The mobile game studios based in Dubai
Dubai holds 5 of the 9 Emirati mobile studios in this directory, led by Yalla Group at about 850 people. Corporate tax arrived in 2023 at 9% above AED 375,000, qualifying free zone income is still taxed at nothing, and there is no personal income tax at all.
Türkiye refunds half of what a software company or game studio spends on advertising, app store commissions and hosting when it sells to customers abroad, and up to 70% when those customers are in one of twenty target markets. It is paid in cash, against invoices you have already settled. Try it with your own numbers.
01Which game studios are based in Dubai?
Sorted by size, largest first. Tap the Founded or People columns to sort.
| Studio | Founded | People |
|---|---|---|
| Yalla Group LimitedA technology company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, specializing in social networking and… | 2016 | 850 |
| ArtstormA game development studio based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. | 2013 | 83 |
| Babil GamesA prominent mobile games publisher and developer focused on the MENA (Middle East and North Africa)… | 2012 | 71 |
| By AliensA mobile game publisher for independent third-party developers. | 2018 | 52 |
| Starplay GamesOur mobile games company, based in Dubai, UAE, specializes in developing and publishing action-packed mobile games in… | 2021 | 39 |
Headcounts are third-party estimates and companies count staff differently. Apollo company data, exported 20 August 2026
02Why do studios base themselves in Dubai?
What keeps them there
- A 9% corporate rate that only bites above AED 375,000, and nothing at all on qualifying free zone income.
- No personal income tax, which changes what a senior hire costs the company for the same take-home pay.
- Position between Europe, Asia and the MENA market, with the region's largest Arabic-speaking player base nearby.
- Residency that comes with the company, which matters to founders relocating from elsewhere.
| Corporate income tax | 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000Effective for financial years beginning on or after 1 June 2023.source |
|---|---|
| Free zone treatment | 0% on qualifying income of a qualifying free zone person, 9% on income that does not qualifysource |
The Emirates optimise what a company keeps. For a founder taking profit out, the combination of a low corporate rate and no personal income tax is the strongest position in this directory.
They do nothing for what a company spends. A Dubai studio buying installs pays the same media prices as everyone else and gets none of it back. Türkiye is four hours away in a compatible time zone and pays back half to seventy percent of exactly that spend.
What Türkiye would pay back on your spending
Türkiye runs a government programme that refunds part of what a software company or game studio spends on reaching customers abroad. It covers advertising, app store and platform commissions, and hosting. The refund is paid in cash against invoices the company has already settled, so it does not depend on the company making a profit. The standard rate is 50%, and it rises to 70% when the customers being targeted are in one of the twenty countries on the Turkish Ministry of Trade's target list.
Put your own yearly figures in below. The rates and the annual caps come from the same file as our full calculator, and the total updates as you type.
03Questions we get asked
Is free zone status still 0%?
On qualifying income, yes, subject to the conditions for a qualifying free zone person. Income that does not qualify is taxed at 9%.
Is Dubai good for MENA publishing?
It is the obvious base. The regional player base, the payment infrastructure and the Arabic-language talent are all there, which is what built Yalla and Jawaker.
What does Dubai not give you?
Any support for development or for user acquisition. The trade is a low rate on profit rather than help earning it.
Why a consultancy keeps a studio directory
CyberScope Solutions is an Istanbul consultancy that manages Türkiye's IT export incentive claims for software companies and game studios. We track where studios are because the question we are asked most often is who else has done this, and a list is a better answer than an assurance.
- Every figure is sourced. Each number links to the page it came from and carries the date we last checked it.
- We do the filing. Claims run through DYS, the ministry's own system, and we handle the evidence pack, the deadlines and the follow-up questions.
- You find out early if it is not for you. The first call is thirty minutes and we will say plainly if your spend pattern does not suit the programme.
Turn that number into money
Send us the rough shape of your spend. You get back what it is worth, what setting it up involves, and how fast the first claim can go in. Companies already operating here treat this as routine, and the six month window means the clock is running on invoices you have already paid.
- A reply from a person within one working day
- No mailing list, no drip sequence
- Thirty minutes, and you keep the numbers either way
Got it.
We will read it properly and reply within a working day. If you would rather get it over with now, pick a time that suits you.
Book a 30 minute call04Where these numbers come from
- https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/united-arab-emirates/corporate/taxes-on-corporate-income checked 2026-08-20
- Apollo company data, exported 20 August 2026 checked 2026-08-20