Mobile leads the charge in Africa’s $1.8 billion games market

Africa’s gaming market has reached $1.8 billion, growing 12.4% Year over Year (YoY) – six times faster than global gaming growth (2.1% YoY). 

That’s according to a new statistical analysis from publisher Carry1st and Newzoo, which shows that mobile continues to be the dominant platform, making up $1.6bn (90%) of the market in 2024. 

The continent added an estimated 32m new gamers in 2024, bringing the total to 349m, up from 317m in 2023. Mobile leads the charge with 304m players, making up nearly 90% of the market, which is growing six times faster than the global average. 

In 2024, Egypt led the African gaming market with $368m in revenue, followed by Nigeria at $300m and South Africa at $278m. Eritrea and Niger experienced the fastest revenue growth, while Equatorial Guinea and Seychelles showed the slowest growth in the region.

Rapid growth 

“Building on our previous collaborations with Newzoo, this new data illuminates the explosive growth of Africa’s gaming market,” said Carry1st CEO and co-founder Cordel Robbin-Coker. “The dominance of mobile gaming, making up nearly 90% of the market, highlights the distinct path Africa is taking – leapfrogging traditional platforms.”

“With such growth in players and spending, it’s clear that Africa is one of the few places to find secular growth in an industry that is otherwise showing signs of maturity.”

Newzoo’s principal games market analyst Michiel Buijsman added: “Africa’s gaming sector is growing rapidly and outpacing global trends, which signals that the continent is catching up and its growth cannot be overlooked.”

“With a fast-growing mobile online population and 90% of its $1.8 billion market coming from mobile gaming, it’s clear where growth opportunities can be found.”