Moscow ranks among the World’s top three video game development hubs

Moscow Game Hub scored 2.18 out of 3, sharing third place with Sweden’s Game Habitat in Malmö in a ranking of gaming hubs by Russian consultancy Yakov and Partners. Moscow received the maximum score of 3 for its infrastructure. 

The ranking includes ten hubs across ten countries. Moscow ranked ahead of hubs in South Korea, Spain, Singapore, India, Brazil and Germany. The hubs ranked above Moscow were AD Gaming Hub in Abu Dhabi, with a score of 2.56, and Shanghai’s Xuhui District, with 2.48. The findings were presented during the business program of the second Moscow International Game Week, taking place in Moscow from October 29 to November 1, 2026.

Moscow Game Hub covers 55,000 square meters. Its facilities include a 60-camera motion-capture studio that tracks facial expressions and finger movements, photogrammetry and sound-recording studios, a viewing room with a screen measuring nearly 800 square meters, and a data center.

Moscow Game Hub is now home to 74 resident companies: 61 game studios and 13 animation studios. They account for one in five video game companies in Moscow. Residents are currently developing more than 260 projects.

Moscow shared second place with Shanghai for studio support, scoring 2.31 out of 3. Residents can rent offices at preferential rates. Participants in the Video Game Factory accelerator can use the hub’s coworking space for one ruble per month, approximately 0.012 USD. The Moscow Video Game Export program helps studios enter international markets through trade shows and business missions. In 2025, Moscow studios signed 36 export contracts worth more than 12 million USD.

According to research by the Agency of Creative Industries, the global video game market grew by 14% in 2025, reaching a record 202.5 billion USD. Revenue generated by Russian companies rose by 16% to 2.56 billion USD.

Yakov and Partners prepared the ranking using seven criteria: resident mix, infrastructure and access to computing capacity, studio support, talent availability, quality of life and industry regulation. The resident mix carried the greatest weight.

The analysts began with more than 100 sites and shortlisted 80 hubs with their own buildings and resident studios, each covering no more than 300,000 square meters. They then selected 30 of the largest hubs across 17 countries. The final index included ten hubs, with one selected from each of ten countries.

Moscow International Game Week runs from October 29 to November 1. It is organized by the Agency of Creative Industries under the Moscow Department of Culture. The event introduces international audiences to Russian game and animation projects and to the infrastructure that helps studios grow and enter overseas markets.

About the Agency of Creative Industries

The Agency of Creative Industries, operating under the Moscow Department of Culture, supports the development of Moscow’s creative sectors, including film, fashion, design, contemporary art, video games and publishing. Its work includes creating favorable conditions for creative professionals, promoting their work internationally and positioning Moscow as an international center for the creative industries.