Dubai Esports and Games Festival 2025 Concludes with Record-Breaking Success to Solidify Dubai’s Global Position in Gaming, Tech, and Innovation
Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), DEF 2025 welcomed more than 45,000 fans, families, and pros across 12 major events spanning 17 action-packed days, combining family-friendly fun with strategic programming designed to fuel the future of the sector. High-impact moments took centre-stage across DEF’s flagship GameExpo event, as well as the GameExpo Summit, Gaming Matters, Dubai Cosplay Championship, Play Beyond, and several citywide tournaments, education challenges, and immersive experiences. The festival proved to be a resounding success in bringing together every element of the gaming ecosystem - from families, friends, and students to developers, creators, and even business leaders - all shaping the future of esports, technology, and digital innovation together.
Underscoring the scale and momentum of the MENA gaming economy, the festival brought together 3.8 million gamers across more than 90 tournaments on crowd-favourite titles like EA FC 25, Yalla Ludo, Tekken 8, Valorant, and Fortnite. Overall, the festival delivered a blockbuster line-up of games, showcasing over 130 titles, including more than 10 brand-new releases. Bringing the community together like never before, DEF’s flagship GameExpo event united more than 34,800 fans, families, and pros to discover one-of-a-kind gaming experiences during the city’s biggest-ever gaming weekend, where 900 standout winners walked away with incredible raffles and prizes worth over AED 700,000.
Reaffirming Dubai’s unique ability to convene and catalyse the sector as a regional hub for the gaming industry, the festival also convened 2,000 professionals from 70 countries in two high-profile B2B events, while spotlighting 260 SMEs from the gaming and tech sectors with 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, powerful presenting skills in Game Changers, as well 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.
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 powerful testament to Dubai’s growing influence in the global gaming and esports landscape. We are proud to have once again curated an immersive, inclusive, and engaging programme that brought endless opportunities for everyone to pursue their passion, harness their talent, and realise the full potential of the gaming and esports industry. By mobilising the entire ecosystem - from gamers and creators to startups, developers, investors, and global industry experts - DEF has undoubtedly evolved into a high-impact festival that not only champions entertainment and innovation but also delivers real economic and strategic value. As we continue to deliver on the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai Program for Gaming 2033, DEF remains critical to building future-ready industries, empowering youth, and driving innovation that aligns with Dubai’s digital economy ambitions.”
ULTIMATE GAMING PLAYGROUND FOR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND FANS
DEF’s flagship GameExpo event welcomed more than 34,800 fans, families, casual gamers, and esports enthusiasts for Dubai’s biggest-ever weekend of endless gaming, immersive fun, and enthralling discovery. Squads from across the city rallied together to explore a reimagined space spread across eight interactive zones, including the Modesh Retro Zone, 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 dedicated talabat F&B Zones that featured over 18 F&B outlets. Everyone had the chance to witness, play, and win all weekend across everything from competitive faceoffs and thrilling live challenges on crowd-favourite gaming titles to all-female matchups, cutting-edge gaming gear, creative cosplay competitions, interactive brand activations, and meet-ups with gaming legends.
For the first time, GameExpo partnered with TikTok MENA to deliver front-row digital access to fans across the region. Allowing audiences to stay connected to the excitement, whether at home or on the go, all key tournament moments and gameplay highlights were live streamed from popular titles including Valorant, Fortnite, Minecraft, Tekken 8, Fall Guys, Chained Together, and FC25.
Underscoring the festival’s value as a platform for brand engagement and market expansion, a dynamic mix of 775 brands elevated the festival’s excitement to new heights. From tech and lifestyle to beauty and banking, participating brands included Red Bull, Bitget X SWEAT, AI Vista Photobooth, Anigma, Antifreeze - Immersionica, Arab Hardware, ASUS ROG, Benefit, du, Dubai Police, Emirates NBD, Geekay, Gillette, LG, Nasr Esports Academy, PlayStation, Rove Hotels, PubG Mobile, The Vintage Company, Ultra PC Gamers, Virgin Radio, and more. Attendees also enjoyed giveaways of exclusive Modesh merchandise and had a chance to meet the much-loved character during special appearances all weekend.
CREATOR FACE-OFFS AND COMMUNITY HYPE
GameExpo’s Play Beyond pulsed with excitement as some of the biggest names in regional gaming lit up the arena. Fan-favourite AboFlah made a highly anticipated return, teaming up with Sultan Khalifa and two lucky fans in a thrilling showdown against top-tier talent from Nasr Esports Academy and popular creators including 6th_kage, Khaled Dego, Sonson.Platinum, and AWYA. The epic gaming battles kept crowds on their feet, with the Nasr Esports Academy ultimately seizing victory and lifting the coveted Play Beyond trophy, cementing their status as champions.
COSPLAY COMES ALIVE
Vibrant characters stole the spotlight during the Dubai Cosplay Championship, where standout talent from across the region competed for a share of the AED 30,000 prize pool. Participants impressed with their creativity and craftsmanship, judged by a distinguished panel including @sabcosplay, @mingmihoo, @vegacosplay, and @sayochuu. The event served as a dynamic celebration of artistic expression and fan culture. Winners included Evgenii Aleksandrov, who claimed first spot in the solo category; Ahmed Serag, recognised for Best Craft; Sofiane Touchene, awarded for Best Show; and Rana and Fatima Al Yousif who earned top honours in the group segment - all celebrated for their incredible creativity, craftsmanship, and crowd appeal.
HIGH-STAKES ESPORTS COMPETITIONS
DEF 2025 saw more than 3.8 million players take part in thrilling regional and local tournaments, reflecting the festival’s growing influence across the gaming community. Standout tournaments such as the Yalla Ludo Challenge, high-energy Red Bull matchups, True Gamers Tournament, and Bloom World Academy Minecraft Family Challenge drew large crowds and fierce competition with pulse-pounding finals. In a proud moment for the country, the regional FC25 Dubai Cup in partnership with PlayStation crowned a winner from the UAE who emerged victorious after intense knockout rounds with a staggering 31,000 participants from across the GCC.
One of the weekend’s most empowering and inclusive highlights was an electrifying all-female Valorant faceoff, supported by Benefit. Top female esports athletes from the University of Wollongong and Princess Noura University went head-to-head in a high-intensity match, captivating the crowd with sharp strategies, fearless gameplay, and undeniable passion.
GLOBAL VISIONARIES AND INDUSTRY POWERHOUSES
Welcoming gaming industry professionals to power up their knowledge, the GameExpo Summit on May 7 and 8 gathered more than 1,700 professionals from 70 countries to explore the future of gaming, with powerful keynotes and deep-dive panels spanning investment, talent development, and Web3. Over two packed days, more than 75 speakers delivered insight-rich sessions across nine themed tracks, covering AI, Web3, user acquisition, monetisation, and beyond. Meanwhile, over 2,000 structured meetings complemented a flurry of spontaneous networking and strategic discussions. A key new addition was the Investment Summit, which explored opportunities in Dubai and wider emerging markets, highlighting the MENA region’s rising appeal in the global games investment landscape.
Championing creativity, entrepreneurship, and emerging talent, the Summit provided a high-impact platform for rising stars in game development. The inaugural PitchPlay competition, held with DMCC Gaming Centre, saw over 50 gaming start-ups pitch innovative concepts, with Filiokus by Martin Lothe Saeterdal ultimately taking home the AED 55,000 grand prize. Indie developers were also in the spotlight, with the return of the Very Big Indie Pitch competition crowning standout titles across console, PC, and mobile platforms - including Fideo's Adventure by Nomadroid, Mad King Redemption by Secret Mission, and Azooma Escape by Ash Games Studio. Meanwhile, the Big Indie Zone, supported by ID@Xbox, showcased the vibrant world of independent game development, culminating in Merge Empress by Tiny Kraken Games winning the Audience Choice Award. The summit also hosted the return of the highly awaited MENA Games Industry Awards 2025, which celebrated excellence in regional game development across 13 extensive categories - with full results available on the Pocket Gamer website.
Continuing its line-up of industry events, the exclusive Gaming Matters conference brought together over 400 global C-suite executives, business leaders, and the most influential figures in the global gaming industry to connect, discuss, and innovate for success in today’s rapidly growing MENA gaming market. Hosted in partnership with Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and co-hosted by the DMCC Gaming Centre, the high-level event provided an intimate platform for strategic discussions to explore the future of gaming, esports, and Web3.
FUTURE-READY LEARNING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF GAMERS
Beyond immediate gameplay, DEF championed the intersection of gaming, education, and innovation by expanding its impact to foster future-ready skills, digital literacy, and career awareness. The DEF Educational Engagement Programme reached over 16,500 students and educators from 250 schools across the UAE, helping them explore future-focused skills and career pathways. Competing for a prize pool of AED 50,000, students had the chance to tackle dynamic challenges such as the ENBD Fortnite Quest, the Minecraft Education Challenge, the GameOn with HP Gaming Garage hackathon, and the Game Changers Competition. The first-ever Game Quest Express mobile gaming truck toured registered schools across Dubai to bring high-tech interactive console, VR, and PC gaming experiences for students. Teachers utilised the DEF Level Up Calendar featuring cross-curricular ideas and links to inspire gaming and esports as viable career pathways, while hosting the Power Up Parade for students to dress up as their favourite gaming characters. Finally, a dedicated DEF Education Day brought together students to GameExpo from across the UAE in a vibrant showcase of talent, creativity, and innovation. The day also spotlighted future-focused learning through expert-led workshops by Microsoft and Unreal Engine; immersive experiences including The Amazon Joy Quest and Just Dance; as well as access to thousands of retro and modern games.
EXCLUSIVE DEALS
DEF excitement extended into Dubai’s retail sector with exclusive promotions and limited-time deals spanning across more than 2,500 outlets and over 240 leading brands. Shoppers enjoyed exceptional savings on gaming gear, 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 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, amongst others. At Mall of the Emirates, customers spending AED 500 or more on electronics received 15X SHARE points and had the opportunity to win instant prizes through an interactive gaming experience.
To elevate the experience for out-of-town visitors, attendees of GameExpo, GameExpo Summit, and Gaming Matters enjoyed an exclusive 25 per cent discount at select Rove Hotels across Dubai, offering convenient and affordable stays just moments away from all the festival action.
As DEF continues to grow, it stands as a powerful testament to Dubai’s commitment to shaping the future of esports and gaming, not only as an entertainment powerhouse, but as a vital engine for education, business, and economic development.
Dubai Esports and Games Festival (DEF) 2025 was supported by Strategic Partners which include: Amazon, du, Dubai Police, Dubai Sports Council, Emirates NBD, Red Bull, Rove, Roxy Cinemas, talabat, and Virgin Radio.
To catch the highlights of this year’s edition, please visit the DEF 2025 website and follow @DubaiFestivals on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
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