Game Development Outsourcing in Saudi Arabia
6 verified game outsourcing studios are listed in Saudi Arabia, most often offering 3D Art (5), Game Design (5) and Programming (5). Compare portfolios, services, and engine coverage before you reach out.
Working-hour overlap with Saudi Arabia
Assuming a 09:00-18:00 working day on both sides. Ranges reflect daylight saving, which the two sides do not always shift on the same dates.
One to two hours at the start of the American day: 16:00-18:00 in Riyadh is 09:00-11:00 ET in US summer, and closer to one hour in winter.
Seven to eight hours, close to a shared workday. Riyadh runs one to two hours ahead of CET and does not observe daylight saving.
Why this matters more than the hourly rate: how overlap hours decide the pace of a project.
What the Saudi Arabia outsourcing market actually looks like
Saudi Arabia is the newest cohort in this directory by a clear margin, with a median founding year of 2020. Its 6 listed studios have an even service spread: programming, game design, and 3D art each appear on five of six profiles. That pattern describes teams built to deliver whole projects rather than single disciplines, which is what you would expect from a market assembled recently and deliberately.
Two scheduling facts matter more here than almost anywhere else in this directory. First, overlap. Riyadh gives you seven to eight hours with Western Europe, close to a shared workday, and only one to two hours with US Eastern at the start of the American morning. Second, the working week runs Sunday to Thursday. A Monday-to-Friday client loses every Friday and gains nothing on Sunday unless someone on your side covers it, which is roughly a day a week of lost contact if you do not plan for it.
The honest caveat is track record. A cohort with a 2020 median founding year has not had time to accumulate shipped credits. Ask what each team has actually delivered and for which client, and weight recent verifiable work more heavily than stated capability.
Where Saudi Arabia is strong
- An even service spread: programming, game design, and 3D art each appear on 5 of 6 profiles. That pattern describes teams built to deliver whole projects rather than single disciplines.
- Close to a shared workday with Western Europe, which is unusual for a market outside Europe.
- The newest cohort in the directory (median founding year 2020), so these are teams built around current tooling and pipelines rather than legacy ones.
What to watch for
- The working week runs Sunday to Thursday. A Monday-to-Friday client loses Friday contact and gains nothing on Sunday unless someone covers it.
- A 2020 median founding year means shipped-title histories are short. Weight recent, verifiable credits over stated capability.
- Six studios listed. Very limited choice before you filter for fit.
- One to two hours of overlap with US Eastern, at the very start of the American day.
Editorial assessment written from the directory data. The counts in the breakdown below are recomputed on every page load.
What Saudi Arabia studios offer
Counted across all 6 listed Saudi Arabia studios. A studio can appear in more than one row.
Why Middle East?
Typical rates in Saudi Arabia
Competitive, lower-to-middle of market rates
Studios in Saudi Arabia are known for solid quality at competitive rates, usually the lower-to-middle of the published ranges. Entry-level 2D art commonly runs $25-40/hour and mid-range programming around $60-120/hour, while senior specialists still reach the top bands for demanding work. Across the market, hourly rates run roughly $25-150 for 2D art, $30-200 for 3D art, $35-250 for programming, and $30-200 for audio, moving up with seniority. Saudi Arabia is a common middle ground: cheaper than North America or Western Europe, with a stronger game-dev tradition and easier collaboration than the lowest-cost markets. English proficiency and cultural alignment with Western clients are generally good.
These are general market ranges, not quoted studio rates. For a full breakdown by service and seniority, see the game outsourcing cost guide. Need a specific engine? Compare Unity and Unreal Engine studios.
All 6 game outsourcing studios in Saudi Arabia
## About Lobah Lobah is a Saudi Arabian game developer and publisher based in Riyadh, formed by combining 20+ years of mobile social gaming experience in the Middle East with MAU Games' award-winning 14-year expertise. They focus on culturally-relevant games for the MENA region. ## Company History - **Location:** Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - **Founded by:** Eisa Atawi (CEO, formerly MAU Games founder) - **Background:** Combined expertise of 20+ years MENA mobile gaming - **Funding:** $12M from Social Development Bank (March 2025) ## Platform ### Lobah Play - Game publishing platform (launched January 2025) - Networking and monetization tools - Ad-free by default - Developer support ecosystem ## Games ### Released - **Habhab** - Casual fruit-merge game ### In Development - **Kingdom of Letters** - Word game - **Jackaroo** - Card/board game - **Faza** - Battle royale set in Arabian Peninsula ## Mission Create games that encourage creativity, competition, and connection for players in the MENA region. Demonstrate Saudi Arabia's ability to be a global gaming hub while fostering the local ecosystem. ## Saudi Gaming Strategy Part of Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and Esports Strategy, supported by the Social Development Bank's expanded gaming sector initiative. ## Why Choose Lobah - **$12M funded** expansion capital - **MENA expertise** 20+ years regional experience - **Lobah Play** publishing platform - **Cultural games** Arabic market focus - **Saudi gaming hub** ecosystem leader
## About Steer Studios Steer Studios (formerly Savvy Games Studios) is an international game development studio headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Part of Savvy Games Group (backed by Saudi PIF), they aim to create the first blockbuster video game from the Arab world with 50+ staff, 30% women. ## Company Overview - **Headquarters:** Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - **Parent:** Savvy Games Group - **Owner:** Saudi Public Investment Fund - **CEO:** Yannick Theler - **Team:** 50+ staff (50%+ Saudi, 30% women) ## Mission Create groundbreaking gaming experiences for global players and develop a new generation of Saudi talent, aligned with Vision 2030 goals for the gaming industry. ## Games ### Grunt Rush - Mobile strategy game - One year development cycle - 20-person team - 50% Saudi developers ### Upcoming - Console project in development ## Investment Context Savvy Games Group plans to invest 142 billion riyals ($38B) to transform Saudi Arabia into a global gaming hub. ## Strategic Rebrand Rebranded from Savvy Games Studios to Steer Studios to carve a unique identity within the gaming landscape. ## Why Choose Steer Studios - **Saudi Vision 2030** aligned mission - **Savvy Games Group** $38B backing - **50% Saudi** talent development - **30% women** diverse team - **First Arab blockbuster** ambitious goal
## About Sandsoft Sandsoft Games was a mobile-first game developer, publisher, and investor based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2020 as the gaming arm of Ajlan & Bros Holding, they had offices in Spain, Finland, and China, aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. ## Company Overview - **Founded:** 2020 - **Headquarters:** Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - **Parent:** Ajlan & Bros Holding - **Offices:** Spain, Finland, China - **Status:** Closed (2025) ## Mission Aligned with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 for socio-economic diversification by growing the regional video game industry. ## Key Partnerships ### NetEase Games - Stellar Gate Games joint venture (2024) - MENA region publishing - Live operations and esports ### The Sandbox - Metaverse expansion to Saudi Arabia - Partnership for Web3 gaming ### Investments - $3.25M in The Tiny Digital Factory - Mobile racing and motorsport games ## Team Background Professionals from: - FIFA franchise - Candy Crush - Need for Speed - Angry Birds - World of Tanks ## Note Sandsoft closed in late 2025 after its owners decided to shut down operations following layoffs. ## Why Sandsoft Mattered - **Saudi Vision 2030** gaming initiative - **NetEase partnership** MENA expansion - **Major talent** FIFA, Candy Crush alumni - **MENA-focused** regional publishing - **Mobile-first** development approach
## About UMX Studio UMX Studio is the leading Saudi Arabian game developer founded in 2014 in Riyadh. Creators of the first Arabic drifting game, they've achieved 100M+ downloads and 2.7M monthly active users. In 2025, they received major investment from Jetapult. ## Company Overview - **Founded:** 2014 - **Location:** Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - **Downloads:** 100M+ - **MAU:** 2.7M worldwide - **Focus:** Arabic mobile games ## History Started in 2014 with Climbing Sand Dunes, the first Arabic drifting game featuring open desert maps. Has grown to become the leading Saudi game studio over 11 years. ## Notable Games ### Climbing Sand Dunes - First Arabic drifting game - Open desert maps - Launched 2014 ### Other Titles - Various mobile games - Arabic-first development - Global audience reach ## Funding In 2025, received a major investment from Jetapult, with support from Accel and other key partners, to expand game development and enhance technical capabilities. ## Market Position Leading Saudi studio contributing to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 goals for gaming industry development. ## Why UMX Studio Matters - **100M+ downloads** massive reach - **First Arabic drifting** genre pioneer - **Saudi Arabia's leading** game studio - **Jetapult investment** 2025 backing - **2.7M MAU** engaged player base
## About Semaphore Semaphore is Saudi Arabia's first game development studio, founded in 2002 in Riyadh. They develop games, simulations, and virtual reality applications in both Arabic and English, including Unearthed: Trail of Ibn Battuta and Badiya. ## Company Overview - **Founded:** 2002 - **Location:** Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - **Focus:** Games, VR, simulation - **Languages:** Arabic and English ## Notable Games ### Unearthed: Trail of Ibn Battuta - Episodic action-adventure - Released 2013-2014 - PS3, PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Ouya ### Badiya - Infinite procedural survival - Desert exploration setting ### Other Projects - Badiya: Battle Royale - Out of Coverage - Misk Schools Quest - vMakkah (simulation) - vGallery, vMuseum ## Recognition - E3 2016 PC Gaming Show feature - Sony PlayStation PSN Store - Apple Editors Choice - True-Gaming Award: Best Arab Game ## Why Choose Semaphore - **Saudi Arabia's first** game studio since 2002 - **Arabic + English** bilingual development - **E3 featured** global recognition - **VR/simulation** diverse capabilities - **Regional pioneer** MENA gaming
## About Nine66 Nine66 is a Saudi Arabian gaming ecosystem support company, part of Savvy Games Group. They provide infrastructure, skills development, publishing, and advisory services to game developers in Saudi Arabia and internationally. ## Company Overview - **Location:** Saudi Arabia - **Parent:** Savvy Games Group - **Focus:** Gaming ecosystem development - **Region:** Saudi Arabia and MENA ## Services ### Developer Support - Infrastructure access - Capital and funding - Publishing services - Advisory services ### Programs - Incubator programs - Accelerator programs - Nine66 Hub (upskilling/networking) - University GameDev League ### Community - Nine66World monthly gatherings - Online MENA GameDev community - Training and events - Virtual and physical communities ## Key Initiatives - University GameDev League (global student competition) - Resident Mentor programs - Local dev empowerment - Industry mindset training ## Market Context Saudi Arabia: - 80%+ of 36M population are gamers - National Gaming and Esports Strategy - Growing regional gaming hub ## Notable Partnerships - WEMADE (South Korean developer) - MoU for Saudi gaming development ## Why Choose Nine66 - **Savvy Games Group** backing - **Saudi gaming hub** ecosystem - **Incubator/accelerator** programs - **MENA community** Nine66World - **Publishing** support for devs
FAQ: game outsourcing in Saudi Arabia
We list 6 verified game development outsourcing studios in Saudi Arabia. The most common services across them are 3D Art (5), Game Design (5) and Programming (5). On engines, Unity (4) and Unreal Engine (3). The count updates as studios join the directory.
With US Eastern: One to two hours at the start of the American day: 16:00-18:00 in Riyadh is 09:00-11:00 ET in US summer, and closer to one hour in winter. With Western Europe: Seven to eight hours, close to a shared workday. Riyadh runs one to two hours ahead of CET and does not observe daylight saving. Both assume a 09:00-18:00 working day on each side.
Across the 6 Saudi Arabia studios listed here, the most common services are 3D Art (5), Game Design (5) and Programming (5). The platforms they cover most often are Android (4), iOS (4) and PC (4). An even service spread: programming, game design, and 3D art each appear on 5 of 6 profiles. That pattern describes teams built to deliver whole projects rather than single disciplines.
We do not publish per-country rates, because we do not have reliable rate data for individual studios. As a general market reference, hourly rates run roughly $25-150 for 2D art, $30-200 for 3D art and $35-250 for programming, moving up with seniority. Ask two or three Saudi Arabia studios to quote against the same written brief; that comparison is far more useful than a country average.
Keep looking
- Widen the search to every Middle East studio in the directory.
- Filter the directory to Saudi Arabia studios with services, engines and platforms.
- See only Saudi Arabia studios offering 3d art, the most common service here.
- Work out a budget with the game outsourcing cost guide.
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