The State of the Mobile Gaming Industry in June 2023
According to data from mobile data analytics platform Data.ai, June 2023 saw significant developments in the mobile gaming industry. PocketGamer.biz analyzed Data.ai’s data to compile a list of the top-grossing mobile games worldwide last month, as well as the paid games with the highest download volumes.
Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store showed interesting differences in their rankings for paid games, with variations in both the most installed games and the games that generated the most revenue. This highlights the dominance of free-to-play games in the mobile sector when it comes to monetization.
Different Preferences on Different Platforms
Minecraft emerged as the top paid game on both the App Store and Google Play Store in June. However, the rankings diverged after that. On the Play Store, Bloons TD 6 ranked second, while on the App Store, it ranked fifth. Geometry Dash, on the other hand, ranked second for downloads on the App Store but didn’t make it to the Play Store’s top 10. These differences indicate variations in game preferences among iOS and Android users. Other noteworthy titles on the Play Store include Stardew Valley, Grand Theft Auto, and Terraria, while Plague Inc and Heads Up gained popularity on the App Store.
Revenue Rankings
The top 10 games in terms of revenue were more consistent across platforms, although their positions varied. The most significant variance was in the top revenue earner for each platform.
Honor of Kings dominated the App Store’s revenue, contributing to mobile’s majority share of China’s gaming revenue. Notably, the game didn’t even rank on Google Play. On the other hand, Moon Active’s Coin Master topped the revenue chart on the Play Store and also secured the ninth position on the App Store.
Candy Crush Saga maintained its popularity by ranking second on both platforms. Roblox and Royal Match secured the fourth and fifth positions in terms of June’s revenues. Gardenscapes and Honkai: Star Rail also made it to both lists, with the latter gaining significant success with 20 million downloads on its release day.
Rounding off the list, Pokémon Go secured the tenth position on both stores, showcasing its longevity in the mobile gaming market.