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Cover of The State of Mobile Gaming: An Analysis of Mobile Gaming Market Trends and Top Titles in the U.S., Europe, and Asia

Sensor Tower · 2021

Report

The State of Mobile Gaming: An Analysis of Mobile Gaming Market Trends and Top Titles in the U.S., Europe, and Asia

The analysis demonstrates that the mobile‑gaming market expanded dramatically during the COVID‑19 pandemic, with global quarterly revenue reaching $33 billion in Q2 2020 and downloads climbing 39 % to 16 billion. The United States remains the dominant spend market, contributing 28 % of worldwide revenue in 2020 and generating $7 billion in Q1 2021, while emerging regions such as India (12 % of global installs) and Brazil drive download growth but lag in monetization. Hyper‑casual and shooter titles—PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire, Subway Surfers—consistently occupy top download positions worldwide. In 2020 and early 2021, revenue concentration persisted in mature markets (U.S., Japan, China), yet fast‑growing regions like Europe and Southeast Asia presented expanding opportunities. European revenue was led by Playrix ($700 M) and Supercell ($600 M), with Israeli publishers also in the top‑10, while installs remained near pandemic highs at roughly 4 billion in Q1 2021. In Asia, India’s explosive download growth (nearly 3 billion installs in Q3 2020) and Indonesia’s 26 % YoY rise positioned the region as the dominant market, with PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings topping download charts. Despite a 44 % YoY decline in Chinese installs, mobile‑game spend there continued to rise, contributing to Asian revenue of $12 billion in Q1 2021. Genre‑level insights reveal hyper‑casual games as the fastest‑growing segment, expanding from 757 million installs in Q1 2018 to over 3.4 billion by Q1 2021 and accounting for more than 30 % of all mobile downloads that quarter. Freemium models dominate monetization, with 99 % of App Store revenue derived from free titles; subscription adoption remains a minority (≈29 %) among top U.S. games. Advertising revenue is heavily concentrated in puzzle and hyper‑casual titles, which captured over 30 % of ad spend across major networks in 2020. Playrix led overall ad spending, especially for its puzzle franchises, while Zynga’s acquisition of Rollic Games spurred a sharp increase in hyper‑casual ad spend on AdMob and Facebook. Overall, the data underscore a mobile‑gaming ecosystem where mature markets generate the bulk of revenue, emerging regions drive download growth, hyper‑casual and battle‑royale titles dominate user acquisition, and freemium monetization models—supported by advertising—remain the primary revenue engine.

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