Market (Overall)·Updated Mar 17, 2026 by Newzoo
Role-playing games (RPGs) dominated the 2020 mobile market with $18.5 billion in revenue, representing over 21% of the global market share.
East Asian markets (China, Japan, and South Korea) drive RPG financial performance, accounting for 72% of the genre's total global earnings.
Successful RPG monetization is shifting toward hybrid models, as 83% of players are receptive to opt-in rewarded video ads alongside traditional gacha mechanics and battle passes.
Eastern RPG success relies heavily on established anime and legacy PC intellectual properties, whereas Western markets favor major media brands like Marvel and Star Wars.
To mitigate privacy-related tracking challenges, developers are increasingly prioritizing early user value signals and utilizing interactive playable advertisements to optimize return on ad spend.
Sustained growth in the RPG segment is driven by robust live-ops, cross-media collaborations, and the implementation of cross-platform play.
Role-playing games (RPGs) dominated the 2020 mobile market with $18.5 billion in revenue, representing over 21% of the global market share.
East Asian markets (China, Japan, and South Korea) drive RPG financial performance, accounting for 72% of the genre's total global earnings.
Successful RPG monetization is shifting toward hybrid models, as 83% of players are receptive to opt-in rewarded video ads alongside traditional gacha mechanics and battle passes.
Eastern RPG success relies heavily on established anime and legacy PC intellectual properties, whereas Western markets favor major media brands like Marvel and Star Wars.
To mitigate privacy-related tracking challenges, developers are increasingly prioritizing early user value signals and utilizing interactive playable advertisements to optimize return on ad spend.
Sustained growth in the RPG segment is driven by robust live-ops, cross-media collaborations, and the implementation of cross-platform play.