Online gaming is most popular on smartphones in Saudi Arabia.

According to YouGov, smartphones are used by 73% of gamers in the kingdom, giving them a huge advantage over other platforms.
According to a research, smartphones continue to be the preferred gaming device in Saudi Arabia, with around 75 percent of players choosing the platform for its portability and simplicity.

According to a report released on Wednesday by the UK-based research company YouGov, cellphones are used by almost 73% of gamers in the kingdom, giving them a major advantage over other gaming platforms.

According to the report, game consoles, which include the Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, came in second with 34% of the market. Following closely behind with 33% each were desktops and laptops and 14% each were high-end gaming PCs. Additionally, 25% of people still use tablets.

“Although mobile devices have greatly expanded the possibilities for casual gaming, dedicated gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation continue to appeal to gamers, with a third of weekly gamers utilizing them. According to YouGov analysts, men are more inclined than women to say this.

Together with viewing non-live TV, gaming is now the sixth most popular internet activity, according to YouGov.

According to YouGov, social media interaction continues to be the most popular online activity, being used by 41% of those surveyed.

According to the report, this follows by live content, non-live content like those on YouTube, streaming video like those on Netflix and Amazon Prime, and other activities like online browsing or email checking.

Globally, gaming has grown to be a significant industry, with growth spurts during the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020 and the development of new games to meet customer demand thanks to New-Age technology.

Saudi Arabia’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy calls for the development of 30 games and the creation of roughly 40,000 employment by 2030.

The plan, launched in September by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, includes a thorough investment program for the sector with the ultimate objective of making the kingdom a global hub for gaming by 2030.
To speed the growth of the sector, Riyadh also founded the Saudi Esports Federation. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, the organization’s head, was named vice president of the Global Esports Federation in December.

Gamers8, one of the biggest gaming festivals in the world and one that the country started hosting last month, has a good reputation among Saudi citizens, according to statistics from YouGov.

According to the survey, “Gamers8 will strengthen the kingdom’s standing as a future global hub for the gaming industry,” about two-thirds of respondents concur.

At the Leap technology conference in Riyadh in February, it was revealed that new investment totaling $488 million had been provided to Saudi Arabia’s gaming sector by the Saudi Esports Federation, the National Development Fund, and the Social Development Bank.

Global gaming revenue is anticipated to reach $212.4 billion by 2026, with mobile devices continuing to drive growth, according to a market data platform update released last week.

According to a survey, incubation programs helped the number of gaming startups in Saudi Arabia almost quadruple to 24 in 2022 from 13 the year before.

According to the report, playing games is more popular in Saudi Arabia than other online activities like viewing live streaming video, listening to podcasts, reading blogs or books, or streaming music. According to YouGov, the majority of Saudi citizens, or 22%, indicated they spend between three and six hours a week gaming, followed by a fifth who spend only two hours.

Despite the gaming potential of VR and the gradual rise of the metaverse, the usage of virtual reality headsets remain low, with only 9% of weekly gamers utilizing these devices during their gaming sessions, the survey found.