In 2023, residents of the GCC countries spent over 2 billion dollars on games. The most popular games are sports games
The analytical 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 key findings.
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- 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 reached $2.24 billion. ARPU (average revenue per user) was $66.34.
- The highest spending on games came from residents of Saudi Arabia—49.5% of the $2.24 billion. Additionally, in 2023, this country was home to 61.7% of the region's gamers.
- Analysts predict that in 2024, the revenue of the gaming market in the GCC countries will grow to $2.41 billion.
- By 2028, revenue is expected to reach $3.24 billion with an ARPU of $83.3. 80% of the revenue will be generated by residents of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The number of gamers is expected to increase to 38.9 million by that time.
Gaming market revenue in the GCC countries from 2023 to 2028
- 91.7% of gamers surveyed by Niko Partners in the GCC 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 five genres in the region are sports games (57.9%), fighting games (53.8%), action games (53%), racing (51.9%), and adventure games (51.4%).
Most popular game genres in the GCC countries
- 69.1% of local gamers prefer to play in Arabic, but not all games have been translated into the language. For example, only 3.5% of games on Steam have Arabic localization.
*The GCC includes Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
