Market (Mobile)·Updated Apr 8, 2026 by Sensor Tower
The global mobile gaming market experienced its first revenue decline since 2019, contracting 6% year-over-year in early 2022.
Consumer spending in the U.S. and Japan saw double-digit drops, including a 22% decline on Google Play in the U.S., while emerging markets like Brazil and Vietnam gained significant share.
Europe bucked the global trend with an 18% revenue increase to $8.6 billion, fueled by growth in Turkey and Poland and the popularity of hyper-casual titles.
Hyper-casual games accounted for 32.5% of all global downloads, reaching 3.5 billion installs, while strategy games remained the highest-earning category with over $4 billion in quarterly revenue.
Hybrid monetisation models are essential for profitability, as evidenced by the success of season passes in revitalizing legacy titles like Hay Day and boosting revenue for Lords Mobile.
While India maintains the largest install base, Brazil is rapidly closing the gap and is positioned to overtake India as the leader in download volume.
The global mobile gaming market experienced its first revenue decline since 2019, contracting 6% year-over-year in early 2022.
Consumer spending in the U.S. and Japan saw double-digit drops, including a 22% decline on Google Play in the U.S., while emerging markets like Brazil and Vietnam gained significant share.
Europe bucked the global trend with an 18% revenue increase to $8.6 billion, fueled by growth in Turkey and Poland and the popularity of hyper-casual titles.
Hyper-casual games accounted for 32.5% of all global downloads, reaching 3.5 billion installs, while strategy games remained the highest-earning category with over $4 billion in quarterly revenue.
Hybrid monetisation models are essential for profitability, as evidenced by the success of season passes in revitalizing legacy titles like Hay Day and boosting revenue for Lords Mobile.
While India maintains the largest install base, Brazil is rapidly closing the gap and is positioned to overtake India as the leader in download volume.