How many game studios are there in the Middle East?
The size of the market is becoming easier to measure.
There are an estimated 250 to 300 game studios operating across the Middle East, according to IsaKaba's ongoing mapping of the region's games industry.
That might seem surprising given the region's rapidly expanding games industry, but the available data tends to measure the broader gaming ecosystem rather than game developers specifically.
Government programmes, industry databases and private-sector reports also use different definitions, making direct comparisons difficult.
IsaKaba is building its own Studios Directory to provide a clearer picture of the region's development landscape, tracking identifiable game studios and developers across the Middle East as the database expands.
A rapidly growing market
While the precise number of studios remains difficult to establish, the size of the market is becoming easier to measure.
Niko Partners' MENA-3 grouping, covering Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, generated $2.2 billion in games revenue in 2025. The market is forecast to reach $2.8bn by 2029, representing a 6.8% five-year compound annual growth rate.
Niko separately projects MENA-3 to reach $3bn in player spending by 2030, making it the second-fastest-growing games market globally after India.
The region's player base is growing alongside that spending. MENA-3 had 72.0 million players in 2024, with that figure expected to reach 84.3m by 2029. Women now account for 37% of the player base, up from 32.6% in 2023.
Saudi Arabia remains the region's clear revenue leader. Newzoo forecasts the Kingdom will generate $1.59bn in games revenue in 2026, more than twice the UAE's projected $593m.
There is an important caveat here: Newzoo classifies Egypt and Morocco under its Africa region rather than the Middle East. Similarly, IsaKaba's estimate of game studios operating in the Middle East does not include North African countries. These countries have been classified under our African Studios Directory.
Saudi Arabia leads the region
Saudi Arabia has made the most aggressive push to establish itself as a global gaming hub. The Kingdom's National Gaming and Esports Strategy also targets 250 gaming companies by 2030, alongside 39,000 jobs and a $13.3bn contribution to GDP as part of Vision 2030.
However, that 250-company figure is a future target, not the current number of Saudi game studios. It is important to separate government ambitions from IsaKaba's estimate of existing developers.
Saudi Arabia's strategy has been supported by substantial investment, studio programmes and initiatives designed to develop domestic talent and encourage international companies to establish operations in the Kingdom.
Dubai's gaming ecosystem is expanding
Dubai presents another complication when trying to establish a studio count. The wider Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 is focused on attracting companies, connecting studios and developing local capabilities as the emirate targets a place among the world's top 10 gaming destinations.
The number of gaming companies operating in Dubai has risen from more than 368 in 2024 to 495 in 2026, a 34.5% increase. However, this figure represents companies operating in the emirate and should not be interpreted as 495 homegrown Dubai or UAE game studios.
That distinction matters. A company operating in Dubai is not necessarily a Dubai-founded developer, and the broader figure can include businesses involved in different parts of the gaming ecosystem. Dubai's growth therefore demonstrates the emirate's increasing importance as a gaming hub, but it cannot be used as a direct answer to how many game studios exist in the UAE.
Studio counts as of September 2026
So, how many game studios are there in the Middle East? At least 250 are currently tracked by IsaKaba, but this should be treated as a working estimate rather than a definitive census.
IsaKaba's Studios Directory is intended to help fill that gap by tracking identifiable developers country by country, rather than combining studios with publishers, esports companies, service providers and other businesses operating within the wider gaming industry.
Third-party databases provide individual estimates, while government initiatives often publish targets for future growth. Figures for broader gaming ecosystems, such as Dubai's 495 companies, are useful indicators of industry expansion but cannot be treated as studio counts.
IsaKaba's Middle East Studios Directory is continuously updated as more developers are identified.
