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For several decades, western countries have topped the production and consumption of video games in the world. However, over the past decade, this industry has expanded into new territories. One of these places is the African continent, where the gaming market has progressively become more relevant.

Data released late last year indicates that the number of active video game players has doubled in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years. In addition, it is also predicted that the gaming market will experience significant growth across the African continent.

But that’s not all, it is also estimated that there are roughly 177 million players accessing games from Africa using mobile devices. In other words, this means that 95% of gamers are mobile players. In fact, according to the firm App Annie, Africa is the fastest-growing continent when it comes to mobile downloads, with projections estimating that there will be more than 680 million mobile users by the end of 2025.

In addition to mobile gaming, one of the fastest-growing forms of gaming is live-streamed games. In fact, game streaming has become a lucrative and attractive activity, with millions of players joining in to watch some of the top streamers showcase their skills. As of 2022, some of the most live-streamed games include League of Legends, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto V and Counter-Striker: Global Offensive. Simultaneously, the mass dissemination of mobile phones and the rising gaming culture has led to a fast-paced development of online gambling. In the past few years, this highly competitive area has put out a huge range of titles and launched countless gambling apps. Online casinos also offer countless bonuses and welcome gifts to new users and feature innovative games, such as live casino titles based around well-known card games. As a result, there are even websites dedicated to listing the best live dealer casino games so players have all the necessary information readily accessible when making a decision on which site to join.

South Africa

South Africa is one of the biggest gaming markets in the continent, with its internal gaming market surpassing the film and music market in the country. The latest data shows that the country has over 24 million gamers, topping all other African nations. In fact, South Africa not only leads when it comes to the number of users but also when it comes to game development and publishing. The nation has several top-quality companies working in the gaming industry, including Game 4U, Nyamakop, Celestial Games, Carry1st, among others. For instance, Carry1st, a South African start-up, has raised $20 million from prominent investors such as Andreesen Horowitz and Google. The goal? The creation and publication of mobile games aimed exclusively at the African market. Some other top-profile African developers include Usiku Games in Kenya and Leti Arts in Ghana.

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Simultaneously, SuperSport and GINX eSports have partnered up to launch an exclusive eSports channel to meet the demand for eSports streaming in the country. eSports have become particularly celebrated in the country, with events such as the NAG LAB, hosting the largest BYOC LAN event in the country. This annual gaming frenzy lets players spend over 50 hours playing games such as Apex Legends, DOTA 2, Call of Duty, among others.

Additionally, the South African gaming industry has already been involved in some revolutionary gaming projects including the Augmenters Game, a one-of-a-kind augmented reality game based on blockchain technology.

Ultimately, video game revenues in the African continent are expected to increase 12% by 2026, a figure significantly higher than the projections for the rest of the world, which stand at 9.6%. In this sense, both the continent and South Africa are expected to greatly benefit from the industry’s boom. This is particularly true for South Africa as its already-expanding gaming industry is expected to grow massively in the next decade.