Start a business · Game Development

Start a game development studio in the UAE.Licensed in UAE free zones · fully remote · priced line by line

Building, publishing and localising games is a licensed industry in the UAE, with official activity names that go well beyond a generic software licence: development, publishing, production, localisation. Verified Setups works from the official records themselves, so you can see exactly which activities cover a games studio, which free zones license them, and your own itemised price before you commit.

Setups from

AED 4,888*

The licence behind it.

These are the official licensed activities our engine maps to game development: the exact names the authorities use, and every zone writes its own list in its own words. Our engine recognises them as one business, so your setup is built on the real activity behind it, not a guess. Where a zone’s own record notes an authority approval for an activity, it’s shown beside that zone: the licence is priced now, and an approval’s fee is scoped with you when it applies.

Digital and Interactive Game DevelopmentSPC Free Zone · Shams · RAKEZ approval: Media · Innovation City approval: the relevant authority · Masdar City Free Zone
Gaming Development ServicesInnovation City · Masdar City Free Zone · Meydan Free Zone · IFZA
Gaming StudioRAKEZ approval: Media · Innovation City · IFZA
Gaming PublisherAjman NuVentures Centre · SPC Free Zone post-licence approval: National Media Authority · Shams approval: Media Regulatory Office (MRO) · Innovation City · IFZA
Gaming Production Service ProvidersSPC Free Zone post-licence approval: National Media Authority · RAKEZ approval: Media · Innovation City · IFZA
Gaming Content ProductionSPC Free Zone post-licence approval: National Media Authority · Ajman Free Zone · Innovation City · Dubai South approval: UAE Media Council
Gaming Localization ServicesSPC Free Zone · Shams · RAKEZ approval: Media · Innovation City · IFZA
Online Gaming ServicesSPC Free Zone · Ajman Free Zone · Shams · Innovation City · Masdar City Free Zone · IFZA
Gaming Industry Research ServicesSPC Free Zone · Shams · RAKEZ approval: Media · Innovation City approval: the relevant authority · IFZA
Gaming Consultancy ServicesRAKEZ approval: Media · Innovation City · Masdar City Free Zone · IFZA

Where it’s licensed.

Free zones on our platform whose official activity lists cover this business, with each zone’s own licence-only starting price.

Ajman NuVentures CentreAjmanSetups from AED 4,888* SPC Free ZoneSharjahSetups from AED 4,999* Ajman Free ZoneAjmanSetups from AED 5,565* ShamsSharjahSetups from AED 5,760* RAKEZRas Al KhaimahSetups from AED 6,000* Innovation CityRas Al KhaimahSetups from AED 6,600* Masdar City Free ZoneAbu DhabiSetups from AED 7,000* Meydan Free ZoneDubaiSetups from AED 12,500* Dubai SouthDubaiSetups from AED 12,500* IFZADubaiSetups from AED 12,900*

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*Licence-only starting prices from the zones’ own price lists; visas, workspace and other components are itemised in your configuration, and final pricing is always confirmed in writing before engagement. Privacy · Terms · © 2026 Verified Setups