- The top-grossing game categories on iOS in MENA were action (20.22%), strategy (13.94%), and casual (11.52%)
- Meanwhile, on Google Play, strategy games dominated with 22.46%, followed by action (16.28%), and role-playing (15.13%)
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In the first half of 2024, the MENA market exceeded 7.9 billion downloads and generated over $1.78 billion in revenue. The revenue growth from the previous half was 10.6% and from the previous year was 15.6%.
A recent Spotlight on MENA report by data firm Apptica revealed positive growth in downloads as well, with an 8.2% increase from the previous half and a 11.1% increase from the previous year. MENA accounted for 7.5% of global downloads and 3.6% of total revenue.
Leading the downloads in MENA were PUBG Mobile, Roblox, and Subway Surfers. Notably, Pizza Ready! and Yalla Ludo also gained popularity in the casual games category. In terms of revenue, PUBG Mobile, Roblox, and Whiteout Survival were the top contenders. Match-3 games and Battle Royale titles also saw significant success.
Roblox, PUBG Mobile, and Subway Surfers were the leaders in Daily Active Users (DAU) in MENA, with each boasting over 1.5 million DAUs. Other popular titles include EA Sports, Candy Crush, and Clash of Clans, each garnering millions of DAUs as well.
Outperforming global markets
Within MENA, Egypt emerged as the revenue leader with 27% of regional revenue and 43% of installs, showing a significant YoY revenue growth of 34%. On the other hand, Iran experienced significant download growth with an 18.5% increase, followed by the UAE (+16.9%), Saudi Arabia (+12.5%), and Kuwait (+12%).
MENA countries surpassed major global markets in growth, outperforming India (+9.2% downloads), Brazil (+8.9%), and the USA (+6.9% revenue). By the end of 2024, mobile app downloads in MENA are projected to surpass 16 billion, with revenue exceeding $3.5 billion.
Gaming revenue saw an 11% YoY increase, while downloads increased by 6%. In contrast, entertainment revenue grew by 34% and downloads by 10%. Despite a slight decrease in revenue, social apps saw a notable 11.4% increase in downloads.
Revenue leaders in MENA by app stores
In the first half of 2024, casual games led in downloads across all App Store regions, with simulation games taking the top spot on Google Play in Europe and Africa. In the MENA region, the top three categories on iOS by downloads were casual (19.25%), action (15.42%), and simulation (14.43%). On Android, casual games were also prominent, followed by simulation and action games.
When it comes to revenue, action games led the pack on iOS in MENA with 20.22%, followed by strategy (13.94%) and casual (11.52%). On Google Play, strategy games were the top earners with 22.46%, followed by action (16.28%) and role-playing (15.13%). Gaming accounted for a significant portion of revenue on both platforms.
Revenue growth by genre
In the first half of 2024, Google Play emerged as the top-grossing platform, with core games leading the revenue stream. Meanwhile, casual games were the revenue leaders on iOS, deviating from the global trend. Casual games saw a 6.8% HoH revenue increase on iOS, while core games grew by 20.3% HoH on Google Play. YoY, Casual games grew by 11.5% on iOS and core games by 30.7% on Android.
Hypercasual games experienced mixed success, with declines in iOS but growth in Android revenue. The top download categories in MENA were tools, communication, and productivity. Finance apps were the least downloaded. Together, these categories accounted for the massive 7.9 billion downloads.
For a comprehensive look at the findings, you can access the full Spotlight on MENA report here.
