A playable prototype
The core mechanic built quickly and roughly, to prove the game is fun to play before real budget goes into art and content.
Games, AR and VR
Hire a game developer in Dubai, from concept to release
Commissioning a game for mobile, PC or console, delivered against a written scope with code, assets and store listings handed over at the end.
- 4.7 Google rating
- 200+ clients
- In Dubai since 2018
45 minutesto a fixed written quote
Some businesses hire a game developer in Dubai with nothing more than an idea and a target platform. This page is about that kind of engagement, commissioning a game from concept through to release on mobile, PC or console, rather than adding a programmer into a team that already exists. It suits a marketing campaign that needs a branded mobile game, a product built around a game mechanic, or a founder with a game concept and no in house studio to build it.
A commissioned game moves through recognisable stages: a short prototype to prove the core mechanic is fun, a vertical slice that shows the finished look and feel in miniature, then full production, testing and release. Each stage is worth its own checkpoint, because a game that is not fun in prototype rarely becomes fun by adding more content later. When you hire a game developer in Dubai for a full build, that staged approach is what keeps budget and creative direction aligned from the first week to launch.
What a game project delivers
What a game developer delivers, concept to release
Concrete outputs at each stage of a commissioned build.
A vertical slice
One level or session built to the finished visual and audio standard, used to agree direction before full production begins.
The full game build
Every level, mechanic and screen implemented, tested on the target devices, and optimised to run within a reasonable performance budget.
Store ready submission materials
Build files, listing copy and screenshots prepared to the target store’s requirements, ready for your team to submit under your own developer account.
Documentation
How the project is structured, how to build it, and how to make small content changes after handover, written for whoever maintains it next. Most businesses that hire a game developer in Dubai for a first project underestimate how much this single deliverable is worth once the original team moves on.
A handover walkthrough
A session covering the finished project and the decisions behind it, so your team is not starting cold if further work follows.
Skills that matter
What to check before you hire a game developer
Skills specific to finishing and shipping a game, not just building levels.
| Skill or tool | What good looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| An engine, usually Unity or Unreal | Has shipped at least one real project in the engine proposed, not only tutorials | Engine specific pitfalls only surface once a project passes prototype stage |
| Prototyping discipline | Builds the core mechanic first and tests whether it is fun before adding content | Games commissioned without this step often fail late, after most of the budget is spent |
| Performance on target devices | Profiles and optimises for the actual phones, consoles or PC specification the game targets | A game that runs well on a developer’s own machine can still fail on a typical player’s device |
| Platform submission experience | Has taken a build through the target store’s review process before | Store review rejects builds for reasons that are avoidable if you have seen them before |
| Scope discipline | Says plainly what is in the agreed scope and what would count as new content | Games attract feature creep more than most software, which is where budgets run over |
Apple’s own App Review Guidelines set out what a submitted game or app must meet before release, covering completeness, stability and accurate listing information, which is worth knowing before you hire a game developer in Dubai so the scope includes enough time for review and, if needed, resubmission.
Ways to work with us
How to hire a game developer in Dubai
This page centres on project based work: a written scope, a fixed price, and a working game handed over at the end. If you already have a game live and need ongoing content, live operations or a bigger team, our game programmer page covers joining an existing team as a dedicated hire instead. Recruitment support suits a business that wants to build its own permanent game studio rather than commission one build, and consulting suits a decision, such as which engine or platform to target, before any production work begins.
Useful before we scope a game developer project
- The core idea or mechanic, even roughly sketched
- Target platforms: mobile, PC, console or a mix
- Any reference games close to the tone you want
- Who holds the developer account on each store
Assessing a candidate
How to assess a game developer before a project starts
Checks aimed at whether a game actually ships, not just whether it starts well.
Ask to play the developer’s shipped game, not a demo reel
A polished video hides performance issues and unfinished edges that playing the actual release reveals immediately.
Ask what was cut from scope during that project
Every real project loses something along the way. A candidate who can explain what and why understands scope discipline.
Review a build on a mid range device
Ask for a build tested on an ordinary phone or the target console, not only the developer’s own high specification machine.
Ask how a past prototype tested the core mechanic
A real answer, including a mechanic that did not work and was reworked, is a stronger signal than a portfolio of finished art alone.
Confirm familiarity with the target store’s submission process
Ask about a rejection they have actually handled. Someone who has never faced one has not yet released a real game.
Certifications
Certifications and a game developer
Judge a shipped release over a credential for this role.
No single certification covers a game developer’s full skill set
Unity runs its own certification programme, covered in more depth on our Unity developer page, and Epic Games backs a separate Unreal Engine credential focused on real time 3D fundamentals. Neither one specifically certifies the project management and store submission skills a commissioned game needs most.
Judge a finished, released game instead
Before you hire a game developer in Dubai for a full build, ask to see one project they took all the way to a live store listing, including what changed between the pitch and the release. That comparison is the most useful signal available for this specific role.
UAE considerations
What a game developer should know about hosting
Relevant for any title with online features, leaderboards or multiplayer.
A data centre option inside the country
Amazon Web Services runs its Middle East (UAE) region, region code me-central-1, across three availability zones, live since August 2022. If most of your players sit in the Emirates, that gives a game developer in Dubai a local option for leaderboard, matchmaking or save data services instead of routing every request further afield.
Raise it during scoping, not after launch
Where a game’s online services run changes how quickly a multiplayer match connects or a leaderboard updates, so it is a question worth settling with your game developer in Dubai while the brief is still being written, not once players are already online.
This role sits inside our games, AR and VR category, part of hire developers in Dubai. If you already run a game and need to add programming capacity to an existing team, see our game programmer page instead. Depending on the engine you choose, our Unity developer and Unreal Engine developer pages go deeper on each engine, and if the project needs a companion app rather than a standalone game, our mobile app development service covers that separately.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions
What do we actually receive at the end of a game project?
The full source project in a repository you control, the game's art and audio assets, build files ready for submission, and documentation covering how the project is structured. Ownership of the code and assets is agreed in writing in the proposal before work starts.
Which platforms can a game be released on?
Mobile is the most common starting point, on both major app stores. PC releases add their own storefront requirements, and console releases depend on the specific platform holder's developer programme and certification process, which we confirm is realistic during scoping before quoting.
Do you handle app store or console submission?
We prepare the build and the store listing materials as part of the project scope. You hold the developer account on each platform, since accounts and their payment details sit with the business releasing the game, not with us.
Can you build the game in Unity or Unreal Engine specifically?
Yes, both are common choices and we recommend one during scoping based on your target platforms and the visual style you want, rather than defaulting to either one before we know the brief.
What happens after the game is released?
The project scope covers the build and release. Ongoing work after launch, such as new content, live operations or bug fixes from real world usage, is a separate, dedicated arrangement once the game is live and you can see what players actually need.
How is a game project priced?
With a fixed written quote scoped to your brief, not an hourly rate. A larger game is commonly split into phases such as a prototype, a vertical slice and full production, each agreed before it starts.
Sources
- Unity: Unity Manual accessed 14 September 2026
- Apple: App Review Guidelines accessed 14 September 2026
- AWS News Blog: Now open, AWS Region in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accessed 14 September 2026
Fixed price, in writing
Send your brief. Get a scope and a price within 45 minutes.
- One fixed number, agreed in writing before work starts
- No obligation, and no pressure to sign
- English and Arabic work, with proper right to left layout
- One team for design, marketing, web, media and copy
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