26/08/2026
Africa, the Growth Engine of the Global Games Market
406 million gamers. $1.98 billion in revenue. 81.8% mobile.
Africa is no longer simply gaming’s next frontier, it is already one of the industry’s strongest growth engines.
SAGES Africa is pleased to highlight the latest Carry1st × Newzoo Africa and Middle East games market forecast report.
Key figures for 2026:
🎮 406.25 million gamers in Africa, up 118% since 2021
📈 $1.98 billion in games revenue, growing 11.9% year-on-year, nearly twice the global rate
📱 $1.62 billion generated by mobile, representing 81.8% of the market
🌍 Africa accounts for 63.5% of MEA gamers, but only 23.2% of regional revenue
🏆 Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria generate 47.9% of Africa’s games revenue
The message is clear: the audience has reached scale. The next opportunity is to turn this massive, mobile-first player base into sustainable value through adapted pricing, local payment solutions, effective distribution and community-led activation.
SAGES supports publishers, brands, investors, telecom operators and industry stakeholders seeking to enter or scale across African markets. From market intelligence and country prioritisation to localisation, partner identification, community activation, operational delivery and performance measurement, we help transform African growth ambitions into executable strategies.
Discover the full Pocket Gamer article below and contact SAGES to discuss your African market strategy.
https://www.pocketgamer.biz/africa-and-middle-east-games-market-reaches-85bn-as-african-gamer-base-hits-406m/