Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's video game sector has seen remarkable growth over the past two years, with imports of video game consoles reaching over 2.4 million units in 2024 and 2025, according to data from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority.

In 2024, over 1.7 million units were imported, while 684,489 units have been imported so far in 2025. The authority indicated that the top five countries from where imports occurred in 2024 were: China, followed by Japan, the United States, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. In 2025, China also topped the list of suppliers, followed by the United States, Japan, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.

The Saudi Internet Report 2024 from the Communications, Space and Technology Commission highlighted significant improvements in the digital infrastructure, including an 88 percent improvement in response time for popular video games. The report also detailed usage trends, showing that smart devices are the most used platform with 24.2 percent of users, followed closely by PlayStation with 23.8 percent.

The report showed that the percentage of smart device use among females reached 28.5 percent compared to 21 percent among males, while PlayStation devices achieved a percentage of 30.2 among males compared to 15.1 percent among females..

The report indicated that PlayStation topped the list of games used by the 10-19 age group, with 54.8 percent of the users, while smart devices topped the list for the remaining age groups: 20-29 age group with 30.8 percent; followed by the 30-39 age group with 23.8 percent; the 40-49 age group with 15.3 percent; 8.7 percent for the 50-59 age group, and 5 percent for the 60-74 age group.

The report also revealed the most downloaded electronic games on smart devices in the Kingdom, with Whiteout Survival coming in first place, followed by Roblox in second place, Subway Surfers in third place, PUBG Mobile in fourth place, and Garena Free Fire in fifth place. These indicators confirm that the Kingdom has become a leading regional and international destination for hosting major e-Sports events, supported by its technical infrastructure and ongoing investments in the sector, as part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote digital industries.

The Esports World Cup, which is being held in Riyadh from July 7 to August 24, reinforces the Kingdom's growing role as a global gaming hub, the report pointed out. The event features over 2,000 players from more than 100 countries competing for prizes exceeding $70 million, solidifying Saudi Arabia's position in the global gaming and e-sports scene.