E-sports is hugely big in Saudi Arabia, and it's one of the fastest-growing hubs in the global gaming industry, given the massive engagement, global event hosting, advanced infrastructure, and huge financial backing. The new ecosystem is robust, inclusive, and increasingly professional.

Key Highlights

Massive investment and strategic vision

• Under Vision 2030 and its National Gaming & Esports Strategy, Saudi aims to contribute around US $13.3 billion to its GDP from gaming by 2030 and create nearly 39,000 jobs.
• The government and private actors have poured billions into esports infrastructure and talent, reports mention around $1.3 billion invested in 2022 alone.

Major international events

• The inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh awarded over $62.5 million across 23 competitions, at the time, the largest esports prize pool ever.
• Saudi Arabia is also hosting the first Olympic Esports Games in 2027 in Riyadh, under a 12-year agreement with the IOC.

Home-grown ecosystem & local talent

• The Saudi Esports Federation actively organises a league system including Saudi eLeague, Women’s League, and more supported by world-class arenas like the SEF Arena.
• Domestic teams such as Team Falcons compete professionally across games like Dota, CS2, Valorant, and even FIFA, and even attracted international talents.

Broad cultural adoption

• About 67% of Saudi gamers are aware of esports, and 57% view it as a legitimate sport.
• Tournaments often draw live crowds, with 68% of Saudi gamers attending in-person events, and 60% wanting to compete.
• The demographic is youthful and digitally engaged: 70% of youth play video games, with 23.5 million gaming enthusiasts in the country.

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