State of African Games 2026

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State of African

Games 2026

What trends are shaping a rapidly emerging ecosystem?

Video Game Insights.
Supporting creativity through data.

VGinsights.com
| Contact: support@sensortower.com

Table of Contents

What is the state of African developed games on Steam?
4-7

Top selling African developed games
8-12

Case Study
13-14

Pricing & Engine strategy
14-15

Final thoughts
18

South Africa remains the dominant country when it comes

to number of developers and unit sales. The continent favours

development on PC with console a secondary

Overview:

The 2025 State of Africa Report provides a data-driven snapshot of how African-developed games are performing on global platforms, with a particular focus

on Steam. It examines regional sales share, release trends, genre segmentation, pricing, engines, and top-performing titles to understand the current

structure and trajectory of the continent’s game development ecosystem.

Summary:

●
Genre analysis reveals a structural mismatch between what African studios are producing and where the strongest median sales exist. Simulation

games have the highest median units sold, followed by adventure and RPGs, yet action titles dominate in terms of the number of releases.

●
Commercial performance is also highly concentrated geographically. Across major platforms, the top-selling African games are overwhelmingly

developed in South Africa, reinforcing the country’s position as the continent’s primary commercial hub for game development.

●
The report further explores pricing and engine trends. African-developed games generally follow global pricing structures, with many releases aligning

with standard indie tiers. On the technical side, Unity emerges as the dominant engine choice, reflecting its accessibility and suitability for small to

mid-sized teams.

Methodology:

The methodology relies on VGI’s estimations and looks at games launched from January 2015.

Overview of the Report

What is the state of

African developed games

on Steam?

Players from Africa constituted just over 2% of unit sales on

Steam in 2025, which is more than the Middle East.

Notes:
Games launched after 01/01/2015

Sources:
VGI data, Team Analysis

Top 100 selling Steam games per country in 2025 on Steam

Player Region Split of Units Sold on Steam

In another record year on Steam, Europe accounted

for the largest percentage of total units sold (36.84%)

in 2025. However, Africa made strong strides with

2.01% of games coming from the continent, which

was more than the Middle East (1.09%) and just

below Oceania (2.39%) when looking at the top 100

selling games on Steam based on units sold.

In terms of pure units, Africa accounted for over 60

million units in 2025. A lot of those sales can be

attributed to the success of games from South Africa.

2023 saw the largest number of releases from African

game developers, with Steam releases slowing in 2025

Total Number of Steam Releases from African Developers between 2020 – 2025

Annual number of releases from African developers on Steam

In 2020, African developers released 12 titles

on Steam, establishing a baseline for the early

part of the decade. The following year saw a

drop to six releases, which may reflect

disruptions caused by global factors such as

the pandemic, funding constraints, or delays
in

development pipelines. The most significant

moment in the timeline comes in 2023, when

African developers reached a peak of 23

releases.

After this peak, the number of releases

declines to 16 in 2024 and then further to 11 in

2025. While this appears to be a slowdown, it

does not necessarily indicate a downturn in

the industry. Instead, it may reflect a shift from

rapid, volume-driven growth toward more

selective or higher-quality projects that
require

longer development cycles.

In the context of the African games industry,

this kind of trajectory is common in emerging

creative industries, where an initial surge of

activity is followed by a period of

consolidation and professionalization.

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Number of releases

Notes:
Games launched after 01/01/2015

Sources:
VGI data, Team Analysis

Simulation is the top genre in terms of units sold on Steam; however,

Action dominates in terms of releases from African developers

Genre segmentation from African developers over last 365 days

Median all time units sold per genre on Steam

The bubble chart indicates how many games are

being released in each genre versus how well the

typical title performs. At the top of the performance

spectrum, simulation stands out, with a median of

roughly 372,000 units. This is far above every other

category and suggests that when games in this space

are produced, they tend to find substantial

audiences. Adventure follows at around 123,000

median units, indicating a genre where narrative,

exploration, or culturally grounded storytelling can

resonate strongly with players. RPGs sit in a middle

tier, with a median just over 38,000 units.

This suggests African studios may be clustering

around genres that are easiest to produce rather
than

those with the strongest typical commercial

outcomes.

Simulation

Adventure

RPG

Puzzle

Arcade

Action

Notes:
Games launched after 01/01/2013

Sources:
VGI data, Team Analysis

Top selling African

Developed Games

Across all platforms, the entire top 10 games list by units sold

have been developed by South African based developers

Notes:
Units sold estimates are based on VGI data

Top 10 African developed games based on units sold
(games released after 01/01/2013)

Top 10 African developed Games Released after January 1, 2013 on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox combined

Broforce

Viscera Cleanup Detail:

Shadow Warrior

Viscera Cleanup Detail

Genital Jousting

The Expendabros

Viscera Cleanup Detail:

Santa’s Rampage

GORN

Desktop Dungeons

Terra Nil

Stick it to the Stickman

10.0M

3.9M

1.5M

1.0M

0.7M

0.3M

0.2M

Price

$14,99

$34,99

$12,99

$6,99

Free

$2,95

$19,99

$14,99

$24,99

$5,99

Release Year

2014

2013

2014

2016

2014

2013

2017

2013

2023

2025

Publisher

Devolver Digital

Runestorm

Devolver Digital

Runestorm

Devolver Digital

QCF Design

Devolver Digital

Publisher Tier

Indie

South African developed games dominate commercially

and critically when it comes to Steam game releases

Top African developed games of 2025, by Units Sold on Steam

220k

Units Sold

Average Playtime

94%

Positive Reviews

77.5k

Units Sold

Average Playtime

87%

Positive Reviews

57.5k

Units Sold

11h

Average Playtime

92.2%

Positive Reviews

51.9k

Units Sold

11.2h

Average Playtime

96.9%

Positive Reviews

50.8k

Units Sold

8.1h

Average Playtime

87.5%

Positive Reviews

Notes:
Data as of 31st Dec 2025. Units sold include free giveaways. However, Viscera Cleanup Detail has been excluded since it is primarily dominated by giveaways having been released in 2014

The top four games have benefitted from being published by

Devolver Digital, resulting in their relative success on PlayStation

Top African developed games of 2025, by Units Sold on PlayStation

94.5k

Units Sold

11.2h

Average Playtime

4.4 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

24.6k

Units Sold

10.3h

Average Playtime

4.2 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

18.9k

Units Sold

3.6h

Average Playtime

4.6 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

10.8k

Units Sold

4.3h

Average Playtime

4.7 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

1.7k

Units Sold

4.1h

Average Playtime

4.3 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

Notes:
Data as of 31st Dec 2025. Units sold include free giveaways. However, Viscera Cleanup Detail has been excluded since it is primarily dominated by giveaways having been released in 2014

Apart from Broforce which has benefitted from inclusion on

GamePass, most Xbox games are commercially lacklustre

Top African developed games of 2025, by Units Sold on Xbox

66.4k

Units Sold

Average Playtime

4.2 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

488

Units Sold

Average Playtime

4.4 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

391

Units Sold

Average Playtime

4.0 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

293

Units Sold

Average Playtime

4.4 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

293

Units Sold

Average Playtime

4.7 / 5.0

Positive Reviews

Notes:
Data as of 31st Dec 2025. Units sold include free giveaways. However, Viscera Cleanup Detail has been excluded since it is primarily dominated by giveaways having been released in 2014

Case Study – A closer

Look at Broforce

Case Study: Broforce

Notes:
Country breakdown and overlapping Games based on VGI data

Broforce
–Player and Country Insights on Steam, PlayStation & Xbox

Units Sold, Overlap Index, Player Insights & Country Breakdown

Top Overlapping Games

Reception and Engagement

Overlap Index, Lifetime on Steam

Units Sold, Average playtime, Reviews on PC & Consoles

Quanect

Pirate Pop

Super Rude Bear

Resurrection

10M

Units Sold

9.7 hrs

Average

Playtime

96.9%

Positive

Reviews

United States

United Kingdom

Canada

Franc
e

Russia

Other

10M

Feb 25

Mar 25

Jun 25

Jul 25

Sep 25

Dec 25

100%

53%

29%

18%

Stea
m

PlayStatio
n

Xbo

Cumulative Est Units Sold – Steam, Xbox, PlayStation

Players by Country

Pricing & Engine

Approach

Launch in standard AAA launch prices from budget to premium tiers on Steam

The chart shows that African-developed

games on Steam are heavily concentrated at

the lower end of the price spectrum. Most

titles are priced in budget or very low-cost

tiers, reflecting a focus on accessibility
rather

than premium positioning.

Only a small share of games reach higher

price points: about 11% fall between $5.99

and $8.99, and just 2% are priced between

$21.99 and $29.99. This scarcity of premium

titles suggests limited high-budget

production.

Overall, the pricing distribution indicates an

indie-driven, cost-sensitive industry that

favors lower prices to maximize reach and

reduce purchasing barriers for both local
and

global audiences.

Notes:
Games launched after 01/01/2015

Sources:
VGI data, Team Analysis

Price Distribution of African Developed Games on Steam

African developed game pricing distribution on Steam (2013-2025)

$0,00 – $0,99

$1,99 – $4,99

$5,99 – $8,99

$9,99 – $19,99

$21,99 – $29,99

Unity is the primary engine of choice for most developers, however the data

points to an ecosystem still to align with global engine trends

The most notable feature is that “Other”

engines make up about 73% of releases,

encompassing tools like Visionaire, Microsoft

XNA, and various smaller engines. This

highlights a highly decentralized and

tool-diverse ecosystem, driven by

accessibility, aﬀordability, and

project-specific needs.

Among major engines, Unity leads with

around 18% of titles, reflecting its low

barriers to entry and strong support

ecosystem. Unreal Engine accounts for
about

7%, pointing to a smaller but significant

group using more technically demanding

tools.

Overall, the chart suggests an industry still in

a formative stage, with developers favoring

flexibility and accessibility over convergence

on a single dominant engine.

Engine Segmentation of African Developed Games on Steam

African developed games engine distribution on Steam (2013-2025)

Unity

Unreal

Godot

Game Maker

Others (Visionaire, Microsoft XNA, etc)

Notes:
Games launched after 01/01/2015

Sources:
VGI data, Team Analysis

Final Thoughts

The African game development ecosystem is entering a transitional phase. On one hand, the continent has achieved measurable global presence,

contributed millions of unit sales and demonstrated that African-developed games can succeed internationally. On the other hand, the industry

remains highly concentrated, with South Africa accounting for a significant share of both developers and commercial performance.

African developed games driven by South and Northern domination

Genre segmentation suggests that many studios are gravitating toward familiar or low-barrier genres, even when data indicates stronger median

performance in less crowded categories. This points to an opportunity for strategic genre diversification, particularly in areas where fewer titles

are being produced but the typical game performs better.

The slowdown in releases after the 2023 peak may signal a shift from rapid experimentation toward more focused, higher-quality projects. As the

ecosystem matures, success is likely to depend less on volume and more on distinctiveness, production values, and international positioning.

Pricing and engine trends show that African developers are broadly aligned with global industry practices, suggesting increasing

professionalization and technical maturity. However, the geographic concentration of success highlights the need for stronger support structures

across more countries to ensure that growth is distributed more evenly across the continent.

Looking ahead, the next phase of African game development will likely be shaped by studios that combine global genre appeal with distinctive

cultural identity, while also targeting under-served segments of the market. If current trends continue, the continent has the potential to

transition from an emerging participant to a recognized creative force within the global games industry.

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This report created using only the data from the Video Game Insights.

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Appendix

Definitions and methodology

Glossary

Terms

Definitions

AA/AAA games

Large budget games developed by massive teams and companies. AAA game budgets are typically over $100M to develop

CAGR

Compound annual growth rate

CCU

Concurrent users – active players in-game

FtP

Free to play games

Full Game Revenue

Revenue from the direct sale of a game, excluding any DLC and MTX revenues

IAP

In-app purchases

Indie games

Games developed by independent studios. This covers a large range of studios from 1 person hobby projects to larger studios of a few hundred

employees, but budgets still fall far short of the AAA game levels

MTX

Microtransactions

Unit Sales Estimate

Using diﬀerent estimation methods, including an algorithm based on our internal database of actual sales and the Boxleiter method to get from

Steam review numbers to estimated sales. Detailed overview of the method is highlighted in the section below

Revenue Estimate

Estimated units sold multiplied by the price at the time. This is gross revenue, including the Steam cut, but adjusted for local currencies,

returned products and discounts

More information:

Definitions:
https://sensortower.com/product-video-game-insights

Email:
Support@sensortower.com

Legal Disclaimer

Legal Stuﬀ. We’ll Keep It Brief

Video Game Insights (VGI) is in no way aﬀiliated with Steam or Valve.

All data provided in this report is freely available and can be shared without any restrictions.

All data provided in this report is based on estimates and should be considered as such.

VGI uses third-party suppliers and applications, often internet enabled. VG Insights can therefore not guarantee the accuracy of

all data coming from third parties. This might be due to mis-tagging or mis-reporting of data and VG Insights will adjust and fix

the issues when highlighted to us.

Limitation of liability

VGI hereby declines any and all liability for damage, consequential loss and/or indirect loss owing to the use of VG Insights’ data

and services.

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