Latest forecasts from Carry1st and Newzoo show Africa is set to add a net 36.6 million players in 2026, while its games market is forecast to grow nearly twice as fast as the global market.
TUESDAY 25 AUGUST 2026, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA: Annual statistical analysis from Carry1st, Africa's leading publisher of games and digital content, and Newzoo, the world’s leading provider of PC and console games market intelligence, forecasts that Africa’s games market will expand at nearly twice the rate of the global games market, with a net increase of an estimated 36.6 million players across the continent in 2026.
According to the latest Newzoo analysis, total games revenues across Africa and the Middle East combined are forecast to reach $8.53 billion in 2026, representing a 10.3% year-over-year increase from 2025. Africa alone is forecast to grow nearly twice as fast as the global games market, reinforcing the region’s growing importance to the industry.
Africa continues its rapid upward trajectory and is forecast to generate $1.98 billion in games revenue in 2026, up 11.9% year-over-year from $1.77 billion in 2025. Mobile is forecast to account for 81.8% ($1.62 billion) of total games revenue in Africa. Across the Middle East, games revenues are forecast to reach $6.55 billion, up 9.8% year-over-year, with mobile representing 64.3% ($4.21 billion) of market revenue.
Africa’s Player Base Is Forecast to Pass 400 Million
Industry reports highlight that while overall consumer spending in legacy markets remains high, active player bases and playtime across traditional PC and console hardware have stagnated in the West due to high hardware barriers and rising user acquisition costs.
Africa’s player base is forecast to grow 9.9% in 2026, more than twice the rate of global player growth.
The total number of players across Africa is forecast to reach 406.25 million in 2026, up from 369.66 million in 2025. This represents a net increase of 36.6 million players in one year, with Africa accounting for 10.98% of all video game players worldwide.
Combined with the Middle East’s forecast 233.86 million players, the region is expected to be home to 640.12 million players in 2026, accounting for 17.3% of the global player population.
Key Findings:
- Africa’s revenue growth is nearly twice the global rate: Africa’s games revenue is forecast to grow by 11.9% year-over-year to $1.98 billion in 2026, nearly twice the forecast global growth rate.
- Africa’s player base is forecast to pass 400 Million: The continent’s player base is forecast to grow by 9.9% to 406.25 million in 2026, a net increase of 36.6 million players in one year.
- Mobile leads revenue: Mobile is forecast to generate $1.62 billion, or 81.8%, of total African games revenue in 2026 and $4.21 billion, or 64.3%, of Middle Eastern games revenue.
- Mobile dominance solves hardware barriers: Mobile platforms generated $1.62 billion (81.8%) of total African revenue in 2026 and $4.21 billion (64.3%) of Middle Eastern revenue, bypassing traditional console/PC hardware constraints.
- Leading regional markets: In Africa, Egypt is forecast to lead with $458.1 million in revenue, followed by South Africa ($263.0 million) and Nigeria ($226.6 million). In the Middle East, Turkey ($1.65 billion) and Saudi Arabia ($1.59 billion) are forecast to lead overall spending, followed by Israel ($595.3 million) and the UAE ($593.1 million).
Executive Quotes
Cordel Robbin-Coker, CEO and Co-founder of Carry1st, commented:
"Our latest data with Newzoo highlights what we have long believed: Africa and the Middle East are the primary growth engines of the global video games industry. Watching Africa's gaming population grow to a forecasted 406 million demonstrates the immense velocity of this market. As the industry points to a structural plateau in mature markets, Africa's sustained expansion proves where the next billion players will come from."
Michiel Buijsman, Principal Games Market Analyst at Newzoo, added:
"Africa’s games market is forecast to grow 11.9% year-over-year to nearly $2.0 billion in 2026, which is almost twice the growth forecast for the global market. Its player base is expected to surpass 406 million, with mobile accounting for 81.8% of revenues. These figures underline Africa’s growing importance to developers and publishers looking at where the global games market is expanding."
For further context on Africa’s position within the global market, pre-register for Newzoo’s free 2026 Global Games Market Report launching on 10 September, with platform outlooks, structural growth drivers and challenges, and forecasts through 2029.
About Carry1st
Carry1st is building the dominant commerce platform for Africa and the Middle East. Operating at the intersection of video games, publishing, and fintech, its mission is to scale awesome content in frontier markets by solving hard problems. Carry1st distributes and monetizes games effectively with Pay1st, a proprietary payments solution, and the Carry1st Shop, their online marketplace. The company has scaled games such as Call of Duty®: Mobile, VALORANT, and Mergedom. Founded in 2018, the company is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Sony Innovation, BITKRAFT, Google, and Riot Games.
About Newzoo
With nearly 20 years of expertise, Newzoo delivers actionable insights spanning title-level engagement and revenue metrics, gamer research, market sizing and forecasts, and store intelligence to support strategic and operational decisions across the entire game lifecycle. Trusted by the world’s leading game developers, publishers, investors, and media, Newzoo is widely recognized as the definitive source of PC and console games market intelligence.
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