Market (Mobile)·Updated Apr 8, 2026 by Sensor Tower
Card-battlers are a high-growth segment of mid-core strategy, accounting for 34% of total strategy revenue and experiencing a 17% revenue increase in Q1 2021.
The U.S. market is capturing a larger share of player spending, growing to 27% of global revenue in H1 2021, a six-percentage-point increase year-over-year.
Card-battlers demonstrate strong monetization potential with a U.S. Revenue Per Download (RPD) of $19, which is double the global average and represents the fastest RPD growth (175%) among strategy sub-genres in H1 2021.
Market leadership is held by established franchises, with Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links generating $110 million and Hearthstone over $40 million in H1 2021.
While Asian markets currently dominate revenue for six of the top ten titles, the category remains a viable entry point for new titles like Mighty Party and Legends of Runeterra, despite challenges with user retention.
Monthly spending in the card-battler sub-genre consistently surpassed $55 million during the first half of 2021, peaking at $70 million in January.
Card-battlers are a high-growth segment of mid-core strategy, accounting for 34% of total strategy revenue and experiencing a 17% revenue increase in Q1 2021.
The U.S. market is capturing a larger share of player spending, growing to 27% of global revenue in H1 2021, a six-percentage-point increase year-over-year.
Card-battlers demonstrate strong monetization potential with a U.S. Revenue Per Download (RPD) of $19, which is double the global average and represents the fastest RPD growth (175%) among strategy sub-genres in H1 2021.
Market leadership is held by established franchises, with Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links generating $110 million and Hearthstone over $40 million in H1 2021.
While Asian markets currently dominate revenue for six of the top ten titles, the category remains a viable entry point for new titles like Mighty Party and Legends of Runeterra, despite challenges with user retention.
Monthly spending in the card-battler sub-genre consistently surpassed $55 million during the first half of 2021, peaking at $70 million in January.