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Gaming sector revenues in Africa hit $1.8 billion in 2024, report
Africa’s gaming market experienced significant growth, reaching a revenue of $1.8 billion (Sh 232.2 billion) in 2024, marking a 12.4% increase from 2023. This is according to a report by Carry1st, an African gaming and digital content publisher and Newzoo, a PC and console gamer research platform.
According to the report, Africa’s Year-On-Year (YoY) growth rate reached 2.1%, six times higher than the international average. Of 349 million games, the analysis shows that 304 million were mobile, with participation growing by 32 million from the previous year, with the vast majority playing on mobile.
Mobile gaming drove this growth accounting for nearly 90% ($1.6 billion) of Africa’s total gaming revenue in 2024, a 10% YoY increase from 2023.
“As global markets see slower growth, Africa's rapid growth underlines the market's enormous potential,” the report read in part.“This growth highlights Africa’s evolution from an emerging market, to a major player in the global gaming industry.”
“With widespread mobile adoption, increasing internet access and innovative payment solutions driving expansion, Africa’s gaming market continues to accelerate.”
Carry1st CEO and co-founder Cordel Robbin-Coker said building on previous collaborations with Newzoo, this new data illuminates the explosive growth of Africa's gaming market.
“The dominance of mobile gaming, making up nearly 90% of the market, highlights the distinct path Africa is taking − leapfrogging traditional platforms,” he said. “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.”
In 2023, Carry1st and Newzoo projected that the Sub-Saharan gaming market would reach $1 billion by 2024 with the latest findings indicating that Africa surpassed the expectations.
The 2023 forecast indicated that Eritrea and Niger were the fastest-growing countries in gaming revenue while Equatorial Guinea and Seychelles were the slowest-growing.
The latest statistics show that Egypt leads Africa in gaming revenue, generating $368 million in revenue followed by Nigeria at $300 million and South Africa at $278 million.
Newzoo’s principal games market analyst Michiel Buijsman noted that Africa’s gaming sector is growing rapidly, 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,” he said.
