Source- emirates 247.com
Dubai’s gaming economy took centre stage this month as the biggest ever edition of the Dubai Esports and Games Festival (DEF) 2025 provided a city-wide showcase for innovation, talent and investment opportunities. The fourth season of the region’s largest and most exciting esports and gaming festival concluded with resounding success, attracting record-breaking visitor numbers and reaffirming Dubai’s ambition to become a global centre for gaming and digital innovation.
Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), DEF 2025 welcomed more than 45,000 fans, families and professionals across 12 major events over 17 action-packed days, combining family-friendly fun with strategic programmes designed to drive the future of the industry. Impactful moments took centre stage at DEF’s flagship event GameExpo, as well as the GameExpo Summit, Gaming Matters, Dubai Cosplay Championship, Play Beyond and several city-wide tournaments, educational challenges and immersive experiences. The festival proved to be a resounding success, bringing together all elements of the gaming ecosystem – from families, friends and students to developers, creatives and even business leaders – all working together to shape the future of esports, technology and digital innovation.
The festival highlighted the scale and dynamism of the gaming economy in the MENA region, bringing together 3.8 million players in more than 90 tournaments featuring popular titles such as EA FC 25, Yalla Ludo, Tekken 8, Valorant and Fortnite. In total, the festival offered a ground-breaking selection of games with over 130 titles, including more than 10 brand new releases. Bringing the community together like never before, DEF GameExpo’s flagship event united more than 34,800 fans, families and professionals to discover unique gaming experiences during the city’s biggest gaming weekend, with 900 outstanding winners receiving incredible raffles and prizes worth over AED 700,000.
Confirming Dubai’s unique ability to bring together and catalyse the sector as a regional hub for the gaming industry, the festival brought together 2,000 professionals from 70 countries for two high-profile B2B events, while 260 SMEs from the gaming and technology sectors gained access to global platforms, investor networks and public-private collaboration opportunities.
The festival’s commitment to youth engagement reached exciting new heights this year, with the DEF Education Engagement Programme gathering more than 16,000 students and educators from 250 schools across the UAE. The programme featured gaming tournaments, impactful workshops, expert career advice, game truck visits to schools, and a cross curricular calendar of ideas. Over 7,000 students attended the DEF Education Day live at GameExpo, highlighting incredible on-stage gaming skills, powerfully presenting skills in Game Changers, as well as showcasing in the Power Up Parade. Meanwhile 95 workshops and learning sessions delivered hands-on skills, insights, and creative inspiration to fans and students alike.
From hands-on consumer experiences to high-level industry announcements, the festival aligned closely with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai Program for Gaming 2033 to deliver robust economic value and reinforcing Dubai’s role as a global hub for gaming and esports.
The festival’s engagement with youth reached new heights this year with the DEF Education Engagement Programme, which involved more than 16,000 students and educators from 250 schools across the UAE. The programme included gaming tournaments, high-impact workshops, expert career guidance, game truck visits to schools and a cross-curricular calendar of ideas. Over 7,000 students attended DEF Education Day live at GameExpo and showed off incredible gaming skills on stage, showcased their skills in Game Changers and performed in the Power Up Parade. Meanwhile, 95 workshops and learning sessions provided practical skills, insights and creative inspiration for fans and students alike.
From hands-on consumer experiences to high-level industry announcements, the festival was closely aligned with the goals of Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai Programme for Gaming 2033 to create solid economic value and strengthen Dubai’s role as a global hub for gaming and esports.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said: “The record-breaking success of Dubai Esports and Games Festival 2025 is a strong testament to Dubai’s growing influence in the global gaming and esports landscape. We are proud to have once again put together a comprehensive, inclusive and engaging programme that gives everyone the opportunity to pursue their passion, harness their talent and unlock the full potential of the gaming and esports industry. By mobilising the entire ecosystem – from gamers and creators to start-ups, developers, investors and global industry experts – DEF has undoubtedly evolved into a high-impact festival that not only promotes entertainment and innovation, but also creates real economic and strategic value. As we continue to deliver on the objectives of Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai Programme for Gaming 2033, DEF remains critical to building sustainable industries, empowering youth and fostering innovation that aligns with the ambitions of Dubai’s digital economy.”
ULTIMATE PLAYGROUND FOR FAMILIES, FRIENDS AND FANS
DEF GameExpo’s flagship event welcomed more than 34,800 fans, families, casual gamers and esports enthusiasts to Dubai’s biggest ever weekend of endless gaming fun and immersive discovery. Groups from across the city gathered to explore a redesigned space that spanned eight interactive zones including the Modesh Retro Zone, the Emirates NBD Family Zone, The Amazon Joy Quest: The New IRL Zone brought to you by Amazon, The Main Arena, Gaming District, The Narrows and two special talabat F&B zones with over 18 F&B venues. Everyone had the opportunity to see, play and win everything from competitive matches and exciting live challenges on popular gaming titles to all-female matchups, state-of-the-art gaming gear, creative cosplay contests, interactive brand activations and meet-and-greets with gaming legends throughout the weekend.
For the first time, GameExpo has teamed up with TikTok MENA to provide fans in the region with front-row digital access. To help viewers at home or on the go stay connected to the action, all key tournament moments and gameplay highlights from popular titles such as Valorant, Fortnite, Minecraft, Tekken 8, Fall Guys, Chained Together and FC25 were streamed live.
CREATOR COMPETITIONS AND COMMUNITY HYPE
GameExpo’s Play Beyond pulsated with excitement as some of the biggest names in regional gaming lit up the arena. Fan favourite AboFlah returned to join Sultan Khalifa and two lucky fans in a thrilling showdown against top-tier talent from Nasr Esports Academy and popular developers such as 6th_kage, Khaled Dego, Sonson.Platinum and AWYA. The epic gaming battles kept spectators on the edge of their seats, with Nasr Esports Academy ultimately coming out on top and lifting the coveted Play Beyond trophy to cement their status as champions.
COSPLAY COMES TO LIFE
Living characters took centre stage at the Dubai Cosplay Championship, where outstanding talent from across the region competed for a share of AED 30,000 in prize money. Participants impressed with their creativity and craftsmanship, which was judged by a panel of high calibre judges including @sabcosplay, @mingmihoo, @vegacosplay and @sayochuu. The event was a dynamic celebration of artistic expression and fan culture. Winners included Evgenii Aleksandrov who took first place in the solo category, Ahmed Serag who was awarded for best craft, Sofiane Touchene who was honoured for best show, and Rana and Fatima Al Yousif who took first place in the group category – all celebrated for their incredible creativity, craft and audience appeal.
HIGH-CALIBRE ESPORTS COMPETITIONS
At DEF 2025, more than 3.8 million players took part in exciting regional and local tournaments, reflecting the festival’s growing influence on the gaming community. Outstanding tournaments such as the Yalla Ludo Challenge, the high-energy Red Bull Matchups, the True Gamers Tournament and the Bloom World Academy Minecraft Family Challenge attracted large crowds and provided fierce competition with exciting finals. A proud moment for the country was the regional FC25 Dubai Cup in partnership with PlayStation, which crowned a winner from the United Arab Emirates who emerged victorious after intense knockout rounds with 31,000 participants from across the Gulf Cooperation Council.
One of the highlights of the weekend was an electrifying all-female Valorant Faceoff supported by Benefit. Top female esports athletes from the University of Wollongong and Princess Noura University competed in a high-intensity match, captivating the audience with clever strategy, fearless gameplay and undeniable passion.
GLOBAL VISIONARIES AND INDUSTRY LEADERS
On 7 and 8 May, more than 1,700 professionals from 70 countries gathered at GameExpo Summit to explore the future of the games industry, with impactful keynotes and in-depth panels on investment, talent development and Web3. Over two packed days, more than 75 speakers delivered insightful sessions across nine topics covering AI, Web3, user acquisition, monetisation and more. More than 2,000 structured meetings complemented the numerous impromptu networking and strategy sessions. A key innovation was the Investment Summit, which explored opportunities in Dubai and other emerging markets, highlighting the growing attractiveness of the MENA region in the global games investment landscape.
Promoting creativity, entrepreneurship and emerging talent, the Summit provided a high-calibre platform for rising stars in game development. The inaugural PitchPlay competition, co-hosted with the DMCC Gaming Centre, saw over 50 game start-ups present innovative concepts, with Filiokus by Martin Lothe Saeterdal ultimately winning the AED 55,000 top prize. Indie developers were also in the spotlight, with the return of the Very Big Indie Pitch competition crowning outstanding titles for console, PC and mobile platforms – including Fideo’s Adventure by Nomadroid, Mad King Redemption by Secret Mission and Azooma Escape by Ash Games Studio. The Big Indie Zone, supported by ID@Xbox, showcased the vibrant world of independent game development, with Merge Empress by Tiny Kraken Games winning the Audience Choice Award. The summit also saw the highly anticipated MENA Games Industry Awards 2025, which recognised excellence in regional games development across 13 extensive categories – the full results are available on Pocket Gamer’s website.
Continuing its series of industry events, the exclusive Gaming Matters conference brought together more than 400 global senior executives, business leaders and the most influential figures in the global gaming industry to share, discuss and innovate for success in the fast-growing MENA gaming market. The high-level event, hosted in partnership with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and DMCC Gaming Centre, provided an intimate platform for strategic discussions to explore the future of gaming, esports and Web3.
EXCLUSIVE OFFERS
DEF also delighted retailers in Dubai with exclusive promotions and limited time offers across more than 2,500 shops and over 240 leading brands. Shoppers were able to enjoy exceptional savings on gaming equipment, electronics, toys and lifestyle products at popular retailers such as Beefurb Technologies, Borders, E City, Eros, Harman House, LEGO, Sharaf DG, Samsung, Virgin Megastore, Blossom Home Furniture, Carrefour and many more. Participating malls include BurJuman, City Centre Deira, City Centre Me’aisem, City Centre Mirdif, Dubai Festival City Mall, Dubai Hills Mall, Dubai Outlet Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, Mercato, Nakheel Mall, Times Square Center and others. At Mall of the Emirates, customers who spent AED 500 or more on electronics received 15X SHARE points and had the opportunity to win instant prizes through an interactive gaming experience.
To enhance the experience for out-of-town visitors, GameExpo, GameExpo Summit and Gaming Matters attendees received an exclusive 25 per cent discount at selected Rove Hotels in Dubai, offering convenient and affordable accommodation just moments away from the festival action.
The DEF continues to grow and is a strong testament to Dubai’s commitment to shaping the future of esports and gaming, not only as an entertainment hub, but also as a key driver of education, business and economic development.
