Mobile gaming accounted for 50% of the world’s gaming revenue in 2022.
Therefore, it is no surprise that mobile games are fast becoming a source of entertainment for millions of individuals globally.
Statistics reveal that gamers spent up to $136 million on mobile games.
That, coupled with a population of 1.75 million mobile gamers worldwide, catapulted mobile gaming into the top-grossing gaming segment in the world.
Here is a list of up-to-date mobile gaming statistics to give you a holistic view of this gaming segment.
Top 10 Mobile Gaming Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- Mobile games accounted for 50% of the global games market revenue in 2022.
- In 2022, the global mobile gaming market generated a revenue of $152.5 billion.
- 23% of American mobile gamers in 2022 spent more than $100 in in-app purchases.
- In 2021, 48% of global mobile gamers were in Asia.
- In H1 2022, mobile game downloads in the Casino genre reduced by 17.8%.
- Worldwide mobile gaming app downloads rose by 6.67 billion between 2021-2022.
- As of 2023, mobile streaming giant Netflix has over 50 mobile gaming apps.
- 62% of American mobile gaming users in 2022 were satisfied with their in-gaming purchases.
- In 2022, there was a 20% drop in time spent playing Battle Royale (Shooting) games.
- In Q3 2021, American consumers spent $6.856 billion on mobile gaming apps.
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General Mobile Gaming Statistics
1. Roblox was the most preferred mobile game in the US among users aged 18 to 24.
In 2022, gamers aged 25 to 34 preferred playing Project Makeover, 35 to 44-year-olds preferred Toca Life, and mobile gamers aged 45+ preferred playing Candy Crush.
2. In Q1 2022, there were 14.4 billion mobile gaming app downloads globally.
12.1 billion of these downloads were from the Google Play Store, while 2.3 billion were from the Apple App Store.
3. Global downloads of mobile games remained relatively stable throughout 2021.
Global downloads in Q4 2021 for the App Store and Google Play Store mobile games were 2.2 billion and 11.6 billion, respectively. In Q1 2022, global downloads for the App and Google Play stores were 2.3 billion and 12 billion, respectively.
Quarter | App Store Downloads | Google Play Store Downloads |
---|---|---|
Q1 2021 | 2.3 billion | 11.8 billion |
Q2 2021 | 2.1 billion | 11.8 billion |
Q3 2021 | 2.2 billion | 11.6 billion |
Q4 2021 | 2.2 billion | 11.6 billion |
Q1 2022 | 2.3 billion | 12.0 billion |
Mobile Gaming Market Share Statistics
4. In 2021, mobile gaming was the largest category in the digital gaming segment.
There were 2,659.5 million mobile gaming users worldwide, making it the largest segment that year.
5. The global mobile gaming content market in 2021 was worth $131.2 billion.
The value is projected to grow to $173.4 billion by 2026.
Mobile Gaming Revenue Statistics
6. Mobile games accounted for 50% of the global games market revenue in 2022.
Mobile games generated $92.2 billion, while console games, PC games, and browser PC games generated $51.8 billion, $38.2 billion, and $2.3 billion, respectively.
Games Market | Market Share | Revenue in Billions |
---|---|---|
Mobile games | 50% | $92.2 |
Console games | 28% | $51.8 |
PC games | 21% | $38.2 |
Browser PC games | 1% | $2.3 |
7. Global mobile gaming app revenue was $98.22 billion in 2021.
This revenue grew from $68.9 billion in 2019 to $86.9 billion in 2020, dropping to 92.2 billion in 2022.
8. In Q3 2022, the Apple App Store made $11.9 billion in gross revenue from mobile gaming apps.
Meanwhile, the Google Play store made $7.4 billion from mobile games.
This was a fall from Q1 2021, where the Apple App Store and Google Play Store recorded $13.1 billion and $9.4 billion, respectively.
9. In 2022, the global mobile gaming market generated a revenue of $152.5 billion.
At this rate, the market will surpass $221 billion in 2027.
10. 77.4% of digital gaming revenue in 2022 was from mobile gaming.
Mobile gaming’s total share of digital gaming revenue has grown from 68.3% in 2017 to 77.4% in 2022.
Year | Mobile Gaming Share of Digital Gaming |
---|---|
2017 | 68.3% |
2018 | 69.8% |
2019 | 71.5% |
2020 | 74.1% |
2021 | 75.6% |
2022 | 77.4% |
Mobile Gaming Spending Statistics
11. In 2021, Americans spent $18.96 billion on mobile gaming in-app purchases.
Of these, they spent 96% on virtual goods ($18.2 billion) and 4% on in-app gaming subscriptions ($0.76 billion).
12. In 2022, global consumer spending on mobile gaming hit $136 billion.
Meanwhile, consumer spending on PC/Mac gaming was $42 billion.
Another $40 billion was spent on home consoles and $4 billion on handheld consoles.
13. Mobile gaming consumer spending in 2022 dropped by 5% to $110 billion.
The expenditure rose from $85.76 billion in 2019 to $100.53 billion (2020) and $115.82 billion (2021). However, it declined by $6.31 billion in 2022 to $109.51 billion.
Year | Spending in Billions | Growth |
---|---|---|
2019 | $85.76 | |
2020 | $100.53 | $14.77 |
2021 | $115.82 | $15.29 |
2022 | $109.51 | -$6.31 |
14. 23% of American mobile gamers in 2022 spent more than $100 in in-app purchases.
Meanwhile, 22% spent between $30 and $99, while 26% spent between $1 and $29 on mobile gaming in-app purchases.
15. American mobile gamers in 2021 spent an average of $61 on in-game content.
In comparison, console gamers spent an average of $84 purchasing in-gaming content. Likewise, computer and web gamers spent an average of $71 and $62 on in-gaming content, respectively.
16. 62% of American mobile gaming users in 2022 were satisfied with their in-gaming purchases.
Of these, 33% were very satisfied, and 29% were somewhat satisfied with their virtual goods and in-gaming item purchases.
Mobile Gaming Monetization Statistics
17. In 2021, mobile gaming monetization consisted of ads and in-app purchases.
The Hyper Casual mobile gaming genre got the most (95.09%) of its revenue from ads, among other genres. Conversely, the RPG genre received the highest revenue share from in-app purchases.
Genre | Ads Revenue | IAP Revenue |
---|---|---|
Action | 23.41% | 76.59% |
Adventure | 24.3% | 75.7% |
Arcade | 67.1% | 32.9% |
Board | 69.73% | 30.27% |
Card | 46.48% | 53.52% |
Casual | 36.71% | 63.29% |
Hypercasual | 94.09% | 5.91% |
Puzzle | 25.18% | 74.82% |
Racing | 26.64% | 73.36% |
RPG | 19.06% | 80.94% |
Simulation | 34.72% | 65.28% |
Sports | 56.43% | 43.57% |
Strategy | 29.42% | 70.58% |
Trivia | 59.58% | 40.52% |
Word | 80.16% | 19.84% |
18. In 2021, more mobile gaming genres utilized the season pass monetization model.
After introducing a season pass, gamer spending on the Lords mobile game from IGG doubled to $20.7 million in January 2021.
19. AppLovin’s Tornado Slots was the only Casino mobile game in the top-10 grossing games with a monetized Ad-removal option.
Grossing $93 million, it came second after Yahtzee with Buddies ($113 million) in 2021.
Mobile Gaming Publishers Statistics
20. Shenzhen Tencent Tianyou Technology Ltd was the top iPhone mobile gaming publisher worldwide by revenue.
In September 2022, it generated $95.5 million from the Apple App Store.
NetEase Mobile Games came in second with $61.44 million in global revenue.
Mobile Game Publisher | Revenue in Millions |
---|---|
Shenzen Tencent Tianyou Technology Ltd | $95.5 |
NetEase Mobile Games | $61.44 |
Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. | $43.49 |
Tencent Mobile Games | $31.98 |
SQUARE ENIX | $29.71 |
King | $27.55 |
Playrix | $26.48 |
GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. | $22.17 |
KONAMI | $20.9 |
Supercell | $18.67 |
21. In 2022, publishers headquartered in China drove 36.79% of mobile gaming consumer spending.
This percentage accounted for $29,848.2 million in consumer spending on mobile gaming. Coming second were publishers in the US, with 16.96%, accounting for $13,761 million.
Publisher Headquarters | Share of Consumer Spending (Percentage) | Share of Consumer Spending in Millions |
---|---|---|
China | 36.79% | $29,848.2 |
United States | 16.96% | $13,761 |
Japan | 13.01% | $10,554.3 |
South Korea | 8.16% | $6,619.2 |
Israel | 4.67% | $3,791.7 |
Ireland | 3.03% | $2,461.4 |
Others | 17.38% | $14,103.8 |
22. Roblox was the publisher with the highest (5.04%) iOS mobile gaming revenue in the United States.
In Q2 2021, Supercell came in a close second, accounting for 4.35% of the market.
23. In the United States, in 2022, Supersonic Studios Ltd had the most Google Play Store mobile gaming app downloads (4.83 million).
Rollic Games was second with 4.37 million downloads, while VODOO came third with 3.28 million.
24. In 2022, King was the highest-grossing United States Android mobile gaming app publisher ($30.1 million).
Playrix came a close second, with revenue of $13.74 million.
Publisher | Revenue in Millions |
---|---|
King | 30.1 |
Playrix | 13.74 |
Moon Active | 13.4 |
Zynga | 10.49 |
Dream Games Ltd. | 7.93 |
SciPlay | 7.83 |
Roblox Corporation | 7.21 |
TG Inc. | 7.01 |
SpinX Games Limited | 6.8 |
Niantic, Inc. | 6.1 |
25. BINGCHUAN NETWORK (HONG KONG) COMPANY LTD was the leading app publisher for US iPhones (3.67 million downloads).
In 2022, Supersonic Studios Ltd came in second with 3.19 million title downloads.
26. In 2022, King grossed the highest ($17.12 million) mobile gaming revenue in the US Apple App Store.
Playrix came in second with $10.92, and Zynga Inc. third with $8.76 million.
27. Supersonic Studios Ltd. was the leading iPad mobile gaming app publisher by downloads in the US, with 1.59 million downloads.
As of 2022, Crazy Labs came in second with 1.05 million downloads.
28. Roblox Corporation was the US’s leading iPad mobile gaming app publisher by revenue in 2022 ($30.67 million).
King came second with a revenue of $21.5 million.
29. As of 2023, mobile streaming giant Netflix has over 50 mobile gaming apps.
You can play any of these mobile games via Android, tablet, iPad, or iPhone.
They feature no ads, extra fees, or in-app purchases and are included with every Netflix membership.
Mobile Gaming Apps Statistics
30. Worldwide mobile gaming app downloads rose by 6.67 billion between 2021-2022.
Global downloads were 83.07 billion in 2021 before reaching 89.74 billion the following year.
Year | App Downloads in Billions | Growth (Billions) |
---|---|---|
2019 | 67.93 | |
2020 | 79.68 | 11.75 |
2021 | 83.07 | 3.39 |
2022 | 89.74 | 6.67 |
31. In Q3 2021, American consumers spent $6.856 billion on mobile gaming apps.
However, this was about a 3% decline compared to Q2 2021.
32. In 2022, Subway Surfer was the leading mobile gaming app in the United States, with 51.4 million downloads.
Project Roblox and Stumble Guys came in second and third with 51 million and 34 million downloads, respectively.
33. In Q1 2021, miHoYo’s Genshin Impact accounted for 11.39% of the RPG gaming genre revenue on iOS devices in the US.
Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle was second, with a revenue share of 5.6%.
RPG Mobile Games | Revenue Share |
---|---|
Genshin Impact | 11.39% |
Dragon Ball Dokkan Battle | 5.6% |
Marvel Strike Force: Squad RPG | 5.38% |
RAID: Shadow Legends | 5.31% |
Marvel Contest of Champions | 4.5% |
Dragon Ball Legends | 4.31% |
The Seven Deadly Sins | 4.1% |
Empires & Puzzles Epic Match | 3.68% |
Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes | 3.49% |
Hero Wars - Fantasy World | 3.17% |
34. In 2021, Rocket League Sideswipe amassed 20 million downloads globally.
It gained these downloads within the first 40 days of launch, making it the most-downloaded mobile gaming app.
Mobile Gaming Genre Statistics
35. In 2022, RPG was the top mobile gaming genre globally based on consumer spending on in-app purchases.
RPG accounted for 31% of all consumer spending. This genre also saw a 3.9% rise in downloads.
Genre | Consumer Spending in Billions | Change in Downloads |
---|---|---|
RPG | $25.5 | +3.9% |
Strategy | $12.1 | +10% |
Match | $8.7 | +11% |
Casino | $8.3 | +48% |
Simulation | $8.1 | +13.5% |
Action | $5.3 | +7.9% |
Shooting | $4.8 | -0.9% |
Sports | 2.8 | +20.8% |
36. In 2022, hypercasual was the most downloaded mobile gaming genre globally, with 17.5 billion downloads.
It accounted for 29% of all global downloads. The simulation genre came second with 10.1 billion downloads, representing 17% of all downloads.
Genre | Downloads (Billions) | Percentage of Downloads |
---|---|---|
Hypercasual | 17.5 | 29% |
Simulation | 10.1 | 17% |
Action | 6.2 | 11% |
Kids | 4.2 | 7% |
Puzzle | 3 | 5% |
Match | 2.8 | 5% |
Shooting | 2.6 | 4% |
Racing | 2.5 | 4% |
37. Consumer spending in the Arcade genre in H1 2022 grew by 14.8% year-on-year.
This made “Arcade” the fastest-growing genre by revenue. In contrast, the racing genre lost 28.8% of consumer spending within the same period.
38. In H1 2022, mobile game downloads in the Casino genre reduced by 17.8%.
In comparison, downloads in the action genre saw a 5.4% spike within the same period.
39. The mobile puzzle genre accounted for over 20% of iOS mobile gaming revenue in North America.
In Q2 2021, mobile puzzle games accounted for 21.18% of all iOS mobile gaming revenue in the North American region.
40. Consumer spending in the mobile strategy genre between November 2020 and October 2021 rose to $4.2 billion.
Previously, consumer spending in this genre between November 2019 and October 2020 was $3.4 billion.
Android Mobile Gaming Statistics
41. As of June 2022, Subway Surfer had 2,305,460 daily active users, making it the leading Android mobile gaming app on Google Play.
Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga came in second and third with 1,873,479 and 1,435,006 daily active users, respectively.
Game | Daily Active Users |
---|---|
Subway Surfers | 2,305,460 |
Clash of Clans | 1,873,479 |
Candy Crush Saga | 1,435,006 |
8 Ball Pool | 1,300,503 |
Temple Run 2 | 1,088,081 |
Roblox | 1,060,557 |
Hill Climb Racing | 887,141 |
Minion Rush Running Game | 773,562 |
Game of War - Fire Age | 721,427 |
42. “Stick War: Hero Tower Defense” had 1.2 million downloads to top US Android mobile gaming app download charts.
Survivor.io and Stumble Guys came in second and third with 1.1 million and 809,491 downloads, respectively.
Mobile Game | Downloads |
---|---|
Stick War: Hero | 1,204,418 |
Survivor.io | 1,103,986 |
Stumble Guys | 809,491 |
Save the Doge | 789,590 |
Crowd Evolution! | 780,697 |
Epic Heroes - Save Animals | 693,744 |
2248: Number Games 2048 Puzzle | 677,858 |
Roblox | 615,044 |
School Party Craft | 586,973 |
GT Car Stunt Master 3D | 568,513 |
43. In September 2022, Candy Crush Saga was the top-grossing Android mobile gaming app ($23.42 million) in the United States.
Coin Master was second with about $13.4 million in revenue.
iOS Mobile Gaming Statistics
44. In 2022, X-HERO had 3.66 million downloads, making it the most-downloaded iOS mobile gaming app in the United States.
Survivor.io, which came second, had 2.38 million downloads.
45. In June 2022, Subway Surfer had 715,000 daily active US users, making it the most popular iOS mobile gaming app.
Roblox was second with 448,000 daily active users.
46. In September 2022, Candy Crush Saga generated $13.19 million in revenue, making it the top-grossing iOS mobile gaming app in the United States.
Roblox followed with a revenue of $7.7 million.
47. In February 2022, Subway Surfer had 188,996 daily active users on iPad in the United States.
Roblox and Minecraft came in second and third with 120,058 and 83,275 daily active users.
Mobile Game | Daily Active Users |
---|---|
Subway Surfer | 188,996 |
Roblox | 120,058 |
Minecraft | 83,275 |
Fishdom | 49,708 |
Project Makeover | 42,818 |
Apex Legends Mobile | 42,628 |
Among Us! | 41,474 |
Call of Duty: Mobile | 37,647 |
Heads Up | 36,184 |
Coloring Match | 35,329 |
48. In September 2022, the Stumble Guys mobile app had 897,000 iPad downloads.
Thus, topping the US iPad mobile game download charts. Survivor.io came second with 776,000 iPad downloads.
49. In September 2022, Roblox generated $30.67 million in revenue, making it the top-grossing iPad mobile gaming app in the United States.
Meanwhile, Candy Crush Saga and DoubleDown Casino generated $17.51 million and $6.75 million, respectively.
Mobile Game | Revenue in Millions |
---|---|
Roblox | $30.67 |
Candy Crush Saga | $17.51 |
DoubleDown Casino - Slots Game | $6.75 |
Bingo Blitz - Bingo Games | $5.11 |
June’s Journey - Hidden Objects | $4.06 |
Township | $3.94 |
Homescapes | $3.44 |
Genshin Impact - Sumeru Debut | $3.2 |
Royal Match | $2.99 |
Mobile Gaming Demographics Facts
50. North America's mobile gaming penetration in 2022 was 41%.
In comparison, mobile gaming penetration in South America was at 27.4%, with Africa getting a 17.8% share.
Region | Mobile Gaming Penetration |
---|---|
North America | 41% |
South America | 27.4% |
Asia | 22.7% |
Europe | 19.6% |
Caribbean | 17.9% |
Africa | 17.8% |
Australia & Oceania | 9.6% |
51. In 2021, 48% of global mobile gamers were in Asia.
Asia topped the list with 1.2936 billion mobile gamers. Coming in second was Europe, with 0.5517 billion gamers. Oceania had the least amount of mobile gamers at 0.0253 billion.
Region | Mobile Gamers in Billions |
---|---|
Asia | 1.2936 |
Europe | 0.5517 |
Latin America | 0.3092 |
North America | 0.2077 |
MENA | 0.1458 |
Sub-Sahara Africa | 0.1262 |
Oceania | 0.0253 |
52. In Q1 2022, India experienced a 74% growth in mobile gaming spending.
Mobile gaming spending in India grew from $44 million in Q1 2021 to $76 million in Q1 2022.
Region | Consumer Spending in Q1 2021 | Consumer Spending in Q1 2022 | Percentage Growth |
---|---|---|---|
Taiwan | $645 million | $691 million | +7% |
Turkey | $116 million | $159 million | +37% |
South Korea | $1.46 billion | $1.50 billion | +3% |
India | $44 million | $76 million | +74% |
Hong Kong | $270 million | $298 million | +10% |
Mobile Gaming Industry Trends
53. In 2022, time spent playing Creative Sandbox games globally grew 25%.
In South Korea alone, playing time for creative sandbox games such as Minecraft and Roblox grew by over 45%.
54. There was a 20% drop in time spent playing Battle Royale (Shooting) games in 2022.
Only in China and Saudi Arabia did time spent playing grow by 15% and 45%, respectively.
55. In 2022, TV and pop culture influenced mobile game title ideas.
There was a trend of gaming developers flooding app stores with games inspired by streaming favorites. Netflix’s hit show ‘Squid Game’ inspired many mobile games with characters, themes, and visuals from the show.
What Is Next for Mobile Gaming?
The mobile gaming industry is fast-growing regarding market share, revenue, and consumer spending. Coupled with the immense growth of other technologies, such as AR and VR, the mobile gaming industry is looking at tremendous growth in the future.
These gaming statistics reveal that newer monetization models and strategies, such as season passes, are growing popular among gamers. Therefore, game developers and marketers must take advantage and create winning strategies to stay competitive.
If you like these stats, check out our other roundup stats on online gaming.
- https://www.data.ai/en/insights/mobile-gaming/2022-gaming-spotlight-report/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/590988/share-internet-users-playing-smartphone-games-world-region/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/512112/number-mobile-gamers-world-by-region/
- https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/the-latest-games-market-size-estimates-and-forecasts
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/511639/global-mobile-game-app-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/292512/mobile-contents-market-value-worldwide/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/673479/mobile-games-android-share-monetization-model/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/661521/global-app-stores-mobile-games-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/661553/global-app-stores-mobile-game-downloads/
- https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/the-games-market-in-2022-the-year-in-numbers
- https://www.data.ai/en/go/state-of-mobile-2023
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/558386/mobile-gaming-annual-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1200153/amount-spent-video-games-spending-spenders/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1272175/quarterly-us-app-consumer-spending-by-category/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1317223/us-iap-gaming-subscription-virtual-goods/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1200127/frequency-purchases-us-adults-video-games-coronavirus/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/260167/mobile-gaming-share-of-total-gaming-revenue-worldwide/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1295337/us-gamers-in-game-purchase-satisfaction-by-platform/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/298718/sessions-spent-android-mobile-games-publisher-usa/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691399/leading-mobile-games-publishers-google-play-us-downloads/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691515/leading-mobile-games-publishers-google-play-usa-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691375/leading-mobile-games-publishers-iphone-us-downloads/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691547/leading-iphone-games-publishers-us-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691323/leading-mobile-games-publishers-ipad-us-downloads/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691532/leading-mobile-games-ipad-publishers-us-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1285048/us-top-gaming-apps-by-downloads/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/266932/top-mobile-games-google-play-android-usa-dau/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/688393/leading-mobile-games-google-play-usa-downloads/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/690180/leading-mobile-games-google-play-usa-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691463/leading-mobile-games-iphone-us-downloads/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/299832/leading-mobile-games-usa-dau/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691505/leading-mobile-games-iphone-us-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/270297/top-ipad-games-usa-dau/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691442/leading-mobile-games-ipad-us-downloads/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691442/leading-mobile-games-ipad-us-downloads/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691492/leading-mobile-games-ipad-us-revenue/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1155866/mobile-game-revenue-growth/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1155900/mobile-game-download-growth/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128169/mobile-games-revenue-genre/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128169/mobile-games-revenue-genre/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1188911/mobile-strategy-game-spending/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/691545/leading-iphone-games-publishers-global-revenue/
- https://go.sensortower.com/state-of-gaming-2022.html
- https://help.netflix.com/en/node/121442
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1295337/us-gamers-in-game-purchase-satisfaction-by-platform/