Egypt’s gamers are playing more than anyone else in the Middle East and North Africa, according to Niko Partners’ 2026 MENA Player Behavior & Market Insights report, published in October 2026.

The research firm tracks Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE together as “MENA-3”, which it describes as among the fastest-growing gaming markets it covers. Alongside the report, Niko Partners said the region has stayed resilient despite geopolitical uncertainty, with growth driven by government initiatives, rising disposable incomes, better localisation and a growing number of female players.

Egyptian players now average 12.7 hours of gameplay per week across PC, mobile and console, up from 11.8 hours a year earlier, an increase of nearly an hour a week, or roughly 8%. That puts Egypt ahead of both Gulf markets and above the MENA-3 average of 12 hours per week. Niko Partners notes that weekly game time rose year on year in all three markets, but Egypt is the one it singles out as the most engaged.

According to the report, Egypt has the largest youth player population of the three markets with the average player age across all three markets standing at 33 years old. This is in spite of the country enforcing a full ban on Roblox, which is in contrast to Saudi Arabia and UAE, which have opted for temporary restrictions aimed at improving moderation and safety.

From a financial perspective, Niko Partners estimates that the combined gaming market of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE generated US$2.15 billion in revenue during 2025, representing year-on-year growth of 7.1%. The company forecasts that revenue will increase to US$2.31 billion in 2026, before reaching US$2.94 billion by 2030. This represents a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%. The research firm expects MENA-3 to remain the second-fastest-growing region in its market coverage, trailing only India. As previously reported on GIA in August forecasts identified Egypt as the continent’s largest gaming market by revenue, with an estimated US$458.1 million in 2026.

Spending per player is also rising. MENA-3 is expected to post the strongest growth in average revenue per user (ARPU) of any region in Niko’s forecast, reaching $38 a year by 2030, nearly $10 more than in 2025. Much of that is led by the Gulf: the UAE is on track to pass $100 ARPU in 2026

An in-depth look at the report can be viewed here.