Google Play, Google’s digital marketplace for Android apps, has launched a $1 million equity-free fund for independent game studios across 32 African countries to help game developers grow their businesses and reach more players globally.
The Indie Games Fund will award between $50,000 and $200,000 in capital to each of the 10 selected studios, alongside technical support and mentorship from industry experts. Applications are open until July 31, and the selected studios will be announced in September.
Africa’s gaming industry continues to grow despite limited access to funding. According to the 2025 African Game Industry Report, the continent is home to about 250 game studios. Still, only 3% have ever received government funding, and 33.3% of game developers have participated in accelerators or support programmes.
While the African gaming market size is estimated at $2.29 billion, many African studios still struggle to secure the capital needed to scale, highlighting a gap between the market’s commercial potential and the financing available to developers.
“Bringing this fund to the continent underscores our commitment to unlocking the immense talent of local studios, providing the resources needed to scale businesses, refine creative visions, and share uniquely African stories with a global audience,” said Ben McOwen Wilson, managing director, Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Google Play.
Google said the selected studios will also receive hands-on mentorship from industry experts and technical support to optimise their games, strengthen their development frameworks, and improve discoverability on Google Play.
Applications are open on Google’s Indie Games Fund portal to privately owned game studios with 50 or fewer employees registered in one of the 32 eligible African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Studios applying must also have already launched a mobile, PC, or console game, commit to publishing their game on Google Play, and participate in the Google Play Pass programme on a non-exclusive basis for two years.
Large funding rounds remain a rarity in Africa’s gaming industry, as evidenced by the $27 million raise by South African gaming company Carry1st in 2023. While Google Play’s fund will support only 10 studios, it could help bridge that gap by providing developers with the capital and credibility needed to secure larger investments.
True scale demands moving beyond surface-level integrations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the noise out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections between startup founders, global financial operators, enterprise leaders and individuals rewiring Africa’s technical frameworks. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a limited time.
