The State of Mobile Gaming 2022
Download PDFDec, 2022 The State of
Mobile Gaming
2022
—
An Analysis of Mobile Gaming Market Trends
and Top Titles in the U.S., Europe, and Asia
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
03 – Market Overview: Worldwide
15 – Market Overview: United States
21 – Market Overview: Europe
32 – Market Overview: Asia
43 – Game Genre Trends
51 – Monetization Trends
62 – Conclusion
—
An Overview of Mobile Gaming Worldwide
Market Overview:
Worldwide
$0
$5B
$10B
$15B
$20B
$25B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
App Store Google Play
After COVID, Global Game Revenue Declines for the First Time
Global mobile game revenue surged during
the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing
its largest year-over-year growth in Q2 2020 at
33 percent. Player spending peaked in Q1 2021
at $22.6 billion.
Mobile game revenue declined Y/Y for the first
time in history during Q1 2022. Player spending
declined 6 percent Y/Y to $21.2 billion, primarily
due to the high base of comparison from the
previous year. Spending was still up nearly
20 percent compared to Q1 2020.
Market Overview: Worldwide
Worldwide quarterly consumer spending in mobile games on the App Store and Google Play
+18%
-6%
4
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
+27%
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue (including the cut taken by
Apple or Google). $8.2B $8.9B $9.2B $9.1B $9.4B $8.6B $8.4B $8.1B $7.0B $6.5B $6.5B $6.1B $6.0B $13.0B $12.9B $13.3B $12.7B $13.2B $12.3B $12.4B $12.1B $10.8B $9.9B $10.0B $9.1B $9.0B
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Game Class
Mid-Core
Casual
Casino
Sports & Racing
Lineage W Was the Only Game to Break into The Top Charts in Q1 2022
Top mobile games by worldwide revenue on the App Store and Google Play
Market Overview: Worldwide
1 Honor of Kings
Tencent
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Fate/Grand Order
Sony
Pokémon GO
Niantic
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2019
–
Homescapes
Playrix
Candy Crush Saga
King
–
Monster Strike
Mixi
-3
Fantasy Westward Journey
NetEase
–
Lineage M
NCSOFT
-3
Clash of Clans
Supercell
–
NEW
–
–
NEW
1 PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Honor of Kings
Tencent
Genshin Impact
miHoYo
Candy Crush Saga
King
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2021
Three Kingdoms Tactics
Alibaba
Roblox
Roblox
+1
Coin Master
Moon Active
-1
Pokémon GO
Niantic
-4
Garena Free Fire
Garena NEW
Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Cygames NEW
NEW
–
–
–
1 PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Honor of Kings
Tencent
Pokémon GO
Niantic
Candy Crush Saga
King
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2020
+3
Fate/Grand Order
Sony
Coin Master
Moon Active NEW
Roblox
Roblox NEW
Monster Strike
Mixi
-2
Rise of Kingdoms
Lilith Games NEW
Gardenscapes
Playrix NEW
-7
-2
+1
-1
1 Honor of Kings
Tencent
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Genshin Impact
miHoYo
Lineage W
NCSOFT
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Q1 2022
–
Garena Free Fire
Garena
Roblox
Roblox
–
Candy Crush Saga
King
+1
Coin Master
Moon Active
-2
Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Cygames
+1
Three Kingdoms Tactics
Alibaba
+1
-2
NEW
+1
-1
NEW
5
$0
$1B
$2B
$3B
$4B
$5B
$6B
$7B
Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2018 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
Top countries by mobile game spending, App Store and Google Play
Game Revenue Has Declined in the U.S. for the First Time
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
U.S. Japan China South Korea Taiwan
U.S.
-10% Y/Y
China
-1% Y/Y
Japan
-18% Y/Y
South Korea
+3% Y/Y
Taiwan
+7% Y/Y
Market Overview: Worldwide
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue (including the cut taken by
Apple or Google). China numbers only include the App Store as
Google Play is not available there.
The United States remains the top market
for mobile games, having outpaced Japan in
Q2 2019, and surpassed $6 billion in revenue
during Q1 2021.
U.S. player spending remained above $6 billion
each quarter in 2021, but declined 10 percent
year-over-year during Q1 2022.
Japan, the second largest mobile games
market, saw revenue down Y/Y for the third
consecutive quarter in Q1 2022.
Taiwan, the fifth largest market, is still growing.
Revenues increased during Q1 2022 to almost
$700 million, up 7 percent Y/Y.
6
Market share for top countries by mobile game spending, App Store and Google Play
Alternative Markets are Gaining Traction
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Market Overview: Worldwide
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue (including the cut taken by
Apple or Google). China numbers only include the App Store as
Google Play is not available there.
2018
2019
2020
2021
Q1 2022
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
U.S. Japan China South Korea Taiwan Other
The two largest markets by spending (U.S.
and Japan) experienced double digit revenue
decline during Q1 2022, losing a combined
3 percent market share of global mobile game
revenue compared to 2021.
Countries outside the top five have slowly
gained market share, suggesting that mobile
game publishers have turned to less-tapped
markets with higher growth potential.
7 24% 24% 23% 22% 22% 3% 3% 3% 3% 3% 7% 7% 7% 6% 6% 18% 17% 18% 20% 19% 20% 21% 22% 23% 26% 27% 29% 28% 26% 24%
Taiwan Has Displaced Germany as the Fifth Largest Market
Top countries by Y/Y mobile game spending growth in Q1 2022, App Store and Google Play
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Market Overview: Worldwide
$0
$200M
$400M
$600M
$800M
$1.0B
$1.2B
$1.4B
$1.6B
Taiwan
Turkey
South Korea
India
Hong Kong
Q1 2021 Q1 2022
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue (including the cut taken by
Apple or Google). China numbers only include the App Store as
Google Play is not available there.
Having experienced double-digit growth
between Q2 2018 and Q4 2021, Taiwan
displaced Germany as the fifth largest mobile
games market in the world, and no country
had higher year-over-year growth. Consumer
spending in this country was close to
$700 million in Q1 2022.
Each of the five top countries by player spending
growth are in Asia, exposing how relevant the
APAC region is for the games industry.
8
$44M
Note:
Top growing countries are determined and
sorted by the difference in revenue in Q1
2022 vs. Q1 2021, not percentage growth.
+7%
+37%
+3%
+74%
+10% $298M $76M $1.50B $159M $691M $270M $44M $1.46B $116M $645M
0
2B
4B
6B
8B
10B
12B
14B
16B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
App Store Google Play
Mobile Game Adoption Remains Stable After a Jump in 2020
Market Overview: Worldwide
Worldwide quarterly downloads of mobile games on the App Store and Google Play
+5%
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
+39%
+2%
Mobile game downloads experienced big gains
starting in Q1 2020, right at the beginning of
the pandemic. Between Q3 2019 and Q4 2020,
global downloads registered double-digit
growth and are currently stable at about the
14 billion mark.
Although mobile game adoption has slowed
since its peak in Q2 2020, it has remained well
above pre-pandemic levels.
9 12.0B 11.6B 11.6B 11.8B 11.8B 11.5B 11.8B 12.4B 10.4B 8.8B 8.7B 8.2B 7.5B 2.3B 2.2B 2.2B 2.1B 2.3B 2.1B 2.3B 2.7B 3.0B 2.3B 2.4B 2.2B 2.2B
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
1 PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Garena Free Fire
Garena
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2019
–
Homescapes
Playrix
Fun Race 3D
Good Job Games NEW
Color Bump 3D
Good Job Games NEW
My Talking Tom 2
Outfit7 NEW
Run Race 3D
Good Job Games NEW
Sand Balls
SayGames NEW
NEW
NEW
+1
NEW
Game Class
Mid-Core
Casual
Casino
Sports & Racing
1 Garena Free Fire
Garena
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Ludo King
Gametion
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2021
Hair Challenge
Rollic Games
Bridge Race
Supersonic Studios NEW
Roblox
Roblox NEW
Candy Crush Saga
King
+5
Join Clash 3D
Supersonic Studios NEW
Among Us
InnerSloth
-8
NEW
+2
+1
+1
1 Among Us
InnerSloth
Garena Free Fire
Garena
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
Gardenscapes
Playrix
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2020
–
Homescapes
Playrix
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
-3
Hunter Assassin
Ruby Games Studio NEW
Brain Out
Focus Apps NEW
Ludo King
Gametion NEW
Tiles Hop
Amanotes NEW
–
NEW
NEW
–
1 Garena Free Fire
Garena
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
Merge Master
Homa Games
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Q1 2022
NEW
Count Masters
Tap2Play
Roblox
Roblox
+1
Candy Crush Saga
King
+2
Ludo King
Gametion
-1
Race Master 3D
SayGames NEW
Fishdom
Playrix NEW
NEW
-3
–
–
Market Overview: Worldwide
+1
Seven Different Genres Appeared in the Downloads Top 10 for Q1 2022
Top mobile games by worldwide downloads on the App Store and Google Play
10
0
1B
2B
3B
Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2018 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
Top countries by mobile game downloads, App Store and Google Play
The Largest Markets Saw Game Installs Decline in Q1 2022
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
India U.S. Brazil Indonesia Russia
India
-2% Y/Y
Brazil
-2% Y/Y
U.S.
-4% Y/Y
Indonesia
+5% Y/Y
Russia
+2% Y/Y
Market Overview: Worldwide
As smartphone penetration in India increased
in recent years, it has become the largest
market for mobile game downloads. COVID-19
boosted game adoption in the market by
65 percent during 2020. After that increased
penetration, the market has cooled down and
has been decreasing since Q2 2021.
The U.S. market has been declining since
Q1 2021, with the last six quarters showing
negative growth year-over-year. Downloads in
the U.S. decreased 4 percent during Q1 2022.
Emerging markets such as Indonesia and Brazil
achieved double-digit Y/Y download growth
during 2021. Nevertheless, Indonesia and
Russia are the only top countries that continued
to show growth during Q1 2022.
Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, and
Kazakhstan were the only countries to achieve
double-digit Y/Y growth during Q1 2022. These
five markets combined are now larger than the
overall U.S. market.
11
Market share for top countries by mobile game downloads, App Store and Google Play
India Accounted for 15 Percent of Downloads in Q1 2022
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Market Overview: Worldwide
2018
2019
2020
2021
Q1 2022
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
India U.S. Brazil Indonesia Russia Other
The U.S. download market share remains stable
with just under 10 percent of worldwide installs
in Q1 2022.
India remains the largest market for downloads,
accumulating 15 percent of the worldwide total.
Nevertheless, India lost 2 percentage points
during Q1 2022 compared to 2021.
Brazil consolidated its position as the third
largest market for mobile game downloads.
During the last several quarters, downloads in
Brazil have grown faster than the in U.S. If this
trends continues during 2022, Brazil might
surpass the U.S. and become the second largest
market by downloads.
12 57% 55% 55% 56% 57% 5% 5% 5% 6% 5% 6% 6% 5% 5% 5% 8% 8% 8% 8% 8% 9% 9% 10% 11% 12% 15% 17% 17% 14% 13%
Top countries by Y/Y mobile game download growth in Q1 2022, App Store and Google Play
Emerging Markets in APAC Grew During Q1 2022
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Market Overview: Worldwide
Vietnam saw the largest download growth
during Q1 2022, with installs increasing more
than 80 million, up 21 percent year-over-year.
Thailand also experienced high download
growth during the quarter, as installs rose by
nearly 60 million, up 24 percent Y/Y.
The top three countries by download growth
were in Southeast Asia. Game installs climbed 11
percent Y/Y overall there. Outside of Southeast
Asia, Argentina saw the highest growth in Q1
2022.
13
0
200M
400M
600M
800M
1.0B
Vietnam
Thailand
Indonesia
Argentina
Pakistan
Q1 2021 Q1 2022
+24%
+21%
+5%
+20%
+16%
Note:
Top growing countries are determined and
sorted by the difference in downloads in Q1
2022 vs. Q1 2021, not percentage growth. 269M 227M 830M 304M 470M 231M 189M 788M 245M 388M
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Key Takeaways:
Worldwide
1.After mobile games market revenue surged during the coronavirus pandemic and
lockdowns, global consumer spending receded in Q1 2022. While worldwide
revenue still surpassed $21 billion in Q1 2022, it was down 6 percent year-over-year.
2.The two largest mobile game markets, the U.S. and Japan, experienced double-
digit revenue decline during the first quarter of 2022.
3.Mobile game downloads remained stable during Q1 2022 at about 14 billion.
4.Games from seven different genres made it into the top 10 by worldwide
downloads in Q1 2022. Many forever franchises are still among the most
downloaded titles worldwide, including Fishdom (released seven years ago), Ludo
King (eight years ago), Subway Surfers (10 years ago), and Roblox (11 years ago).
14
Market Overview:
United States
—
An Overview of Mobile Gaming in the U.S.
The U.S. mobile games industry declined for
the first time in history in Q1 2022 as consumer
spending dropped 10 percent to below $6 billion
for the first time in a year.
Consumer spending on the App Store remained
stable during the first quarter of 2022. The
overall decline is mainly focused on poor game
monetization performance on Google Play.
Consumer spending on Google Play declined
by 22 percent Y/Y, losing $655 million in gross
revenue. Android users have, on average, lower
income in the U.S. compared to iOS users.
Inflation and rising living costs may be
affecting game revenue on Google Play.
Despite a decline in Q1 2022, the U.S. is still the
top market for mobile gaming. Its revenue has
more than doubled since the start of 2018.
$0
$1B
$2B
$3B
$4B
$5B
$6B
$7B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
App Store Google Play
Inflation Has Affected U.S. Google Play Game Revenue
Market Overview: U.S.
U.S. quarterly gross revenue from mobile games on the App Store and Google Play
+22%
-10%
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
+41%
16
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google). $2.4B $2.7B $2.9B $3.0B $3.0B $2.6B $2.6B $2.6B $1.9B $1.9B $1.8B $1.8B $1.7B $3.4B $3.5B $3.4B $3.4B $3.4B $3.2B $3.3B $3.5B $2.6B $2.4B $2.3B $2.2B $2.1B
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
1 Candy Crush Saga
King
Roblox
Roblox
Clash of Clans
Supercell
Homescapes
Playrix
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2019
+1
Toon Blast
Peak Games
Pokémon GO
Niantic
-1
Coin Master
Moon Active NEW
Slotomania
Playtika
-2
PUBG Mobile
Tencent NEW
Fortnite
Epic Games
-7
-2
+4
–
+5
Game Class
Mid-Core
Casual
Casino
Sports & Racing
1 Candy Crush Saga
King
Roblox
Roblox
Coin Master
Moon Active
Genshin Impact
miHoYo
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2021
Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard
Garena Free Fire
Garena NEW
Pokémon GO
Niantic
-1
Homescapes
Playrix
-1
Lords Mobile
IGG NEW
Clash of Clans
Supercell
-2
–
NEW
+1
-1
1 Roblox
Roblox
Candy Crush Saga
King
Coin Master
Moon Active
Homescapes
Playrix
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2020
+2
Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard
Pokémon GO
Niantic
–
Gardenscapes
Playrix NEW
Clash of Clans
Supercell
-4
Slotomania
Playtika
-1
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
-1
NEW
–
+1
-1
1 Candy Crush Saga
King
Roblox
Roblox
Coin Master
Moon Active
Evony
Top Games
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Q1 2022
–
Homescapes
Playrix
Genshin Impact
miHoYo
+2
Garena Free Fire
Garena
-1
Clash of Clans
Supercell
+2
Pokémon GO
Niantic
-3
Royal Match
Dream Games NEW
-3
NEW
–
–
Market Overview: U.S.
–
Evony and Royal Match Broke into the Top Grossing U.S. Mobile Games
Top mobile games by U.S. revenue on the App Store and Google Play
17
0
500M
1.0B
1.5B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
App Store Google Play
U.S. Game Installs Fell Slightly From a Mid-Pandemic Peak
U.S. quarterly downloads of mobile games on the App Store and Google Play
25% -4%
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
-7%
Market Overview: U.S.
U.S. mobile game downloads fell from their
peak during the first several quarters of the
pandemic. Q1 2022 downloads declined by
4 percent year-over-year to 1.2 billion.
The decrease was homogeneous among both
the App Store and Google play, with declines of
4 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
18 610M 593M 581M 585M 642M 622M 628M 673M 645M 596M 601M 560M 544M 646M 635M 592M 616M 666M 648M 699M 761M 756M 673M 649M 629M 576M
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
1 Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard
Color Bump 3D
Good Job Games
Aquapark.io
Voodoo
Wordscapes
PeopleFun
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2019
NEW
Polysphere
Playgendary
Roblox
Roblox
+2
Mario Kart Tour
Nintendo NEW
Fun Race 3D
Good Job Games NEW
Run Race 3D
Good Job Games NEW
Mr Bullet
Lion Studios NEW
NEW
NEW
NEW
NEW
Game Class
Mid-Core
Casual
Casino
Sports & Racing
1 Roblox
Roblox
Project Makeover
Magic Tavern
Among Us
InnerSloth
Bridge Race
Supersonic Studios
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2021
Count Masters
Tap2Play
High Heels
Zynga NEW
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
-1
Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard
-4
Magic Tiles 3
Amanotes
-1
Paper Fold
Good Job Games NEW
NEW
NEW
+1
NEW
1 Among Us
InnerSloth
Roblox
Roblox
Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard
Coin Master
Moon Active
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2020
-2
Tangle Master 3D
Zynga
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
+18
Brain Test
Unico Studios NEW
Magic Tiles 3
Amanotes NEW
Fishdom
Playrix NEW
Woodturning
Voodoo NEW
NEW
NEW
NEW
+2
1 Wordle
Lion Studios
Coloring Match
Supersonic Studios
Roblox
Roblox
Slap and Run
Voodoo
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Q1 2022
-2
Text or Die
Rollic Games
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
+1
Count Masters
Tap2Play
+5
Money Rush
Rollic Games NEW
Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard
-1
Among Us
InnerSloth
-6
NEW
NEW
NEW
NEW
Market Overview: U.S.
-2
Wordle Broke into the Top Games by U.S. Downloads
Top mobile games by U.S. downloads on the App Store and Google Play
19
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Key Takeaways:
United States
1.The U.S. mobile game industry declined year-over-year for the first time in
history. Consumer spending dropped below $6 billion for the first time in a
year, down 10 percent year-over-year during Q1 2022.
2.Inflation and rising living costs in the U.S. may be having an impact on game
revenue on Google Play. While consumer spending remained flat on the App
Store in Q1, Google Play revenue declined 22 percent Y/Y.
3.Wordle from Lion Studios was the most popular game in the U.S. during Q1
2022, ranking No. 1 by downloads, after surpassing 8.7 million installs. The
word game, released in 2016 and sharing the same name as the web-based hit,
added the “six guess” gameplay in early February and was later acquired by
Lion Studios.
20
—
An Overview of Mobile Gaming in Europe
Market Overview:
Europe
$0
$1B
$2B
$3B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
App Store Google Play
Europe’s Game Spending Is Flat After Pandemic Growth
Market Overview: Europe
Europe quarterly gross revenue from mobile games on the App Store and Google Play
+21%
+1%
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
+29%
Mobile game consumer spending in Europe
reached $2.8 billion in Q1 2022, up 1 percent
year-over-year. Following a boost in revenue
during the pandemic, European consumer
spending is now 75 percent higher than four
years ago.
Growth in Europe during Q1 2022 came mainly
from the App Store (7 percent Y/Y), while
revenue from Google Play decreased by 4
percent Y/Y. Nevertheless, Google Play remains
the larger platform, reaching $1.5 billion in Q1
2022 compared to $1.2 billion on the App Store.
22
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google). $1.5B $1.7B $1.6B $1.6B $1.6B $1.5B $1.4B $1.4B $1.2B $1.1B $1.1B $1.0B $991M $1.2B $1.3B $1.2B $1.2B $1.2B $1.1B $1.0B $1.1B $905M $893M $845M $784M $754M
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
1 Coin Master
Moon Active
Candy Crush Saga
King
Clash of Clans
Supercell
Homescapes
Playrix
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2019
+2
Clash Royale
Supercell
Brawl Stars
Supercell NEW
Gardenscapes
Playrix
-2
Pokémon GO
Niantic
-3
Empires & Puzzles
Small Giant Games
–
Guns of Glory
FunPlus
+1
-8
+1
NEW
-1
Game Class
Mid-Core
Casual
Casino
Sports & Racing
1 PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Coin Master
Moon Active
Roblox
Roblox
Candy Crush Saga
King
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2021
Clash of Clans
Supercell
State of Survival
FunPlus
+6
Brawl Stars
Supercell
-3
Gardenscapes
Playrix
-3
Homescapes
Playrix
–
Pokémon GO
Niantic
-4
-1
+1
+2
-1
1 Coin Master
Moon Active
Brawl Stars
Supercell
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Roblox
Roblox
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2020
NEW
State of Survival
FunPlus
Gardenscapes
Playrix
+1
Pokémon GO
Niantic
+2
Candy Crush Saga
King
-5
Homescapes
Playrix
-2
Clash of Clans
Supercell
-6
NEW
NEW
–
+2
1 Coin Master
Moon Active
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Candy Crush Saga
King
State of Survival
FunPlus
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Q1 2022
+3
Fishdom
Playrix
Roblox
Roblox
-1
Gardenscapes
Playrix
+2
Homescapes
Playrix
+1
Clash of Clans
Supercell
+2
Genshin Impact
miHoYo NEW
NEW
-2
+1
-1
Market Overview: Europe
+3
Coin Master Regained Its Lead in Europe, Deposing PUBG Mobile
Top mobile games by Europe revenue on the App Store and Google Play
23
$0
$100M
$200M
$300M
$400M
$500M
$600M
Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2018 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
Top European countries by mobile game revenue, App Store and Google Play
Turkey Passes Italy to Rank Among the Top Five in Europe
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Germany U.K. France Russia Turkey
Germany
-5% Y/Y
France
-5% Y/Y
U.K.
-2% Y/Y
Russia
-4% Y/Y
Italy
+1% Y/Y
Market Overview: Europe
Italy
Turkey
+36% Y/Y
24
The mobile games category declined across the
four biggest markets in Europe during Q1 2022
(Germany, U.K., France, and Russia).
Turkey stands out as the fastest growing
market in Europe, generating $160 million in
consumer spending, a 36 percent increase Y/Y.
Turkey surpassed Italy in Q2 2021 and became
the fifth biggest market in Europe.
Spain and the Netherlands also experienced
a positive first quarter, growing 7 percent and
5 percent, respectively.
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google).
$0
$25M
$50M
$75M
$100M
$125M
$150M
$175M
Turkey Poland Ukraine Greece
Spain
Q1 2021 Q1 2022
Top European countries by Y/Y game revenue growth in Q1 2022, App Store and Google Play
Turkey Saw Substantial Y/Y Revenue Growth in Q1 2022
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
+37%
+14%
+17%
+26%
+7%
Market Overview: Europe
Turkey’s mobile game revenue grew by nearly
$40 million year-over-year in Q1 2022, which
was followed by Ukraine at $13 million and
Poland at $10 million.
Turkey was the fastest growing games market
in Europe during Q1 2022. This shows that the
country is not only a hub for great talent and
developers, but also a lucrative market.
Over the last several years, Turkey has become
the Silicon Valley of the mobile games industry.
Peak Games, a Turkish company based in
Istanbul, was acquired by Zynga in 2020 for
$1.8 billion. Another Turkish studio, Dream
Games, publishes Royal Match, a Puzzle title that
reached the top 10 grossing rankings in the U.S.
25
Note:
Top growing countries are determined and
sorted by the difference in revenue in Q1
2022 vs. Q1 2021, not percentage growth.
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google). $86M $30M $43M $57M $159M $80M $24M $37M $50M $116M
Top games publishers by European revenue in 2021 on the App Store and Google Play
Tencent and AppLovin are the Fastest Growing Publishers in Europe
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
$0
$100M
$200M
$300M
$400M
$500M
$600M
$700M
Playrix Supercell Activision Zynga Tencent Moon Active FunPlus Playtika Roblox AppLovin
2020 2021
+13%
+9%
+17%
+0%
+64% +5%
+11%
+16% +30% +40%
Market Overview: Europe
Two European publishers generated the most
revenue in Europe during 2021, with the
popular Puzzle and Decorate genre developer
Playrix and Strategy game publisher Supercell
leading the way. There were also two Israel-
based publishers (Moon Active and Playtika)
among the top 10.
Tencent was the fastest growing publisher in
Europe during 2021, with revenue growing by
64 percent year-over-year.
U.S. mobile technology company AppLovin also
showed a very strong performance in Europe,
with revenue from its portfolio increasing by
40 percent Y/Y.
26
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google). $261M $265M $274M $415M $432M $435M $459M $542M $623M $681M $186M $204M $236M $374M $411M $266M $459M $461M $571M $605M
0
1B
2B
3B
4B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
App Store Google Play
European Game Installs Were Stagnant in Q1 2022
European quarterly downloads from mobile games on the App Store and Google Play
+28%
+0.2%
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
-1%
Market Overview: Europe
Mobile game installs remained above 3 billion
during Q1 2022 in Europe, up 0.2 percent year-
over-year.
The overall negligible growth came from the App
Store (up 10 percent Y/Y), while Google Play
installs, which account for the vast majority of
all downloads, decreased by 2 percent Y/Y.
Google Play remains the most relevant mobile
game marketplace in Europe, accounting for
81 percent of the downloads market share.
27 2.7B 2.5B 2.3B 2.3B 2.7B 2.5B 2.3B 2.6B 2.6B 2.2B 2.1B 1.9B 2.0B 608M 574M 490M 486M 554M 545M 536M 616M 673M 603M 575M 531M 539M
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
1 Brawl Stars
Supercell
Color Bump 3D
Good Job Games
Fun Race 3D
Good Job Games
Run Race 3D
Good Job Games
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2019
NEW
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard NEW
Homescapes
Playrix NEW
Sand Balls
SayGames NEW
Aquapark.io
Voodoo NEW
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
-4
-8
NEW
NEW
NEW
Game Class
Mid-Core
Casual
Casino
Sports & Racing
1 Count Masters
Tap2Play
Roblox
Roblox
Among Us
InnerSloth
DOP 2
SayGames
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2021
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Brawl Stars
Supercell
-2
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
–
Phone Case DIY
Crazy Labs NEW
Hair Challenge
Zynga NEW
Going Balls
Supersonic Studios NEW
-3
NEW
NEW
+4
1 Among Us
InnerSloth
Brawl Stars
Supercell
Gardenscapes
Playrix
Roblox
Roblox
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2020
NEW
Tiles Hop
Amanotes
Brain Test
Unico Studios NEW
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
+5
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
+2
Brain Out
Focus Apps NEW
Woodturning
Voodoo NEW
NEW
NEW
NEW
-1
1 Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
Roblox
Roblox
Count Masters
Tap2Play
Coloring Match
Supersonic Studios
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Q1 2022
-2
Magic Tiles 3
Amanotes
Race Master 3D
SayGames NEW
Fishdom
Playrix NEW
Twerk Race 3D
Tap2Play NEW
Airport Security
Kwalee NEW
Paper Fold
Good Job Games NEW
NEW
NEW
+4
–
Market Overview: Europe
-2
Half of the Top Games by Downloads in Europe are Hypercasual Titles
Top mobile games by Europe downloads on the App Store and Google Play
28
0
100M
200M
300M
400M
500M
600M
700M
800M
Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2018 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
Top European countries by mobile game downloads, App Store and Google Play
Turkey Drives European Game Download Growth
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Russia Turkey U.K. Germany France
Russia
+2% Y/Y
United Kingdom
-7% Y/Y
Turkey
+6% Y/Y
Germany
-11% Y/Y
France
-5% Y/Y
Market Overview: Europe
Russia was the top European market in Q1
2022 with 773 million downloads, followed by
Turkey at 567 million. This was more than
double the No. 3 market, the U.K., which
generated 230 million during the quarter.
Many of the developed countries in Europe saw
downloads decline year-over-year in Q1 2022.
U.K. downloads were down 7 percent Y/Y, while
Germany’s dropped 11 percent and France’s fell
5 percent.
Turkey, the fastest growing European country
by revenue, was also the fastest growing
country by downloads, with 6 percent Y/Y
growth in Q1 2022.
29
Top European countries by Y/Y game download growth in 1Q22, App Store and Google Play
Poland Leads Download Growth in Europe
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
0
200M
400M
600M
800M
Turkey
Russia
Ukraine
Poland
Romania
Q1 2021 Q1 2022
+6%
+2%
+7%
+8%
+3%
Market Overview: Europe
Note:
Top growing countries are determined and
sorted by the difference in downloads in Q1
2022 vs. Q1 2021, not percentage growth.
Even though overall downloads in Europe
remained flat in Q1 2022, some countries saw
solid download growth.
Poland game downloads reached 125 million
during Q1 2022, up 8 percent year-over-year.
Ukraine registered 7 percent growth Y/Y.
Turkey ranks as the No. 2 largest market in
Europe by downloads, increasing 6 percent
Y/Y to 568 million.
Russia, the largest market by downloads
in Europe, saw little growth, accumulating
774 million downloads in Q1 2022.
30 80M 125M 212M 774M 568M 78M 116M 198M 757M 537M
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Key Takeaways:
Europe
1.Mobile game consumer spending in Europe reached $2.8 billion during Q1 2022,
up 1 percent year-over-year. Following a surge in revenue during the pandemic
and resulting lockdowns, Europe’s game revenue is now 75 percent higher than it
was four years ago.
2.Over the past several years, Turkey has become the Silicon Valley of the
mobile gaming industry. Peak Games, a Turkish company based in Istanbul, was
acquired by Zynga in 2020 for $1.8 billion. Meanwhile, another local studio,
Dream Games, publishes Royal Match, a Puzzle game that made the top 10 list of
highest grossing titles in the U.S.
3.Turkey is not only a hub for mobile game development, but also stands out as
the fastest growing market in Europe, generating $160 million in consumer
spending, a 36 percent increase Y/Y. During Q1 2022, Turkey surpassed Italy and
became the fifth largest market in Europe.
4.Tencent was the fastest growing publisher in Europe during 2021, with revenue
climbing 64 percent Y/Y. U.S. mobile technology company AppLovin also showed
a very strong performance in Europe, with revenue from its portfolio of titles
increasing by 40% Y/Y.
31
—
An Overview of Mobile Gaming in Asia
Market Overview:
Asia
$0
$5B
$10B
$15B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
App Store Google Play
Game Revenue in Asia Declined 7 Percent Year-Over-Year
Market Overview: Asia
Asia’s quarterly gross revenue from mobile games on the App Store and Google Play
+15%
-7%
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
+21%
Asia’s mobile game revenue surpassed $12
billion in Q1 2021, up 21 percent year-over-year.
During Q1 2022, revenue decreased by 7 percent
Y/Y to $11.2 billion.
The revenue decline was more pronounced on
Google Play (13 percent) compared to the App
Store, which decreased by 4 percent Y/Y during
Q1 2022.
Following the same trend observed in the U.S.
market, mobile game revenue in Asia declined
during Q1 2022. Still, it remains by far the most
lucrative region for mobile game revenue, led by
China and Japan.
33
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google). $3.7B $3.9B $4.1B $3.8B $4.2B $4.0B $3.9B $3.5B $3.3B $3.1B $3.1B $2.8B $2.9B $7.6B $7.3B $7.9B $7.3B $7.9B $7.3B $7.3B $6.8B $6.7B $6.0B $6.2B $5.6B $5.7B
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
1 Honor of Kings
Tencent
Fate/Grand Order
Sony
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Lineage M
NCSOFT
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2019
NEW
Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle
Bandai Namco
Monster Strike
Mixi
-2
Fantasy Westward Journey
NetEase
–
Puzzle & Dragons
GungHo
-1
Perfect World
Tencent NEW
Knives Out
NetEase
-2
–
-2
–
+1
Game Class
Mid-Core
Casual
Casino
Sports & Racing
1 Honor of Kings
Tencent
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Genshin Impact
miHoYo
Fate/Grand Order
Sony
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2021
Monster Strike
Mixi
Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Cygames NEW
Three Kingdoms Tactics
Alibaba
–
Puzzle & Dragons
GungHo
+6
Fantasy Westward Journey
NetEase
–
Pro Baseball Spirits A
Konami NEW
-7
-2
–
–
1 Honor of Kings
Tencent
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Monster Strike
Mixi
Lineage M
NCSOFT
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2020
+1
AFK Arena
Lilith Games
Fate/Grand Order
Sony
-2
Three Kingdoms Tactics
Alibaba NEW
Lineage2M
NCSOFT NEW
Fantasy Westward Journey
NetEase
-3
Knives Out
NetEase
–
NEW
–
–
+1
1 Honor of Kings
Tencent
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Genshin Impact
miHoYo
Three Kingdoms Tactics
Alibaba
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Q1 2022
–
Puzzle & Dragons
GungHo
Lineage W
NCSOFT NEW
Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Cygames
-1
Monster Strike
Mixi
+3
Fate/Grand Order
Sony
-2
Fantasy Westward Journey
NetEase
-1
-3
-1
–
–
Market Overview: Asia
NEW
Lineage W Climbed into the Top Five Just Five Months After its Release
Top mobile games by Asia revenue on the App Store and Google Play
34
$0
$1B
$2B
$3B
$4B
$5B
$6B
Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2018 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
Top Asian countries by mobile game revenue, App Store and Google Play
Japan’s Game Revenue Declined 18 Percent in Q1 2022
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Japan China South Korea Taiwan Hong Kong
Japan
-18% Y/Y
South Korea
+3% Y/Y
China
-1% Y/Y
Taiwan
+7% Y/Y
Hong Kong
+10% Y/Y
Market Overview: Asia
Four of the top five countries globally by mobile
game revenue are in Asia, with the U.S. as the
only exception. Japan surpassed $4.2 billion in
Q1 2022, followed by China at $3.8 billion and
South Korea at $1.5 billion.
Japan, the largest market in Asia, experienced
a double-digit revenue decline during Q1 2022,
down 18 percent Y/Y.
Even though they are smaller markets,both
Taiwan and Hong Kong saw healthy growth
during Q1 2022, rising by 7 percent and
10 percent Y/Y, respectively.
India, the largest mobile games market in the
world by downloads, started to catch up in
consumer spending. During Q4 2021, spending
increased 96 percent Y/Y, followed by a very
strong Q1 2022, with revenue up 73 percent.
35
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue (including the cut taken by
Apple or Google). China numbers only include the App Store as
Google Play is not available there.
Top Asian countries by Y/Y game revenue growth in Q1 2022, App Store and Google Play
India’s Mobile Games Market Starts to Heat Up
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
$0
$200M
$400M
$600M
$800M
$1.0B
$1.2B
$1.4B
$1.6B
Taiwan
South Korea
India
Hong Kong
Singapore
Q1 2021 Q1 2022
+7%
+3%
+73%
+10%
+18%
Market Overview: Asia
Japan’s mobile game revenue decreased by
more than $900 million in Q1 2022 vs. Q1 2021,
a reduction of 18 percent. Thailand also showed
weak performance, with revenue decreasing
31 percent year-over-year to $65 million.
Taiwan was the No. 1 country in Asia by growth,
with consumer spending up nearly 7 percent Y/Y
to more than $690 million.
Historically, India has been the No. 1 country in
the world by downloads, concentrating almost
15 percent of worldwide installs. Nevertheless,
games have had a tough time monetizing in this
geo, with revenue representing 0.4 percent of
global spending. During the last two quarters,
consumer spending in games in India has
picked up, increasing 95 percent Y/Y in Q4 2021
and 73 percent in Q1 2022.
36
$44M
Note:
Top growing countries are determined and
sorted by the difference in revenue in Q1
2022 vs. Q1 2021, not percentage growth. $126M $298M $76M $1.50B $691M $107M $270M $44M $1.46B $645M
Market Overview: Asia
Top games publishers by SEA revenue in 2021 on the App Store and Google Play
Half of the Top SEA Publishers are Based in China
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
$0
$50M
$100M
$150M
$200M
$250M
$300M
$350M
Garena Moonton miHoYo Tencent Lilith Games Moon Active Roblox FunPlus Playrix Konami
2020 2021
+9%
-14%
+144%
+1%
-25%
+5%
+48% +2%
+6% +45%
Singapore-based Garena remained the
dominant publisher in Southeast Asia (SEA)
with more than double the revenue of the next
closest publisher, Moonton. The publisher saw
a rise in revenue of 9 percent year-over-year.
China represented half of the top 10 publishers
by revenue in SEA in 2021. Interestingly, half of
the top 10 publishers in SEA were also among
the top 10 in Europe: Tencent, Moon Active,
FunPlus, Playrix, and Roblox.
The top performing publisher in SEA was
Garena, with its flagship title Garena Free Fire
growing 9 percent Y/Y .
37
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google). $47M $51M $54M $56M $61M $72M $90M $115M $122M $343M $32M $49M $53M $38M $58M $97M $89M $47M $143M $314M
0
1B
2B
3B
4B
5B
6B
7B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
App Store Google Play
Asia’s Mobile Game Adoption Growth Continued in Q1 2022
Asia’s quarterly downloads from mobile games on the App Store and Google Play
+46%
+4%
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
+7%
Market Overview: Asia
Quarterly mobile game downloads in Asia
surpassed 6 billion for the first time in Q2 2020
during the pandemic. Although installs have
dropped off from this peak, they still surpassed
5.8 billion during Q1 2022, up 4 percent year-
over-year
The vast majority of game installs in Asia came
from Google Play, driven largely by countries
like India and Indonesia where Android phones
are much more popular than iPhones. About
87 percent of downloads in Q1 2022 were from
Google Play, up from 71 percent in Q1 2018.
38 5.1B 5.0B 5.1B 5.4B 4.8B 4.9B 5.3B 5.4B 4.1B 3.5B 3.4B 3.4B 2.8B 761M 685M 777M 678M 758M 614M 744M 903M 1.2B 746M 893M 790M 822M
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
1 PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Garena Free Fire
Garena
Ludo King
Gametion
Fun Race 3D
Good Job Games
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2019
-1
Candy Crush Saga
King
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
-1
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Moonton
+1
My Talking Tom 2
Outfit7 NEW
Temple Run 2
Imangi Studios
-1
Carrom Pool
Miniclip NEW
-2
NEW
–
+3
Game Class
Mid-Core
Casual
Casino
Sports & Racing
1 Ludo King
Gametion
Garena Free Fire
Garena
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Join Clash 3D
Supersonic Studios
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2021
Subway Princess Runner
Ivy
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
+1
Carrom Pool
Miniclip
+3
Candy Crush Saga
King
+5
Bridge Race
Supersonic Studios NEW
Worms Zone.io
Azur Interactive
-2
NEW
NEW
–
–
1 Ludo King
Gametion
Garena Free Fire
Garena
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
Brain Out
Focus Apps
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2020
-2
Among Us
InnerSloth
Hunter Assassin
Ruby Games NEW
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
-1
Worms Zone.io
Azur Interactive NEW
Carrom Pool
Miniclip
+1
Gardenscapes
Playrix NEW
NEW
NEW
+2
–
1 Garena Free Fire
Garena
Ludo King
Gametion
Subway Surfers
Sybo Games
Candy Crush Saga
King
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Q1 2022
+1
My Talking Tom 2
Outfit7
Merge Master
Homa Games NEW
PUBG Mobile
Tencent
-2
Carrom Pool
Miniclip
-2
Truck Simulator
Games Wing NEW
Find the Alien
Moonee NEW
+4
+1
+1
-1
Market Overview: Asia
–
Games from Seven Different Genres Reached the Top 10 in Q1 2022
Top mobile games by Asia downloads on the App Store and Google Play
39
0
1B
2B
3B
Q1 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2018 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
Top Asian countries by mobile game downloads, App Store and Google Play
India’s Game Installs Dwarf All Other Markets
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
India Indonesia Vietnam Philippines China
India
-2% Y/Y
China
-7% Y/Y
Indonesia
+5% Y/Y
Philippines
+12% Y/Y
Market Overview: Asia
India is the largest mobile games market by
downloads in the world. It has seen rapid
growth since the start of 2019, climbing from
1.2 billion in Q1 2019 to nearly 2.9 billion in
Q3 2020. After that explosive growth, downloads
began trending downwards in Q2 2021. During
the last quarter, Indian game downloads were
down 2 percent year-over-year to 2.2 billion.
Vietnam has experienced strong download
growth of 21 percent Y/Y in Q1 2022. The
Philippines also performed well in Q1 2022,
with installs up 12 percent Y/Y.
40
Vietnam
+21% Y/Y
Note:
China numbers only include the App Store
as Google Play is not available there.
Top Asian countries by Y/Y game download growth in Q1 2022, App Store and Google Play
Thailand and Vietnam Top Install Growth in Asia
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
0
200M
400M
600M
800M
1.0B
Vietnam
Thailand
Indonesia
Pakistan
Philippines
Q1 2021 Q1 2022
+21%
+24%
+5%
+16%
+10%
Market Overview: Asia
Many of the fastest growth markets in Asia
are in Southeast Asia, including the top three
countries by year-over-year growth. Mobile
game installs in Vietnam grew by
approximately 80 million Y/Y in Q1 2022.
Game installs in Thailand increased by almost
60 million during Q1 2022, up 24 percent Y/Y.
Indonesia and the Philippines also experienced
positive growth during the quarter, with
downloads increasing by 5 percent and
12 percent, respectively.
Note:
Top growing countries are determined and
sorted by the difference in downloads in Q1
2022 vs. Q1 2021, not percentage growth.
41 386M 269M 830M 304M 470M 350M 231M 788M 245M 388M
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Key Takeaways:
Asia
1.Asia is the top region for mobile games by consumer spending. During Q1
2022, revenue decreased by 7 percent year-over-year to $11.2 billion.
2.Originally released in 1998, Lineage is one of the highest grossing video game
franchises of all time. Five months after its release, Lineage W climbed to the top
of the revenue charts in Asia, where it currently ranks No. 4 behind Genshin
Impact. The title, published by NCSoft, reached $272 million in consumer
spending in Asia during the first quarter of 2022.
3.Japan, the largest mobile games market in Asia by revenue and the second
largest in the world, experienced a double-digit revenue decline during Q1 2022,
down 18 percent Y/Y.
42
—
Worldwide Trends by Mobile Game Genre
Game Genre Trends
Top 10 game genres by worldwide gross revenue, App Store and Google Play
RPG was the Top Game Genre by Revenue in 2021
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Game Genre Trends
RPG
Strategy
Puzzle
Casino
Shooter
Simulation
Action
Sports
Lifestyle
Geolocation AR
$0 $5B $10B $15B $20B $25B
2020 2021 Top Game:
Uma Musume
Honor of Kings
Candy Crush Saga
Coin Master
PUBG Mobile
Roblox
Ensemble Stars!
Pro Baseball Spirits A
Genshin Impact
Pokémon GO
Top Country:
36%
30%
52%
60%
33%
48%
26%
40%
50%
53%
Top Sub-Genre:
MMORPG
4X Strategy
Puzzle & Decorate
Slots
Battle Royale
Sandbox
Open World Adventure
Realistic Sports
Music / Rhythm
Geolocation AR
+5%
+13%
+14%
+9%
+9%
+12%
+58%
+3%
+4%
-3%
RPG led all genres by revenue in 2021, followed
by Strategy and Puzzle. Strategy revenue grew
by $2B year-over-year, while RPG was close
behind with growth of $1.2B, followed by Puzzle
with an increase of $1.1B.
Among the top genres, Action led the way
with Y/Y growth at 58 percent, mainly due to
the strong performance of Genshin Impact.
The No. 2 fastest growing genre was Puzzle
with 14 percent, with Strategy ranking No. 3
at 13 percent Y/Y.
44
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google). $1.8B $3.1B $3.1B $4.2B $4.8B $6.3B $8.0B $9.8B $17.3B $24.0B $1.9B $3.0B $3.0B $2.7B $4.3B $5.7B $7.3B $8.6B $15.3B $22.8B
$0
$1B
$2B
$3B
$4B
$5B
$6B
$7B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
RPG Strategy Puzzle Casino Shooter Simulation
Worldwide revenue by game genre, App Store and Google Play
Most Top Genres Saw Revenue Decline in Q1 2022
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
RPG
-13% Y/Y
Puzzle
-6% Y/Y
Strategy
-1% Y/Y
Casino
-8% Y/Y
Shooter
-14% Y/Y
Simulation
0% Y/Y
Game Genre Trends
RPG is the largest genre by worldwide revenue.
Quarterly gross revenue has been above $5
billion since Q1 2020, with a peak of $6.1 billion
during Q3 2021. Nevertheless, during the first
quarter of 2022, it experienced a double-digit
decline, with spend decreasing by 13 percent
year-over-year.
The five largest game genres registered revenue
declines during Q1 2022. Among them, Strategy
had the least drastic decrease. It has remained
above $4 billion in gross revenue each quarter
since Q4 2020. During Q1 2022, Strategy games
generated $4.2 billion worldwide, down
1 percent Y/Y.
Shooter saw the steepest decline among the top
genres, with revenue falling by 14 percent Y/Y in
Q1 2022.
45
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google).
Top 10 game sub-genres by year-over-year revenue growth and decline in Q1 2022
Real-Time Strategy is the Fastest Growing Sub-Genre
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Game Genre Trends
Real-Time Strategy
Open World Adventure
MOBA
Card Battler
Tycoon / Cra!ing
Other Arcade
Idler
Build & Battle
Customization
Board
Social Casino
Realistic Sports
Puzzle RPG
Puzzle & Decorate
MMORPG
Geolocation AR
Battle Royale
Turn-based RPG
Squad RPG
4X Strategy
-$400M -$300M -$200M -$100M $0 $100M $200M
Casino Casual Mid-Core Sports & Racing
Mid-Core games saw very heterogeneous
performance during Q1 2022. Some of the Mid-
Core sub-genres were the fastest growing, while
others saw the largest declines.
Real-Time Strategy was the fastest growing sub-
genre during Q1 2022, with revenue increasing
by more than $130 million, mainly due to the
excellent performance of Clash Royale from
Supercell. The No. 2 fastest growing sub-genre
was Open World Adventure, with consumer
spending increasing by more than $110 million,
driven by the global scaling of Genshin Impact.
On the other hand, 4X Strategy was the
fastest declining sub-genre in Q1 2022. Rise
of Kingdoms (revenue down 27 percent Y/Y)
and State of Survival (down 28 percent Y/Y)
contributed to this decrease.
46
Fastest Growing
Fastest Declining
Note:
Revenue figures are gross revenue
(including the cut taken by Apple or Google).
Top 10 game genres by worldwide downloads, App Store and Google Play
The Ascent of Hypercasual Continued in 2021
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Game Genre Trends
Hypercasual
Arcade
Puzzle
Simulation
Lifestyle
Shooter
Tabletop
Action
Strategy
Sports
0 5B 10B 15B
2020 2021
+15%
-15%
-15%
-5%
+0%
-27%
-13%
-13%
-7%
-9%
Hypercasual install growth continued in 2021,
rising 15 percent year-over-year. Hypercasual
games were downloaded nearly 14 billion times
last year.
While Hypercasual continued to grow in 2021, all
other game genres exhibited negative growth.
Shooter was the worst performing genre in
terms of growth, with worldwide installs
decreasing 27 percent Y/Y during 2021. However,
it still ranked as the sixth largest genre.
47
Top Game:
Bridge Race
Subway Surfers
Candy Crush Saga
Roblox
Magic Tiles 3
Garena Free Fire
Ludo King
1945 Air Force
Mobile Legends
8 Ball Pool
Top Country:
22%
23%
28%
21%
Top Sub-Genre:
Traversal
Plataformer / Runner
Other Puzzle
Driving /
Flight Simulator
Lifestyle Simulator
FPS / 3PS
Board
Action Sandbox
4X Strategy
Realistic Sports
14%
14%
16%
10%
18%
16% 1.5B 1.5B 1.6B 1.9B 2.1B 3.8B 4.7B 4.8B 5.3B 13.8B 1.7B 1.7B 1.9B 2.2B 2.8B 3.8B 4.9B 5.7B 6.3B 11.9B
0
1B
2B
3B
4B
Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2019 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2020 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022
Hypercasual Arcade Simulation Puzzle Lifestyle Shooter
Worldwide download growth by game genre, App Store and Google Play
Hypercasual Has Seen Staggering Growth Since 2018
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Hypercasual
+3% Y/Y
Simulation
+3% Y/Y
Arcade
-14% Y/Y
Puzzle
-12% Y/Y
Lifestyle
-5% Y/Y
Shooter
-17% Y/Y
Game Genre Trends
Hypercasual installs have skyrocketed,
climbing from 757 million in Q1 2018 to more
than 3.5 billion in Q1 2022. The genre was
responsible for 32.5 percent of downloads in Q1
2022; no other genre had more than 12 percent.
Other genres such as Puzzle, Arcade, and
Shooter saw double-digit declines in Q1 2022.
48
Top 10 game sub-genres by year-over-year downloads growth and decline in Q1 2022
Hypercasual Sub-Genres Drive Adoption Growth
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Game Genre Trends
49
Hypercasual – Other
Hypercasual – Traversal
Sandbox
Hypercasual – Ultracasual
Music / Rhythm
Tower Defense
Arcade Racing
Tycoon / Cra!ing
Realistic Sports
Beat ’em Up
Social Party
Hypercasual – Puzzle
Lifestyle Simulator
Customization
Puzzle & Decorate
Driving / Flight Simulator
Hypercasual – Racing
Arcade Driving
Platformer / Runner
FPS / 3PS
Hypercasual – Simulation
-150M -100M -50M 0 50M 100M 150M 200M
Casual Mid-Core Sports & Racing
Five of the top 10 fastest growing sub-genres
by year-over-year growth in Q1 2022 were in
the Hypercasual genre, including the top two.
FPS/3PS was the only Mid-Core game sub-genre
that saw a decline during Q1 2022. The Shooter
sub-genre reached 205M downloads in the
quarter, down 82 million from the previous year.
Fastest Growing
Fastest Declining
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Key Takeaways:
Game Genre Trends
1.RPG led all genres by revenue in 2021, followed by Strategy and Puzzle.
2.Among the top genres, Action led the way with year-over-year growth at 58 percent
in 2021, mainly due to the excellent performance of Genshin Impact. The No. 2
fastest growing genre was Puzzle at 14 percent, followed by Strategy at No. 3 at 13
percent Y/Y.
3.The five largest game genres registered revenue declines during Q1 2022. Among
them, Strategy had the least drastic decrease, remaining above $4 billion in gross
revenue each quarter since Q4 2020.
4.Real-Time Strategy was the fastest growing sub-genre during Q1 2022, with
revenue increasing by more than $130 million. The increase was mainly due to the
excellent performance of Clash Royale from Supercell. The No. 2 fastest growing
sub-genre was Open World Adventure, with consumer spending increasing by
more than $110 million, mainly due to the global scaling of Genshin Impact.
5.Hypercasual installs have skyrocketed, climbing from 757 million in Q1 2018 to
more than 3.5 billion in Q1 2022. The genre was responsible for 32.5 percent of
downloads in Q1 2022; no other genre had more than 12 percent.
50
—
Trends in Mobile Game Monetization Strategies
Monetization Trends
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Yahtzee with Buddies .
Cash Tornado Slots .
Wordscapes .
Phase 10: World Tour .
Match 3D .
UNO .
BitLife .
Bricks Ball Crusher .
Among Us .
Hill Climb Racing 2 .
Gross Revenue
$0 $25M $50M $75M $100M $125M
Casino Casual Mid-Core Sports & Racing Ad Removal Gacha Season Pass Subscription Live Ops
✔ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✔ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✖
✔ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✔
✔ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✔ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✔ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✔ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✖
✔ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔
✔ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖
✔ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
Monetization Trends
Top 10 games by worldwide revenue in 2021 with Ad Removal
Casual Leverages Ad Removal Monetization for Success
Casino game Cash Tornado Slots from AppLovin
stands out as the only non-casual title in the top
10 grossing rankings that features an Ad
Removal option.
Three of the top earning titles with an
Ad Removal option (Cash Tornado Slots,
Wordscapes, and Match 3D) are published
by U.S.-based AppLovin.
This demonstrates the publisher’s expertise
in the mobile advertising space, where it
operates its own ad network. It is able to
leverage this, in some cases alongside other
monetization methods.
52
Interested in Seeing More Monetization Insights?
This data in this section is from our State of Mobile
Game Monetization report.
Click here to download the full report. $16M $16M $21M $26M $28M $45M $70M $71M $113M $93M
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Genshin Impact .
Uma Musume .
Rise of Kingdoms .
Fate/Grand Order .
Puzzle & Dragons .
Monster Strike .
Pro Baseball Spirits A .
Lineage M .
DBZ Dokkan Battle .
Lineage 2M .
Gross Revenue
$0 $500M $1.0B $1.5B $2.0B
Casino Casual Mid-Core Sports & Racing Ad Removal Gacha Season Pass Subscription Live Ops
✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔
✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔
✖ ✔ ✖ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔
✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔
✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔
✖ ✔ ✖ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✔
53
Monetization Trends
Gacha is most commonly utilized in the Mid-
Core market, with titles in the class accounting
for nine of the top 10 revenue generating
games that feature Gacha monetization.
Only three out of the top 10 grossing Gacha
games also implemented a season pass,
suggesting that there are challenges in
implementing the two models together.
Konami has successfully implemented Gacha
mechanics into its sports titles such as
Professional Baseball Spirits A and eFootball
PES 2021. While these two titles are skewed
toward the Japanese market, another game,
Golf Clash from Playdemic, has successfully
brought this to the West.
Top 10 games by worldwide revenue in 2021 with Gacha
Konami Finds Lucrative Blend Between Sports and Gacha
Dragon Ball Z
Dokkan Battle
Uma Musume Pretty Derby $686M $504M $529M $564M $702M $745M $881M $926M $990M $1.9B
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
PUBG Mobile .
Honor of Kings .
Genshin Impact .
Roblox .
Garena Free Fire .
Three Kingdoms Tactics .
Rise of Kingdoms .
Puzzle & Dragons .
Lords Mobile .
DBZ Dokkan Battle .
Gross Revenue
$0 $1B $2B $3B
Casino Casual Mid-Core Sports & Racing Ad Removal Gacha Season Pass Subscription Live Ops
✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✖ ✔ ✔
Monetization Trends
User-Generated Content Fuels Roblox Subscription Success
Roblox Robux
Subscription
Top 10 games by worldwide revenue in 2021 with Subscription
Note: While some Roblox experiences have Season Pass
implemented, Roblox itself does not.
Dragon Ball Z
Dokkan Battle
54
Roblox stands out as one of the only top
grossing mobile titles that implements a
Subscription without a Season Pass. One of the
key foundations for a Subscription model to
work is the constant stream of new content to
avoid churn, often provided by Live Ops. In the
case of Roblox, the subscription provides a
regular, set amount of in-game currency,
Robux, that can be used on the title’s wide
variety of user-generated content. $529M $667M $745M $926M $931M $1.2B $1.9B $2.8B $2.9B $1.4B
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
PUBG Mobile .
Honor of Kings .
Genshin Impact .
Candy Crush Saga .
Garena Free Fire .
Rise of Kingdoms .
Homescapes .
Call of Duty: Mobile .
Gardenscapes .
Gross Revenue
$0 $1B $2B $3B
Casino Casual Mid-Core Sports & Racing Ad Removal Gacha Season Pass Subscription Live Ops
✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✔
✖ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✔
Monetization Trends
Half of World’s Top Grossing Titles Utilize a Season Pass
Half of the top grossing titles worldwide during
2021 featured a Season Pass among their
monetization mechanics.
The Shooter genre accounted for three out of
the top 10 earning titles that feature a Season
Pass. The monetization model has its roots in
the category, having been popularized by
Fortnite before finding its way into titles
including PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire,
and Call of Duty: Mobile.
While the majority of the top titles that have
implemented a Season Pass are Mid-Core
games, Casual titles have also started to add
the feature. Examples include Candy Crush Saga
from King along with Homescapes and
Gardenscapes from Playrix.
Top 10 games by worldwide revenue in 2021 with Season Pass
Fantasy Westward Journey
55 $715M $768M $926M $1.2B $1.9B $2.8B $2.9B $767M $894M $1.3B
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Player spending in Lords Mobile from IGG,
released in 2016, doubled week-over-week to
$20.7 million in January 2021 following the
introduction of the game’s new Season Pass,
dubbed Kingdom Labors, Sensor Tower Store
Intelligence data shows.
Lords Mobile players are able to purchase a
monthly Gold Pass or use the default Silver Pass.
Players can obtain prizes in return for
completing weekly tasks.
Season Pass Sparks 2X Revenue Increase in Lords Mobile
Worldwide weekly revenue of Lords Mobile on the App Store and Google Play
Monetization Trends
$0
$5M
$10M
$15M
$20M
$25M
$30M
Aug-20 Sep-20 Oct-20 Nov-20 Nov-20 Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21 Jun-21 Jul-21 Aug-21 Sep-21 Oct-21 Nov-21 Nov-21 Dec-21 Jan-22
Pre Pass Revenue Post Pass Revenue
Lords Mobile Version 2.37:
• New Event: Kingdom Labors
• Complete labors to earn event points and claim rewards, including this month’s special:
the Technolabe! Get the [Gold Pass] to claim
more rewards!
Season Pass Implementation
Lords Mobile’s Kingdom Labors
$10.2M
$20.7M
+102%
56
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
$0
$5M
$10M
$15M
$20M
Feb-17 Jul-17 Jan-18 Jul-18 Jan-19 Jul-19 Jan-20 Jul-20 Jan-21 Jul-21
Pre Pass Revenue Post Pass Revenue
Released 10 years ago, Hay Day was the first
mobile title launched globally by Supercell.
The introduction of the Farm Pass in December
2020 helped revitalize player spending in this
legacy title, with revenue rising by 46 percent
week-over-week.
As a result of the Farm Pass, Hay Day has seen
revenue rise to levels not seen since 2017, now
surpassing $14 million on average per month.
Supercell has found some success with the
Season Pass system, implementing it across its
portfolio in titles such as Clash of Clans, Clash
Royale, and Brawl Stars.
Season Pass Can Revitalize Legacy Titles
Worldwide monthly revenue of Hay Day on the App Store and Google Play
$9.7M
$14.1M
+46%
Hay Day Version 1.48.149:
Our FARMtastic update is finally here!
Introducing: Farm Pass, featuring the baby chicks!
• Farm Pass runs every month. You can earn extra
rewards as well as fun, game-enhancing perks!
• Complete goals to gain pass points and follow
the baby chick along the Farm Pass road.
Season Pass Implementation
Hay Day’s Farm Pass
Monetization Trends
57
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
F2P Mechanics Show Greater Links than Alternative Methods
Monetization Trends
Sensor Tower data reveals a strong association
between Live Ops and Gacha. This is likely due
to titles with Gacha mechanics requiring regular
updates to keep users engaged with new and
existing content.
Subscriptions and Ad Removal also show a
strong association, as these monetization
methods are both most popular with Casual
titles, which also have a higher probability of
utilizing in-game ads.
While traditional free-to-play mechanics
are intertwined, emerging and alternative
monetization methods such as Real Money and
NFT/Crypto typically show a weak relationship
with other features.
Jaccard Index Matrix of Monetization descriptors
Jaccard Index
The Jaccard index is a statistic used for gauging the
similarity and diversity of sample sets where binary data is
used. The index is defined between 0 and 1. The higher the
value, the stronger the relationship between the two sets.
Alternative
Traditional F2P
Ad Removal 1
Gacha 0.01 1
Season Pass 0.04 0.11 1
Subscription 0.35 0.14 0.19 1
Live Ops 0.07 0.62 0.32 0.30 1
NFT / Crypto 0 0 0 0 0 1
Real Money 0.01 0 0 0 0 0 1
Paid Game 0.07 0 0 0.03 0.02 0 0.01 1
Strong Relationship
between Live Ops and Gacha
Strong Relationship
between Subscription
and Ad Removal
Weak relation
Ad
Removal
Gacha Season
Pass
Subscription Live
Ops
NFT
/ Crypto
Real
Money
Paid
Game
58
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Alternative
Traditional F2P
Anime Cartoon Realistic Flat
Hyper-
Casual
Low Poly Neon Pixel
Ad Removal 0.00 0.28 0.12 0.13 0.11 0.06 0.02 0.03
Gacha 0.57 0.19 0.13 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.03
Season Pass 0.10 0.37 0.21 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.00 0.02
Subscription 0.10 0.36 0.23 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.01 0.02
Live Ops 0.38 0.34 0.21 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.03
NFT / Crypto 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Real Money 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Paid Game 0.02 0.07 0.09 0.03 0.01 0.03 0.01 0.02
Gacha Exhibits Strong Relationships with Anime Art Style
Monetization features can be crossed with other
elements of Sensor Tower’s game taxonomy for
deeper insights into the market.
Gacha is a very popular monetization mechanic
in Japan, and Sensor Tower data reveals a
strong association with games that feature
Gacha features and the Anime Art Style, which
is also hugely popular in Japan.
The Cartoon Art Style, which includes titles
such as Lords Mobile, Clash of Clans, and
Gardenscapes, also shows a strong relationship
with the Season Pass and Subscription
monetization descriptors.
Strong Relationship between
Gacha and Anime Art
Jaccard Index Matrix of Monetization and Art Style descriptors
Art Style
Relationship between
Season Pass and Cartoon Art
Monetization Trends
Jaccard Index
The Jaccard index is a statistic used for gauging the
similarity and diversity of sample sets where binary data is
used. The index is defined between 0 and 1. The higher the
value, the stronger the relationship between the two sets.
59
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Monetization Trends
60
Most IPs Adopt F2P and Live Ops, While Some Premium Franchises Remain as Paid Games
IPS + Monetization Options for IP Holders
Top 10 U.S. Games in 2021 Revenue: $1.5B
F2P + Live Ops Paid Game
Gacha
Live Ops
Paid Game
Subscription
Season Pass
Ad Removal
Real Money
NFT / Crypto
Jaccard Index between IPs and Monetization type
Top 10 U.S. Games in 2021
Revenue: $132M
60 0.18 0.18 0.00 0.02 0.07 0.08 0.20
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Key Takeaways:
Game Monetization Trends
1.While traditional free-to-play mechanics are intertwined, emerging and
alternative monetization methods such as Real Money and NFT/Crypto
typically show a weak relation to other features.
2.Gacha is a very popular monetization mechanic in Japan, and has a strong
association with games that feature Gacha features and the Anime Art Style, also
popular in Japan.
3.There is a strong synergy between Ad Removal and Subscription
monetization, particularly in casual titles where ads are more prominent.
The overlap between the two options is sometimes present where Ad Removal is
included as part of a Subscription. This combination of mechanics is not often
used in the ad-driven Hypercasual market, as the lack of long-term retention
does not justify a subscription model.
4.The Season Pass monetization model, popularized by Fortnite and implemented
across the Shooter ecosystem, has been integrated into a wider variety of genres.
Season Passes can act as a method to monetize genres that otherwise might
typically lack a full-fledged progression system. Its success proves that
monetization mechanics can be extrapolated to other game genres.
61
—
Key Takeaways from the Report
Conclusion
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
1. Following the positive impact of the pandemic on the mobile games market, consumer spending retracted globally in Q1 2022. Worldwide revenue still
surpassed $21 billion in Q1, but was down 6 percent year-over-year.
2.Inflation and rising living costs in the U.S. may be affecting game revenue on
Google Play. While consumer spending remained flat on the App Store, Google Play
revenue declined 22 percent Y/Y.
3.While Japan is the largest market in Asia and the second largest market in the
world, it experienced a double-digit revenue decline during Q1 2022, down 18
percent Y/Y.
4.Over the past several years, Turkey has become the Silicon Valley of the mobile
gaming industry. Peak Games, a Turkish company based in Istanbul, was acquired by
Zynga in 2020 for $1.8 billion. Meanwhile, another local studio, Dream Games,
publishes Royal Match, a Puzzle game that reached the Top 10 grossing games in the
U.S. Turkey is not only a hub for mobile game development, but also stands out as the
fastest growing market in Europe.
5.The five largest game genres registered revenue declines during Q1 2022. Among
them, Strategy had the least drastic decrease, able to stay above $4 billion of gross
revenue each quarter since Q4 2020.
6. The Season Pass monetization model, popularized by Fortnite and implemented
across the Shooter ecosystem, has been integrated into a wider variety of genres.
Season Pass mechanics can act as a method to monetize genres that otherwise
might typically lack a full-fledged progression system. Its success proves that
monetization mechanics can be extrapolated to other game genres.
Conclusion
63
Key Takeaways: Overall
© 2022 Sensor Tower Inc. – All Rights Reserved
Store
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decisions with the
industry’s most
accurate estimates.
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