GamesConnect AFRICA

The African games industry is experiencing rapid growth, with a young and engaged player base and a burgeoning development community. However, the industry faces significant challenges
 

Including:

• Underdeveloped value chain: The African games value chain is predominantly supply-led, with limited support for mid-stage studios. This "missing middle" restricts the industry's growth and ability to compete globally.
• Limited access to funding: Many African studios struggle to secure the funding necessary to scale their operations, develop high-quality games, and effectively market their products. The lack of government support mechanisms further exacerbates this challenge.
• Low market awareness: The perception of gaming solely as entertainment, coupled with limited visibility of African games, hinders market growth and consumer demand for locally produced games.
• Talent drain: The lack of sustainable career pathways and limited opportunities for professional development lead to a talent drain, with skilled professionals often seeking opportunities outside the continent.

SpielFabrique is proud to present its African Videogame Industry report 2026, supported byGoethe Institute and Xsolla.

This report was produced in order to compile all available data on the African video game industry and compare the ecosystems’ dynamics across the continent, with particular attention to similarities and disparities within local and regional indie clusters.

Our objective is to provide a comprehensive-though non-exhaustive-overview of the industry’s current realities in Q1 2026, while identifying key market signals and areas of potential. Our interest for this work has started during the Gamescom 2025 meeting with our SpielFabrique’s African Partners, where the need for such document became apparent. We have worked on the following document between September 2025 and January 2026, and we hope he will remain relevant even if outdated fast.

We hope that this document will reach industry actors and beyond, providing informed knowledge on the state of the market and inspire partners and researchers to look deeper with us on the industry situation in Africa.

We would also like to thank the experts, partners and friends that took some of their time to review, comment and critically engage with us during the construction of this report. You can find them at the end of this document.

Enjoy reading!
The SpielFabrique team.