5 Mobile App Forecasts: 2023

Global mobile market projections for 2023 indicate a complex landscape defined by shifting consumer priorities and economic pressures. While total mobile advertising spend is expected to reach $362 billion, growth is projected to slow due to macroeconomic headwinds. Short-form video apps are anticipated to be the primary drivers of this ad spend, helping to offset a decline in performance marketing budgets. Conversely, mobile gaming is facing a downturn, with consumer spending forecasted to drop to $107 billion in 2023. This decline is attributed to a combination of the global economic squeeze and tightening privacy regulations, such as IDFA and Google’s upcoming changes, which complicate the targeting of high-spending users.

Despite the contraction in gaming spend, specific high-performing titles continue to reach massive financial milestones. Fourteen new apps and games are projected to surpass $2 billion in lifetime consumer spend during 2023, with eleven of those being games. Notably, the video streaming sector remains robust, with platforms like HBO Max and iQIYI expected to join the $3 billion lifetime spend club, reflecting a sustained consumer shift toward mobile-first entertainment.

The broader mobile economy is also seeing a migration of retail dollars toward experiential sectors. As discretionary income tightens, consumers are prioritizing travel, live events, sports, and wellness over physical goods. This shift is supported by a long-term trend of increasing mobile engagement; total time spent in apps is forecasted to surpass 6 trillion hours by 2028. This growth is fueled by 5G rollout and the deepening personalization of apps, with emerging markets in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East driving significant engagement. These findings are based on proprietary market estimates and historical data analysis of global app store performance and consumer behavior.