Market (Overall)·Updated Mar 15, 2026 by GameRefinery
Live-service feature updates increased by 37% year-over-year, with Strategy games leading the surge at 208% growth.
Engagement tactics are shifting toward non-recurring live events and limited-time in-app purchase offers, which saw frequency increases of 143% and 122% respectively.
In the US, the Strategy genre grew while the Puzzle genre declined, with Supercell emerging as a top-performing publisher.
China experienced a market reversal in Q2 2021 as RPG and Strategy genres regained share from Shooters, while Leiting Games nearly doubled its market share.
Japan’s market saw the Sports genre gain momentum behind the success of Umamusume Pretty Derby, while RPGs faced a decline and Cygames maintained strong publisher performance.
Top-grossing charts in the US remain dominated by games appealing to fast-paced, competitive player archetypes such as 'King of the Hill' and 'Skill Master'.
Live-service feature updates increased by 37% year-over-year, with Strategy games leading the surge at 208% growth.
Engagement tactics are shifting toward non-recurring live events and limited-time in-app purchase offers, which saw frequency increases of 143% and 122% respectively.
In the US, the Strategy genre grew while the Puzzle genre declined, with Supercell emerging as a top-performing publisher.
China experienced a market reversal in Q2 2021 as RPG and Strategy genres regained share from Shooters, while Leiting Games nearly doubled its market share.
Japan’s market saw the Sports genre gain momentum behind the success of Umamusume Pretty Derby, while RPGs faced a decline and Cygames maintained strong publisher performance.
Top-grossing charts in the US remain dominated by games appealing to fast-paced, competitive player archetypes such as 'King of the Hill' and 'Skill Master'.