Turkish mobile gaming boom fuels hopes for another $1B startup
Google Play Store and Apple App Store icons are seen on phone displays, Portland, U.S., April 21, 2021. (Shutterstock Photo)


Türkiye's mobile game industry is rapidly growing its revenues and attracting increased investment, with three of the country's eight unicorns operating in the sector and another gaming startup emerging as a potential candidate to reach a $1 billion valuation.

The Turkish mobile game sector is making a big impact on the global market, according to research platforms AppMagic and Gamigion.

The industry's growth is also reflected in the Turcorn 100 program, which highlights Turkish companies valued at $1 billion as well as firms with the potential to reach unicorn status.

The impact of artificial intelligence, the widespread adoption of 5G connectivity and the growing number of companies operating in the sector have contributed to the emergence of new brands in Türkiye's mobile game market.

Three of Türkiye’s eight unicorns are mobile game developers: Peak Games, Dream Games and Loom Games.

Since the launch of Dream Games' Royal Match and Royal Kingdom, their combined in-app purchase revenue has surpassed $5.2 billion.

Peak Games' Toy Blast and Toon Blast have generated more than $3.4 billion in revenue, while Match Factory’s revenue has surpassed $432 million.

There are currently 43 unicorn candidates on the list, with Ace Academy, Good Job Games, Hypermonk Games, Loop Games, Mega Fortuna, Motion Blur and UDO Games among those operating in the gaming sector.

Global in-app purchase revenue generated by Turkish mobile game developers rose from $504 million in 2020 to more than $2.76 billion in 2025, an increase of around 450%, while the average annual growth rate reached 42%.

Turkish developers’ share of global in-app purchase revenue also rose from 1% to 5% over the same period.

Türkiye’s domestic mobile game revenue reached $347 million last year, its highest level on record, marking a 6% increase.

The number of downloads, however, fell 4% to 1.8 billion, indicating that games continue to generate the most value from existing players.

Puzzle games accounted for 96.9% of Turkish app developers’ revenues, while strategy games made up 0.9%.

Dream Games recorded the highest in-app purchase revenue last year at $1.7 billion, followed by Peak Games with $619.7 million and Rollic Games with $207 million.

Türkiye’s mobile game sector has attracted a total of $3.6 billion in investment since 2009.

Dream Games’ $2.5 billion investment in 2025 set a sector record, exceeding the total investment the industry had attracted since 2009 before that deal.

Investor interest in the sector has increased significantly since 2020, with companies announcing an average of 24 funding rounds annually.

Excluding Dream Games, the sector attracted $234.03 million in investment last year, 32 times the level recorded in 2020.

The report also assessed which sector could produce Türkiye’s next unicorn, identifying another gaming company as a potential candidate.

Grand Games, founded in January 2024, secured its first $3 million investment the same year.

The studio raised an additional $70 million in May following a $30 million funding round in January 2025, bringing its total funding over the past 16 months to $100 million.

Its total in-app purchase revenue has also quickly surpassed $115 million.