In 2023, residents of GCC countries spent over $2 billion on games. The most popular games are sports games
The analytics company Niko Partners has released a report on the state of the gaming market in the countries that are part of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)*. Below are the main findings.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- At the end of last year, there were approximately 33.7 million gamers in the GCC countries.
- By the end of 2023, the revenue of the local gaming market amounted to $2.24 billion. The ARPU (average revenue per user) was $66.34.
- The residents of Saudi Arabia spent the most on games, accounting for 49.5% of the $2.24 billion. Also, in 2023, Saudi Arabia was home to 61.7% of the region's gamers.
- Analysts predict that in 2024, the gaming market revenue in GCC countries will grow to $2.41 billion.
- By 2028, the revenue is expected to reach $3.24 billion, with an ARPU of $83.3. Residents of Saudi Arabia and the UAE will generate 80% of the revenue. The number of gamers is projected to increase to 38.9 million by this time.
Gaming market revenue in GCC countries, 2023-2028
- 91.7% of gamers surveyed by Niko Partners in GCC countries reported that they play on mobile devices at least occasionally. The next most popular platforms are PC (61.9%), consoles (55.3%), smart TVs (24.6%), and VR headsets (10.1%).
- The top 5 genres in the region are sports games (57.9%), fighting games (53.8%), action games (53%), racing games (51.9%), and adventure games (51.4%).
Most popular game genres in GCC countries
- 69.1% of local gamers prefer to play in Arabic, but not all games are available in this language. For example, on Steam, only 3.5% of games have Arabic localization.
*The GCC includes Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.