Mobile gaming statistics from a few years ago are not relevant anymore. Yet, so many sources recycle the same statistics and just put a "2026" label on them.
If you find this super annoying, then you're not alone. When it comes to the mobile game industry, information that is two or three years old is already passé.
You no longer need to spend hours searching and despairing – this article gathers the most relevant and up-to-date mobile gaming statistics and game industry trends for 2026 and beyond.
Let's dive in.
Mobile gaming market statistics
The global mobile gaming market saw a decline in downloads, but a 1.3% increase in revenue.
Global mobile game downloads and consumer spending in 2025. Data source: Sensor Tower
In 2025, there were 50.4 billion mobile game downloads, which is a – 7.2% decline from 2024 (Sensor Tower*).
The global mobile consumer spending in 2025 was $81.7 billion, up +1.3% from 2024 (Sensor Tower*).
The total number of hours spent playing was 444 billion, +0.9% from 2024. (Sensor Tower).
The gaming industry has totaled $188.8 billion in total revenue, +3.4% compared with 2024. (Newzoo)
Mobile gaming is still the most lucrative gaming sector, with approximately $103 billion in annual revenues (55% of market revenue). Console gaming is second, with $45.9 (24% of market revenue) and PC is last, with $39.9 billion (21% of market revenue). (Newzoo)
*The data comes from Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2025 report. However, the report does not include data for Android in China, so the number may be an underestimate.
Mobile game statistics by country
What is the largest market for mobile games? Which markets dominate in revenue, and which in downloads?
Let’s take a look at the latest mobile game market rankings by Sensor Tower.
The top markets by revenue remained unchanged, while India and Indonesia are the countries with the highest number of downloads.
*The data comes from Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2026 report. However, the report does not include data for Android in China, so the number may be an underestimate.
Mobile game genre statistics
Strategy games had the biggest change in revenue and downloads.
IAP revenue was $44.7 billion for Midcore games, $32.7 billion for Casual, and $4.2 billion for Hybridcasual.
The number of downloads was 22 billion for Hypercasual games,14.3 billion for Casual games, 6 billion for Hybridcasual and 5.4 billion for Midcore.
The total number of hours spent playing was 225.6 billion for Midcore games, 124.8 billion for Casual, 66.2 for Hypercasual and 27.5 for Hybridcasual.
The mobile game genres that had the biggest YoY change in downloads were strategy, simulation and arcade, followed by shooter, RPG and casino.
The leading mobile game genres by consumer spending were strategy, puzzle, and shooter games, according to Sensor Tower.
The top mobile game subgenres by time spent are simulation, puzzle and strategy games.
*The data in this section was taken from Sensor Tower’s The State of Mobile 2026
How many gamers are on mobile? Why do people play mobile games?
Here are the latest mobile gaming statistics that provide answers to these questions.
Number of mobile gamers & demographics
Women are more likely to be mobile-only players.
Percentage distribution of mobile gamers by gender. Data source: Statista
In 2025, the estimated number of mobile gamers was 3 billion, while the total number of gamers was 3.6 billion. It’s a +4.5% increase compared to 2024. (Newzoo)
Considering all platforms, mobile gaming has the highest percentage of players (83%), while PC and consoles are less common (26% and 18% of players). (Newzoo)
Looking at the whole gaming population (so mobile, PC and consoles), there is a slight majority of male players: 55% of men vs 45% of women. However, 44% of women players game exclusively on mobile, vs. 27% of men.
The most common age group for mobile gamers is 18-34, with 38% of this demographic actively playing mobile games (Business of Apps)
Mobile gamer stats by generation
Younger generations are the most engaged and are reshaping game consumption.
The top two generations by the share of mobile gamers are Gen Alpha at 94% and Gen Z at 92%, but they are closely followed by Millennials at 88% and Gen X at 72% (Newzoo).
79% of players engage with user-generated content and have played a user-generated content game (Xsolla).
Adventure is the favourite game genre for Gen Alpha (54%), Gen Z (45%), and Millenials (44%), while Gen X (46%) and Baby Boomers (50%) prefer puzzles. (Newzoo)
Younger players are drawn by the competitive (71%) and cooperative (68%) social elements of gaming. (Newzoo)
* Generation legenda: Gen Alpha (early 2010s or later), Gen Z (1995 to 2009), Millennials (1981 to 1994), Gen X (1965 to 1980)
People are social creatures, and mobile gamers are no different.
In a survey carried out by Statista, video gamers said that:
They agree that video games can introduce people to new friends (78%).
They have met new people through video games (49%).
Video games help them stay connected with family and friends (49%).
They have met a good friend, spouse, or significant other through video games (39%)
Mobile game retention statistics
Let’s take a look at the average mobile game retention rates to find out how users engage with and stick around in mobile games, according to AppFlyer’s data.
Average retention rates for mobile games
Sensor Tower has analyzed the top 25 games for each category, and here’s what they found on retention:
Maintien en D1
Casual: 31.01%
Hypercasual: 38.03%
Hybridcasual: 40.11%
Midcore: 41.98%
Rétention D7
Casual: 15.20%
Hypercasual: 13.25
Hybridcasual: 16.08%
Midcore: 20.96%
Rétention D30
Casual: 7.48%
Hypercasual: 4.63%
Hybridcasual: 5.86%
Midcore: 11.45%
Overall, iOS shows higher retention rates than Android.
Retention rates by genre
Match, puzzle, and tabletop games dominate both short-term and long-term retention.
Mobile gamegenres with the highest Day 1 retention are match (32.65%), puzzle (31.85%), tabletop (31.30%), RPG (30.54%) and simulation games (30.10%) (Business of Apps).
Genres with the highest Day 30 retention rates are match (7.15%), tabletop (5.51%), puzzle (5.35%), casino (4.10%), and RPG games (3.48%) (Business of Apps).
Cross-platform play
Cross-device gaming remains one of the biggest mobile gaming trends.
Nearly 50% of gamers play games on more than one platform (Newzoo)
Honor of Kings is the first game by revenue, reaching $1.7 billion in revenue in 2025.
These are the ten top-grossing mobile games of 2023, according to AppMagic.
Honor of Kings, $1.683.911.252
Last War: Survival, $1.573.337.948
Roblox, $1.450.146.387
Whiteout Survival, $1.401.542.915
Royal Match, $1.374.587.444
MONOPOLY GO!, $1.360.776.303
PUBG MOBILE, $1.123.292.746
Candy Crush Saga, $1.011.009.231
Pokémon TCG Pocket, $677.353.575
Coin Master, $650.648.450
Top mobile game publishers
Chinese mobile game publishers continue to dominate the global revenue charts, but new names have emerged, too.
According to data by AppMagic, the top-grossing mobile game publishers of 2025 were:
Tencent, China, $5.718.738.092
Century Games Pte. Ltd., China, $2.051.857.611
Scopely, Inc., United States, $1.632.360.633
Dream Games, Turkey, $1.620.613.915
FUNFLY PTE. LTD., Singapore, $1.596.878.886
Roblox Corporation, United States, $1.450.146.387
NetEase, China, $1.396.393.953
Playrix, Ireland, $1.393.119.121
King, Sweden, $1.296.223.417
Supercell, Finland, $1.124.772.950
Final thoughts on mobile gaming in 2026
These mobile gaming statistics are a reflection of the biggest industry trends.
At Mistplay, we are dedicated to informing our readers about the latest mobile game industry news, trends, and developments.
We’ll keep this article up to date throughout 2026and regularly include new findings from upcoming industry reports. Stay in the loop with all of this by subscribing to our newsletter in the sidebar, or following us on LinkedIn.
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