Candy Crush reigns supreme in African gaming charts

The findings, revealed by the Geopoll/Pan Africa Gaming Group survey, showcased Candy Crush's dominance, followed closely by Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) with a 6% share. However, when various football games were combined, they garnered a slightly larger share than PUBG.

Mobile gaming reigns supreme in the African gaming landscape, with over 90% of respondents indicating their preference for gaming on smartphones. Nearly half of the surveyed gamers (45%) reported playing games on their phones for at least 1-2 hours daily. 

The report cited, “Most-playedGames: In response to the open-ended question, “Which game did you play most yesterday?” 265 out of 2,558 respondents (10%) entered “Candy Crush” (another 16 said “Candy Crush Saga”). The popularity of football is evident with frequent mentions of both the genre and specific game titles”

The survey delved into the gaming preferences of respondents, with Candy Crush emerging as the most-played game, closely followed by football-related titles. Respondents cited entertainment, relaxation, and passing time as the primary reasons for gaming.

“The primary reasons why respondents play games are for entertainment and fun (73%), relaxation and stress relief (64%), and to pass the time when they are bored (54%),” the report noted.

Gender disparities in gaming preferences were also highlighted, with puzzle games being favoured by twice as many female respondents compared to males. In contrast, sports and football games were more popular among male gamers.

“The most popular game genres vary dramatically by gender. Twice as many female respondents (54%) than male respondents (27%) select puzzle games as one of their top 3 favorite game genres. While 55% of males prefer sports / football games, only 16% of females say the same,” the report concluded.

Industry experts noted the significant potential for growth in Africa's gaming market, especially with the continent's vibrant youth population and increasing internet accessibility. Cultural relevance emerged as a crucial aspect, with a majority of respondents expressing the importance of games reflecting their cultural identity.

Commenting on the findings, industry leaders emphasized the transformative wave underway in Africa's gaming industry, fueled by improved access to technology and a burgeoning creator economy. With the continent poised for growth and development, the future of gaming in Africa promises exciting opportunities for innovation and expansion.

“With one of the highest smartphone penetration rates on the continent and one of the highest mobile money transaction rates globally, Kenya is a shining example of a true ‘mobile first’ economy. Almost every one of those smartphones has at least one game on it, and we’re excited to see mobile games here becoming a key storytelling tool for preserving and sharing some of the rich cultures from across the country,” said Jay Shapiro, Chairperson of PAGG.

The study was conducted with GeoPoll’s mobile web research platform, which enables link-based surveys accessible via basic mobile phone browsers.