Hyper-casual game downloads declined 24% year-over-year in Q4 2022, while hybrid-casual titles grew 13% and exclusive-access games surged 54%.
See it on page 5Hybrid-casual games utilizing meta-features like Character Collection—found in 18% of top titles—achieve average playtimes of two hours, more than double the duration of titles without such features.
See it on page 16Asia remains the dominant revenue market for RPGs at 39%, though the region saw a 15% quarterly gross revenue decline to $9.5 billion, driven largely by a 20% drop on Google Play.
See it on page 57European revenue across the top five markets fell 6% to $600 million in Q4 2022, heavily impacted by a 72% year-over-year revenue decline in Russia.
See it on page 52Well-timed live-ops events are high-value drivers; Marvel Snap's seasonal launches generated between $670,000 and $746,000 in revenue on their respective launch days.
See it on page 34Action and tabletop genres posted positive revenue growth in late 2022, contrasting with double-digit declines in the shooter, RPG, and casino categories.
See it on page 7The State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report outlines a pronounced shift in genre performance and monetization patterns across key global markets. Hyper‑casual downloads fell 24 % year‑over‑year in Q4 2022, while hybrid‑casual titles grew 13 % and exclusive‑access games surged 54 %. Revenue mirrored this transition: action and tabletop genres posted positive growth, whereas shooter, RPG, and casino categories experienced double‑digit declines. In Asia, RPGs dominate revenue at 39 %, whereas North America and Europe show a more diversified mix with several genres contributing at least 12 % each.
Hybrid‑casual games lead in meta‑feature adoption, with 30 % of top titles deploying at least one feature compared to only 5 % of hyper‑casuals. Character Collection, the most common meta, appears in 18 % of hybrid‑casuals and lifts average playtime by 122 %, raising it to roughly two hours versus under one hour for non‑feature titles. Download growth for hybrid‑casuals was strongest in Asia (+124 M installs, +4 %) and North America (+63 M, +17 %), while overall mobile downloads remained flat year‑over‑year.
Live‑ops events continue to drive engagement and revenue. Marvel Snap’s “Warriors of Wakanda,” “The Power Cosmic,” and “Happy Winterverse” each generated between $670 k and $746 k on launch day, illustrating the high value of well‑timed in‑app events. Sensor Tower’s event‑tracking tool provides publishers with granular revenue insights, enabling benchmarking against competitors and fine‑tuning future event strategies.
Geographically, Europe’s top five markets—Germany, the U.K., France, Russia, and Italy—experienced a collective 6 % revenue decline to $600 million in Q4 2022, with Russia alone falling 72 % year‑over‑year after the Ukraine war. Downloads fell 8 % overall and 11 % in Russia, yet Russia remained the largest European market by volume (673 million downloads, 24 % of EU downloads). In contrast, Asia’s quarterly gross revenue fell 15 % to $9.5 billion, largely due to a 20 % drop on Google Play; downloads stayed flat at over 5.5 billion per quarter, with India leading the region by a wide margin.
