Mobile games contribute to the majority of consumer spending on mobile devices, with games accounting for 61 percent of revenue generation on iOS and 77 percent on Google Play.
The methods for monetization have expanded over the years, from the simple $0.99 upfront cost to in-app purchases for cosmetics, levels, and other upgrades, alongside subscriptions.
This growth in monetization methods followed the expansion of game genres available on mobile platforms, from highly-detailed RPG, action, and adventure games to exceedingly simple “hypercasual” games.
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Save your spotEven though mobile games still lag behind console and PC releases in scope and development cost, mobile is way ahead on revenue generation. It surpassed PC and console in 2018, and was responsible for 51 percent of all revenue in 2021.
Mobile also has more gamers than PC or console, with a lower barrier-to-entry because of the cost of the device and the cost of games. Almost all mobile games are freemium, with in-app purchases, whereas the majority of console and PC releases still have an upfront cost.
Apple’s iOS platform has been the better performer of the two when it comes to consumer spending on games, even though iOS has a much smaller userbase. This comes partly from where the iPhone is most popular, in the US, China and Japan.
In terms of regions, China, the United States and Japan are the big three in terms of consumer spending on mobile games, accounting for over 50 percent of spending.
China spends the most, but Japan spends more per-capita than any other country. Both countries are responsible for some of the biggest mobile games, such as Honor of Kings and Genshin Impact.
We have collected data and statistics on mobile game revenues. Read on below to find out more.
Key Mobile Game Revenue Statistics
- Mobile games generated $89.6 billion revenue in 2021 across both platforms
- iOS was responsible for $52.3 billion of that revenue, Google Play generated $37.3 billion
- Chinese gamers spent on the most on mobile games in 2021, accounting for 34% of total consumer spending
- RPG was the top grossing game genre, followed by Strategy and Puzzle
- Mobile was responsible for 51% of total game revenues, more than PC and console combined
Want to learn all about the app industry? Our App Data Report covers revenues, downloads, and number of apps across the Apple App Store and Google Play, alongside the top grossing and most downloaded individual apps.
App Data Report 2023
Mobile Game Revenue
Mobile game consumer spending reached $89.6 billion in 2021, a 12.7% increase on the previous year.
Quarterly Game Revenue 2016 to 2022 ($bn)
Annual Game Revenue 2016 to 2022 ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 37.7 |
| 2017 | 47 |
| 2018 | 53.9 |
| 2019 | 63.2 |
| 2020 | 79.5 |
| 2021 | 89.6 |
| 2022 | 81.3 |
Source: App Data Report
iOS Mobile Game Revenue
iOS was responsible for 58% of total mobile game revenue in 2021. It made $52.3 billion, a 9.8% increase on the previous year.
Quarterly iOS Game Revenue 2016 to 2022 ($bn)
Annual iOS Game Revenue 2016 to 2022 ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 23.4 |
| 2017 | 29.6 |
| 2018 | 32.3 |
| 2019 | 38 |
| 2020 | 47.6 |
| 2021 | 52.3 |
| 2022 | 50 |
Source: App Data Report
Google Play Mobile Game Revenue
Despite Google Play’s larger install base, it still lags behind iOS in total revenue generation. For 2021, it made $37.3 billion, a 16.9% increase on the year prior.
Quarterly Google Play Game Revenue 2016 to 2022 ($bn)
Annual Google Play Game Revenue 2016 to 2022 ($bn)
| Year | Revenue ($bn) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 14.3 |
| 2017 | 17.4 |
| 2018 | 21.6 |
| 2019 | 25.2 |
| 2020 | 31.9 |
| 2021 | 37.3 |
| 2022 | 31.3 |
Source: App Data Report
Mobile Game Revenue by Country
China has been the lead country in terms of consumer spending since 2017, with the United States and Japan coming second and third.
Mobile Game Revenue by Country 2022 (%)
Mobile Game Revenue by Genre
Role-playing games, such as Honor of Kings, Genshin Impact, and Fate/Grand Order, make up almost $25 billion of the $89 billion total game spend.
Annual Mobile Game Revenue by Genre 2019 to 2021 ($bn)
Game Revenue Market Share
Mobile games surpassed PC and console in consumer spending by 2020, and it looks like its lead will continue to grow.
Game Market Share by Device Type 2017 to 2021 ($bn)
Mobile Game Revenue by Feature
Events were responsible for most consumer spending on games in 2019 and 2020, followed by customization and then leaderboards.
