAPT&rsquo;s gaming economy is outpacing global averages and redefining what&rsquo;s possible in emerging markets.

<img alt="Middle East &amp; Africa's Gaming Market Size 2024 &amp; 2033 Forecasts" bis_size="{" x="" />

Meanwhile, when looking at&nbsp;MEA alone (excluding Turkey and Pakistan), the market size is projected to grow from&nbsp;US $5.02 billion in 2024 to US $11.5 billion by 2033, reflecting a&nbsp;CAGR of 9.3% &mdash; still well above global benchmarks and driven by mobile-first innovation, public-sector investment, and a rising wave of regional studios.

Lucidity Insights&rsquo; latest Special Report,&nbsp;<a bis_size="{" x="">MEA Gaming Review 2025</a>, offers a front-row seat to this transformation &mdash; profiling the region&rsquo;s boldest strategies, fastest-growing startups, and most investable opportunities.

<h2 bis_size="{" x="">Mobile-First, Future-Ready</h2>

Mobile gaming statistics in MEA reveal a powerful trend: accessibility drives scale. Africa&rsquo;s gaming market alone grew&nbsp;12.4%&nbsp;last year &mdash; six times faster than the global average &mdash; fueled by mobile penetration and a youthful, tech-savvy population. From Nigeria to Egypt, mobile-first studios are building decentralized platforms that bypass traditional infrastructure and leapfrog into Web3, AR/VR, and blockchain-powered ecosystems.

Dubai&rsquo;s Gaming 2033 Strategy, for example, aims to generate 30,000 new jobs and inject US $1 billion into GDP, positioning the emirate as a top-10 global gaming city. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Vision 2030 has earmarked over US $38 billion for gaming and eSports investments, with mega-events like Gamers8 and the eSports World Cup drawing millions in global viewership.

<h2 bis_size="{" x="">eSports in Middle East and Africa: From Fringe to Fame</h2>

Once considered niche, eSports in the Middle East and Africa has exploded into mainstream culture.&nbsp;Saudi Arabia now commands 40% of the Arab world&rsquo;s gaming revenues, with&nbsp;23 million active gamers&nbsp;and a rapidly expanding eSports infrastructure. Events like Gamers8&nbsp;have shattered prize pool records, while Egypt, UAE, and South Africa are cultivating competitive leagues and grassroots communities.

This cultural shift isn&rsquo;t just about entertainment &mdash; it&rsquo;s about influence. MEA&rsquo;s eSports megafestivals are attracting global sponsors, media attention, and talent, signaling a new era of regional dominance.

<h2 bis_size="{" x="">MEA Gaming Startups: Unicorns in the Making</h2>

<img alt="The Top 20 Most Funded Gaming and eSports Companies in MEA (2025)" bis_size="{" x="" />

&ldquo;How fast is the MEA gaming market growing?&rdquo; Fast enough to birth unicorns. Turkey&rsquo;s&nbsp;Peak Games&nbsp;paved the way, spawning a mobile gaming founder mafia in Istanbul that continues to attract massive funding. Israel leads in venture capital, raising US $1.6 billion in 2024 alone, with heavyweights like&nbsp;Playtika and&nbsp;Moon Active at the helm.

But the next wave is coming from Cairo, Lagos, Cape Town, and Riyadh. South Africa&rsquo;s&nbsp;Carry1st&nbsp;and Nigeria&rsquo;s&nbsp;KingMakers are early-stage ventures laying the groundwork for a decentralized, mobile-first gaming future. These startups aren&rsquo;t just building games &mdash; they&rsquo;re building ecosystems.

<img alt="Top Mobile Gaming Markets by Downloads in 2024" bis_size="{" x="" />

<h2 bis_size="{" x="">Gaming Investment MEA Region: A Strategic Bet</h2>

Governments across MEA are backing gaming as a strategic growth sector. From top-down investment in Saudi Arabia to startup-friendly policies in the UAE and Egypt, public-sector vision is accelerating private-sector innovation. The MEA gaming market size forecast suggests a region poised for exponential returns &mdash; not just in revenue, but in cultural capital.

Lucidity Insights&rsquo;&nbsp;<a bis_size="{" x="">MEA Gaming Review 2025</a> breaks down the numbers, maps the players, and highlights the most promising investment corridors. Whether you&rsquo;re a founder, investor, publisher, or policymaker,&nbsp;<a bis_size="{" x="">this report</a> is your guide to the region&rsquo;s gaming evolution.

<img alt="The Most Active Gaming Investors in the Middle East and Africa (as of 2024)" bis_size="{" x="" />

<h2 bis_size="{" x="">Gaming Trends in Africa and the Middle East 2025</h2>

Across MEA, four key trends are shaping the future:

<ul bis_size="{" x="">
	<li aria-level="1" bis_size="{" x="">Mobile gaming rules supreme &mdash; driven by accessibility and demographic advantage.</li>
	<li aria-level="1" bis_size="{" x="">Government-backed strategies are catalyzing ecosystem growth.</li>
	<li aria-level="1" bis_size="{" x="">eSports has evolved from niche competition to mainstream spectacle.</li>
	<li aria-level="1" bis_size="{" x="">Web3 innovation is thriving in markets where traditional tech infrastructure is still catching up.</li>
</ul>

This isn&rsquo;t just market momentum &mdash; it&rsquo;s a cultural reawakening. Millions of creators, players, and storytellers across MEA are finding their voice, building platforms, and shaping narratives that resonate far beyond their borders.

<h3 bis_size="{" x=""><a bis_size="{" x=""><img alt="Download Report: MEA Gaming Review 2025" bis_size="{" x="" /></a></h3>

<h3 bis_size="{" x="">Download Lucidity Insights&rsquo;&nbsp;<a bis_size="{" x="">MEA Gaming Review 2025</a> to explore the region&rsquo;s most dynamic players, boldest strategies, and biggest opportunities.</h3>

&nbsp;

<h2 bis_size="{" x="">MEA Gaming Market 2025 &ndash; FAQs</h2>

Q: How fast is the MEA gaming market growing?&nbsp;

A: The broader&nbsp;MEAPT gaming market (Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, and Turkey) is expanding at a&nbsp;CAGR of 11%, with a projected market size of&nbsp;US $19.4 billion by 2033. Within that, the&nbsp;MEA region alone (excluding Turkey and Pakistan) is growing at a&nbsp;CAGR of 9.3%, from&nbsp;US $5.02 billion in 2024 to&nbsp;US $11.5 billion by 2033. Africa&rsquo;s market grew&nbsp;12.4% last year, six times faster than the global industry rate &mdash; largely driven by mobile gaming and youthful demographics.

Q: What is the MEA gaming market size forecast for 2033?&nbsp;

A: The market is projected to grow from US $7.4 billion in 2024 to over US $19.4 billion by 2033, driven by mobile gaming, public-sector investment, and emerging tech adoption.

Q: What are the top gaming startups in the Middle East and Africa?&nbsp;

A: Notable players include Carry1st (South Africa), KingMakers (Nigeria), Peak Games (Turkey), and Moon Active (Israel). These startups are leading innovation in mobile-first platforms, eSports, and Web3 gaming.

Q: What role does mobile gaming play in MEA&rsquo;s growth?&nbsp;

A: Mobile gaming dominates the MEA landscape due to high smartphone penetration and youthful demographics. It&rsquo;s the primary driver of user engagement and revenue across the region.

Q: How is eSports evolving in the Middle East and Africa?&nbsp;

A: eSports has transitioned from niche to mainstream, with Saudi Arabia hosting record-breaking events like Gamers8 and the eSports World Cup. Egypt, UAE, and South Africa are also building competitive leagues and grassroots communities.

Q: Which countries are leading gaming investment in the MEA region?&nbsp;

A: Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, and the UAE are at the forefront. Saudi Arabia alone has earmarked over US $38 billion for gaming and eSports under Vision 2030, while Israel raised US $1.6 billion in gaming venture capital in 2024.

Q: What are the key gaming trends in Africa and the Middle East for 2025?&nbsp;

A: Four major trends stand out:

<ul bis_size="{" x="">
	<li aria-level="1" bis_size="{" x="">Mobile-first gaming ecosystems</li>
	<li aria-level="1" bis_size="{" x="">Government-backed growth strategies</li>
	<li aria-level="1" bis_size="{" x="">eSports as cultural mainstream</li>
	<li aria-level="1" bis_size="{" x="">Web3 innovation in infrastructure-light markets</li>
</ul>

Q: Where can I download the MEA Gaming Review 2025?

A: You can access the full report via&nbsp;<a bis_size="{" x="">Lucidity Insights&rsquo; official platform here.</a> It includes market breakdowns, startup profiles, investment maps, and trend forecasts.

<h3 bis_size="{" x="">Get a round-up of the biggest gaming trends, startup breakthroughs, and investment opportunities across the Middle East and Africa in 2025, by downloading our latest Special Report, &ldquo;<a bis_size="{" x="">MEA Gaming Review 2025</a>.&rdquo;</h3>

<h3 bis_size="{" x=""><a bis_size="{" x=""><img alt="Download Report: MEA Gaming Review 2025" bis_size="{" x="" /></a></h3>