A Market Growing Faster Than Expected
Türkiye’s gaming industry has grown into one of the most surprising success stories of the decade. Revenue reached US $2.115 billion in 2024, according to the Turkey Gaming Market report by IMARC Group, which also projects the market to hit US $3.33 billion in 2025. Much of this growth is coming from mobile gaming, now the largest category of player spending.
Even though Türkiye is rarely listed alongside traditional gaming giants like the United States, China, Japan or South Korea, analysts increasingly describe it as an emerging global hub. A review from Calcalist Tech links this rise to strong mobile adoption, a young creative population and studios building titles that travel far beyond local borders.
This momentum is not accidental. It is the result of years of steady iteration, investor confidence and talent clustering in cities like Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir. As more Turkish studios climb international charts, the country has become a market that global investors can no longer ignore.
How Türkiye Became A Mobile Gaming Powerhouse
The moment Türkiye entered the global spotlight was the acquisition of Peak Games for US $1.8 billion, a deal documented in Zynga’s acquisition history. It proved that Turkish studios could build world-class mobile titles and unlocked a wave of confidence for both founders and investors.
Momentum accelerated when Istanbul-based Dream Games released Royal Match. According to revenue data published by Business of Apps, the game generated around US $1.4 billion in 2024 and surpassed 300 million installs globally. Its ascent confirmed that Turkish developers understood puzzle and match-3 mechanics in ways the worldwide market responded to immediately.
Investor interest reached a new peak when Dream Games approached a US $5 billion valuation after a 2025 fundraising round highlighted in the Financial Times. Few European gaming studios reach this scale, let alone ones from emerging markets.
Beyond headline exits, Türkiye’s studio culture shaped its trajectory. Developers became known for building small, high-polish mobile games quickly and iterating aggressively. This created a generation of designers, product leads and UA specialists skilled at global scaling.
Government policy also supported the sector. Export-friendly incentives, tech-focused initiatives and the natural appeal of mobile-first development encouraged new studios to form. With lower production barriers than console or PC games, mobile development matched Türkiye’s fast-moving startup environment.
Today, Istanbul is widely recognised as a mobile gaming cluster, hosting dozens of studios across puzzle, match-3, hyper-casual and social genres. With investors tracking the region closely, Türkiye has become a proving ground for mobile-first innovation.
The Major Hits Driving Türkiye’s Global Momentum
Türkiye’s rise is anchored in a handful of globally successful titles. Dream Games’ Royal Match continues to dominate worldwide charts, with US $1.4 billion in 2024 revenue and more than 300 million installs. For a match-3 game built in Istanbul, competing with industry giants like King and Playrix shows the depth of Turkish talent.
Peak Games remains another foundational name. Its catalogue, including Toy Blast and Toon Blast, laid the groundwork for its US $1.8 billion acquisition by Zynga. That deal injected capital into the ecosystem and validated an entire generation of Turkish designers and growth experts.
Newer studios are joining the momentum. Good Job Games, one of Türkiye’s fastest-growing developers, secured a US $60 million Series A to expand its social and match-3 portfolio. Financing at this level for a Türkiye-based mobile studio signals how much confidence global investors now place in the region.
These successes create a reinforcing cycle. High-performing titles attract more funding. Funding attracts more talent. Talent produces more hits. This loop explains why Türkiye keeps producing global chart-toppers rather than a single lucky breakout.
The New Wave Of Startups Riding The Momentum
The next wave of Turkish studios is raising significant capital and diversifying the genres the country is known for. In May 2025, Alpaka Games closed a US $2.25 million seed round to push deeper into hybrid-action mobile titles. Their ambition is explicitly global.
Another fast-rising studio, Bigger Games, secured US $25 million in funding to scale its catalogue of casual and hybrid-casual titles. This positions them as one of the best-funded game developers in the country.
There is also Fuse Games, which raised US $7 million in seed funding in 2025 to explore genres beyond puzzles and match-3. Their funding was detailed in the Turkish Startup Investments Q2 2025 report by KPMG Türkiye. Fuse represents a shift towards deeper, more narrative-driven development.
These studios are not simply repeating Dream Games’ formula. They are experimenting with new mechanics, hybrid gameplay and global art styles. That evolution reflects a maturing ecosystem rather than a trend built on one genre.
Why It Matters And The Takeaway
Türkiye’s trajectory shows that a global gaming ecosystem can emerge far outside the traditional centres of the United States, China or Japan. Its mobile-first model, rapid iteration culture and strong talent pipeline turned local studios into export giants with titles played across the world.
There is still real opportunity. Türkiye mastered puzzle, match-3 and hyper-casual games, but genres like RPG, strategy, simulation and PC/console development remain mostly open. As more studios raise capital and talent spreads across Istanbul’s gaming clusters, the ecosystem is poised to diversify. Early-stage funding trends support this. A five-year analysis from InvestGame shows 33 early-stage Turkish gaming startups secured funding in 2023, a sign of long-term confidence in the sector.
For global players, Türkiye’s momentum creates space for collaboration, co-development and publishing partnerships. As Turkish studios push into Europe, Asia and the Middle East, demand is rising for localisation, marketing and distribution support.
Türkiye’s gaming sector has reached a stage where its growth is stable, its exports are rising and its studios remain globally competitive. The next phase will depend on how well new entrants fill the gaps left by early leaders. In a market still expanding, there is plenty of space for those willing to build beyond what already works.
