The Asia and MENA regions generated $88.9 billion in gaming revenue in 2025, with revenue projected to reach $103.6 billion by 2028, Niko Partners reports.
The data covers 13 markets: China, India, East Asia (Japan and Korea), Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), and MENA (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates).
Niko Partners’ annual Asia and MENA Market Model report surveyed over 11,000 players across these regions in March 2026.
India surpassed 500 million players in 2025 and is expected to exceed $1.8 billion in revenue by 2030. Player spending is projected to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2%.
Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia are projected to be the fastest-growing markets in Southeast Asia. Thailand is expected to reach $2 billion in player spending by 2027, while Indonesia is on track to surpass $1.5 billion by 2030.
Niko Partners described China, Japan, and Korea as the Asia and MENA regions’ “most mature markets,” accounting for $91.7 billion in player spending, or 88.6% of total revenue across the 13 tracked countries.
For the MENA-3 (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates), player spending is forecast to reach $3 billion in 2030, with annual average revenue per user (ARPU) expected to increase by $10 over the next five years.
“While global economic and geopolitical environments are challenging and compound the difficulties felt in the North American and European video games markets, the bright spot seems to be the current and future path for gaming and game development across Asia and MENA,” said Niko Partners CEO Lisa Hanson.
“These regions continue to benefit from expanding player bases and multi-dimensional growth in game development and player spending, particularly when global developers and publishers localise games, marketing, and payments in response to local demand.
“Paying attention to the nuances of all markets will help the industry grow both in development and sales.”
