Dubai Gamescom 2026 marked the Dubai Films and Games Commission’s biggest pavilion yet, with more than 10 game projects on display and a new Xsolla accelerator due to launch in October.
The Dubai delegation used Gamescom in Cologne to put studios, publishers and investors in the same room, with a live stage for panels and fireside chats. The event ran from 26 to 30 August, with trade and media days at the start of the week.
Dubai Gamescom 2026 adds an Xsolla accelerator
The DFGC announced an accelerator partnership with Xsolla that will launch in October 2026. Dubai will also become home to only the second permanent Xsolla Club in the world, giving local, regional and international developers direct access to the company’s team.
The programme follows a strategic partnership announced in May. That agreement set out plans for a joint studio accelerator, games-market research and routes for developers and industry leaders to connect through the organisations’ global networks. Dubai’s Media Office outlined the original agreement, while PocketGamer.biz reported the October launch and Xsolla Club plans.
What Dubai is building around gaming
Dubai says 495 gaming companies now operate in the emirate, up 34.5% from 2024. The figure covers companies operating in Dubai, rather than only home-grown UAE studios.
The Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 aims to place the emirate among the world’s top 10 gaming destinations. Its targets include around 30,000 jobs and close to USD 1 billion in annual revenue by 2033. The Good Game Club podcast is also relocating to Dubai.
The Gamescom pavilion featured Thera Interactive, Dark Emerald, Old Chair Games, Exscape, Playgama, Yalla Group and Foxrito Studios, with projects spanning MMO, platformer, city-builder, mobile and horror games. Playgama also marked 350 million gaming sessions on YouTube Playables during the event.
Dubai’s Gamescom showing follows other gaming announcements covered by tbreak, including the wider Gamescom Opening Night Live announcements and Final Fantasy 7 Revelation’s Gamescom trailer.
“There is a tendency among some people to view gaming purely from an entertainment lens, but we count it among society’s most powerful creative forays. Innovatively built games can impart knowledge, connect people who would never otherwise meet, and build real careers.”
Faisal Kazim, Games Commissioner at the Dubai Films and Games Commission
The new accelerator gives Dubai’s pitch a practical next step: developers will have a local route into Xsolla’s commercial and publishing network, rather than another panel about the future of games.
When does the Dubai-Xsolla accelerator launch?
The new Dubai-Xsolla accelerator is scheduled to launch in October 2026.
How many gaming companies operate in Dubai?
The Dubai Films and Games Commission says 495 gaming companies operate in Dubai in 2026, up 34.5% from 2024.
