Pokémon GO Has Best Year Ever in 2019

Pokémon GO achieved its most successful year since its 2016 launch, generating an estimated $894 million in gross player spending throughout 2019. This performance underscores the title's sustained commercial viability, driven by consistent live operations, significant in-game updates, and both real-world and digital events. The game remains the dominant force in the location-based mobile gaming sector, maintaining a substantial lead over competitors such as Dragon Quest Walk and Jurassic World Alive.

Financial data indicates that the United States served as the primary market, contributing 38 percent of total revenue, followed by Japan at 32 percent and Germany at 6 percent. Unlike many top-tier mobile titles that skew toward iOS, Pokémon GO maintains a majority of its revenue and download volume on the Android platform, with Google Play accounting for 54 percent of total spending and 69 percent of the 55 million installs recorded in 2019. To date, the game has accumulated over $3.1 billion in lifetime player spending.

The analysis, based on Store Intelligence estimates, positions Pokémon GO as the fifth highest-grossing mobile game globally for 2019. The game’s ability to grow its annual revenue beyond its launch-year figures distinguishes it from other titles in the location-based category. By leveraging franchise-specific content, such as the introduction of Team Rocket, the game successfully drove record-breaking monthly earnings in August and September of 2019, reinforcing its status as a long-term leader in the mobile gaming market.