The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) has released the Q2 2026 report for the “GameMode” initiative, which compares the quality and performance of telecommunications service providers in Saudi Arabia for the most popular electronic games. The report also highlights improvements in performance of up to 60% compared with Q2 2025.
The report revealed that Saudi Telecom Company (STC) received the Platinum Gaming Operator Award for the best-performing service provider in electronic gaming in the Kingdom during the first half of 2026. STC achieved the highest overall score based on a set of criteria, most notably improving the quality of the electronic gaming experience, hosting gaming services locally, supporting gaming packages offered by service providers, providing cloud platforms, and supporting the gaming community through activities and esports events.
The report also included performance results for electronic game download speeds across gaming platforms in the Kingdom. It showed that the download speed rate for electronic games on the STEAM platform reached 100%, with telecommunications service providers “Mobily,” “STC,” and “Salam” sharing the top position. The PlayStation platform also reached 98%, with “Mobily,” “STC,” and “Salam” sharing the top position, while “Mobily” and “Salam” shared the top position on the XBOX platform with a rate of 98%.
The report indicated that “STC” and “Mobily” topped the list of service providers for the best latency rate in five games: Call of Duty, EA Sports FC, Marvel Rivals, eFootball, and Overwatch. STC topped the list in eight games: Starcraft 2, Call of Duty Mobile, League of Legends, VALORANT, DOTA2, COUNTER STRIKE, Teamfight Tactics, and Mobile Legends. Mobily topped the list in two games: Free Fire and PUBG, while Zain topped the list in two games: Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile.
The report also provided a set of guidelines for improving internet connection quality for electronic gaming, as well as ways to verify the stability of the home network and the efficiency of the network devices in use. It also outlined how users can contribute to the “GameMode” initiative and help achieve its objectives by registering to receive the “Fiber Internet Measurement” device, which enables users to assess the performance of their internet service, including the performance of popular applications and electronic games. The report keeps pace with the latest games in the gaming community and adds their performance indicators to its quarterly editions, while also highlighting the efforts of telecommunications service providers in supporting the gaming community.
The “GameMode” initiative is part of efforts to enhance competition among telecommunications service providers to deliver the best gaming experience, increase market transparency by publishing data and performance indicators, and enable investors and interested parties to access market performance indicators in the Kingdom.
To view the report:
Source: https://www.cst.gov.sa/en/media-center/news/CST-Issues-Game-Mode-Report-Q2-in-2026
