Google Play launches $1M fund for African indie game studios

Google has launched a $1 million fund to support independent game developers across Africa, aiming to address a critical funding gap and help studios scale their businesses globally. The Google Play Indie Games Fund, announced on July 3, 2026, will provide equity-free capital, technical support, and mentorship to ten selected studios from 32 eligible countries.

Each chosen studio will receive between $50,000 and $200,000. In addition to the financial award, recipients will benefit from hands-on mentorship from industry experts and direct technical support to optimize their games, strengthen development frameworks, and improve discoverability on the Google Play store. Applications for the fund are open until July 31, with the selected studios to be announced in September.

To qualify, studios must be privately owned, have 50 or fewer employees, and be officially registered in one of the eligible African nations. They must also have already launched a game on mobile, PC, or console platforms. Selected studios are required to publish their game on Google Play and participate non-exclusively in the Google Play Pass subscription program for two years.