How Istanbul Became the New Capital of Mobile Gaming – And Where It’s Headed Next

Written by Michail Katkoff , founder of Deconstructor of Fun, a games industry veteran of 15 years, who's no stranger to hammams, pide and late-night kebabs around Taksim. Türkiye has rapidly established itself as one of the world's most dynamic mobile gaming hubs. With a strong talent pool, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a track record of success, the country is now the second-largest gaming hub in EMEA after the UK .

And it continues to draw venture capital investments as other ecosystems face capital droughts. Today, Istanbul holds the undisputed crown of the world's mobile gaming capital. It has been my privilege to host the annual tentpole event in the city with Google since 2022.

The Turkish gaming community has given me unforgettable memories and great friendships. Watch the 2024 talks here . Today, Türkiye is more than just a hotbed for gaming startups—it’s a fully developed ecosystem with multiple layers of talent, investment, and repeat founders.

But what about tomorrow? While the headlines focus on billion-dollar exits and a new generation of gaming startups, it’s worth asking: Is this momentum sustainable, or is the industry facing unspoken challenges? The Past: How Türkiye Became a Gaming Powerhouse The Turkish gaming market evolved from web-based card and board games in the early 2000s to mobile-first powerhouses in the 2010s.

8 billion acquisition in 2020. Gram Games’ $250 million Zynga deal reinforced the idea that Turkish studios weren’t just successful—they were acquisition targets. This led to an investment boom in 2021-2022, with Dream Games emerging as the fastest Turkish unicorn , proving that Turkish studios could go beyond hyper-casual into puzzle dominance.

Now, Dream’s valuation could push toward $5 billion, showing that the company has truly cracked long-term engagement with exceptional gameplay experience. The next question is can the company expand from one mega-hit to two or more. The Turkish gaming industry has continued to attract capital at a record-setting pace.

Source: Invest in Türkiye The Present: A Thriving and Ultra-Competitive Landscape As of March 5th, Turkish developers have 8 titles in the top-grossing 100 games list on Apple’s App Store, including newcomers Color Block Jam (Rollic) and Magic Sort (Grand Games). Meanwhile, Türkiye remains one of the top destinations for VC investments in gaming. There are now at least 25 VC funds that invest in video game startups based out of Turkey.

  Listen to my podcast with the founders of Gram Games, Mehmet Ecevit, and Grand Games, Batuhan Celebi - and of course the one and only, Görkem Turk, founder of Laton Ventures. A fresh example of the strong investor demand is Grand Games, which raised $30 million in its Series A funding round in December, marking the fastest-ever Series A round in the country. However, behind the success, talent competition has intensified, and the industry faces a critical question: Can it continue this trajectory?