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Sensor Tower
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The increase in iOS revenue successfully compensated for a 2% decline in Google Play revenue during the quarter.
The global mobile games market experienced a period of stabilization and shifting genre dominance in the second quarter of 2024. Total player spending reached $19.7 billion, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth at a rate of 4%. While the broader mobile app ecosystem saw non-gaming applications capture an increasing share of total revenue, the gaming sector demonstrated resilience, with iOS spending rising 7% to $12.85 billion, offsetting a 2% decline on Google Play.
A significant structural shift occurred within the market as the RPG genre was dethroned as the top-grossing category for the first time since 2017. Strategy games ascended to the lead position with $4.149 billion in revenue, representing a 12% year-over-year increase. This transition was largely influenced by declining performance in the Japanese and South Korean markets, where RPGs have historically maintained a heavy concentration of consumer spend. Conversely, the strategy genre also achieved a record high in downloads, growing 19% to 488.1 million, bolstered significantly by the launch of Supercell’s Squad Busters.
Despite the growth in revenue, the industry faced a contraction in volume, with total mobile game downloads falling 6.4% to 12.6 billion, the lowest level recorded since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Arcade and puzzle games remained the most downloaded categories, though both saw double-digit declines. The market landscape remains anchored by established titles, as the top five highest-grossing games—including Monopoly Go!, Honor of Kings, and Royal Match—retained their positions from the previous quarter. However, new entrants like Dungeon & Fighter Mobile demonstrated significant impact, rapidly climbing the rankings to secure a top-ten position shortly after launch.
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