Billion-Dollar Mobile Games in 2020

The mobile gaming industry experienced a significant surge in 2020, characterized by a record-breaking number of titles reaching the $1 billion annual revenue milestone. Driven by global lockdowns and increased demand for home-based entertainment, the mobile games market generated $75.4 billion in total revenue, representing a 19.5 percent increase over 2019. This analysis, based on Store Intelligence data from the Apple App Store and Google Play, highlights the unprecedented financial performance of top-tier mobile titles during this period.

Five games surpassed the $1 billion threshold in 2020, a notable increase from the three titles that achieved this feat in 2019 and 2018. PUBG Mobile, including its Chinese localization Game For Peace, led the market with approximately $2.6 billion in revenue, followed closely by Honor of Kings at $2.5 billion. Pokémon GO secured the third position with $1.2 billion, while both Coin Master and Roblox reached $1.1 billion. These figures reflect substantial year-over-year growth, with Coin Master more than doubling its previous revenue and Roblox nearly doing the same.

The data underscores a broader trend of consolidation among top-performing mobile games. While Monster Strike narrowly missed the billion-dollar mark with $958 million, the overall sector demonstrated strong momentum. The findings suggest that while the extraordinary growth rates observed in 2020 may not be fully replicated in subsequent years, the industry has established a higher baseline for performance, positioning top-tier developers for continued success and potential future market expansion.