It’s no secret that mobile gaming is on the rise. In fact, a recent study done by Game Fids shows that the number of people playing mobile games has already reached 3.24 billion in June 2022. That’s an incredible number, and it just goes to show how popular this form of entertainment has become. If you’re looking to get into the mobile gaming market, now is definitely the time to do it!
Mobile gaming is taking over! In 2022, mobile will account for 61% of all video game sales and grow at a rate much greater than that seen on other platforms. Experts predict this trend to continue into 2022 when it’s expected Mobile Games’ industry value could exceed $136 billion dollars – which would make them larger than film or TV productions by 2022.
The worldwide gaming market is expected to reach $222 billion in 2023, according to data.ai (formerly App Annie) and International Data Corporation (IDC).
The global mobile game industry grew 45% week-over-week in Q1 2021, with 1.1 billion people downloading games per week from pre-pandemic levels.
The number of people playing games on their smartphones has skyrocketed since the beginning of 2022, with consumers spending over $1.6 billion per week in just Q1 alone!
Some Real Numbers to Show us How the Gaming Industry is Performing
The mobile gaming industry is growing at an alarming rate. How many people play mobile games? In 2020, there were an estimated two billion active mobile gamers worldwide. This number is expected to grow to nearly three billion by 2022.
There are a few reasons for this rapid growth. First, the price of smartphones and other devices has come down dramatically in recent years. This has made them more accessible to a wider range of people. Second, the quality of mobile games has increased dramatically. They now rival console and PC games in terms of graphics and gameplay. Finally, the ease of downloading and playing mobile games has made them even more popular.
- By 2025, mobile gaming will have penetrated the US market by 53.3%.
- 2021 market share projections show that 59% of global revenue will come from mobile phones. This is a significant increase from the 41% that was recorded in 2016.
- In 2020, the gaming industry generated a revenue of $159 billion. This was a result of 2.7 billion gamers across the world spending an average of 10 hours per week playing video games.
- Southeast Asia is a major player in the global gaming market. According to recent stats, 55% of all gamers are from this region. This is due, in part, to the wide availability of mobile devices and the popularity of gaming apps in SouthEast Asia.
- Did you know that 21% of video players in the United States are under 18?
Mobile Gaming and Demographics
This is a difficult question to answer. Different types of mobile games attract different types of players, and there are hundreds of millions of people playing mobile games all over the world.
There are a few different ways to measure the popularity of mobile gaming. One is to look at the number of people who play mobile games regularly. Another is to look at the amount of time people spend playing mobile games.
Mobile Gamers by Gender
A January 2021 survey found that the majority of mobile gaming app users in the United States were female, while 45 percent of mobile gaming app users were male.
Find more statistics at Statista
The survey also found that the most popular genres of mobile games among both genders were puzzle, strategy, and word games.
- Puzzle (21.18%)
- Casino (18.9%)
- Strategy (17.17%)
- RPG (14.23%)
- Simulation (10.4%)
- Shooter (5.56%)
- Lifestyle (3.86%)
- Sports (3.4%)
- AR/Location Based (1.67%)
- Driving (1.6%)
- Arcade (1.34%)
- Card games (0.62%)
- Hyper-casual (0.06%)
Mobile Gamers by Age
According to a survey by AdColony, about 50% of players between the ages of 18 and 54 consider themselves to be serious gamers.
The poll found that 36% of those aged 65-74 play on a daily basis.
62% of surveyed people aged between 18-to-24-year-olds are devoted gamers, while other age groups are also involved.
Stats on mobile gaming show that more than 50% of people up to the age of 55 said they were serious gamers.
Mobile Gamers by Region
More than 60% of Indian online players are between the ages of 18 and 24, according to Google.
Some estimates put the number of Indians who play video games online at around 300 million. In fact, by 2022, that number of users is projected to have doubled.
Participants from India’s gaming community have been seen at recent international esports competitions.
As a result, Asian countries top the charts for global mobile gamer distribution. There are around 1293.6 million, or roughly 1.3 billion, Asian gamers.
There are approximately 551.7 million mobile gamers in Europe; 309.2 million in Latin America; 207.7 million in North America; 145.8 million in the Middle East and North Africa; 126.2 million in Sub-Saharan Africa; and 25.3 million in Oceania.
General Mobile Gaming Statistics for 2022
- Users spends $320,000 Every Minute. (Source: data.ai)
- In 2021, there were 3.9 billion smartphone users worldwide (Source: Newzoo).
- Apps have created a massive economy that is only expected to grow. While you were reading this summary, mobile users dropped about $1 million on applications and games. (Source: data.ai)
- In 2021, mobile gamers worldwide will spend 16 billion dollars in-game transactions-a whopping $116 billion more than last year’s total! (Source: AppAnnie)
- According to Sensor Tower data, the mobile games industry alone is expected to reach $138 billion by 2025 across the App Store and Google Play.
- Revenues from mobile games in 2021 were highest in China at $56 billion, the United States at $43 billion, and Japan at $20 billion. (Source: AppAnnie)
- In 2021, China was the world’s top market for downloading apps with 98 billion downloads. India came in second place at 26 billion while America had a 12 billion total installed base by then! (Source: data.ai)
- In 2021, there were 82.98 billion mobile games downloaded by the players! (Source: AppAnnie)
- By 2025, non-gaming apps are expected to account for 58% of App Store revenue, while gaming apps will account for 42%. (Source: SensorTower)
- By 2025, it is predicted that mobile games would contribute 71% of Google Play’s total revenue. (Source: SensorTower)
- In the year 2025, penetration is predicted to reach 28.5%. (Source: Statista)
- In terms of growth, Google Play is outpacing the iOS App Store by a larger margin (6% to 13.2%) than it has been for some time. (Source: GameAnalytics)
Number of Apps Surpassing $100 Million in Annual Global Consumer Spend
The State of Mobile 2022 reports that 233 apps pulled in $100 million or more annually, with 13 surpassing a billion dollars. This is up 20% from 2020 and around +35 percent when compared to 2019’s numbers!
Top Mobile Game Subgenres of 2021 by Downloads
These categories saw the highest downloads in 2021, as per AppAnnie’s State of Mobile 2022 report.
- Action (Hyper-casual) – 4.01 billion
- Puzzle (Hyper-casual) – 3.78 billion
- Simulation (Hyper-casual) – 3.15 billion
- Kids (Other) – 2.57 billion
- Driving (Simulation) – 1.63 billion
- .io (Hyper-casual) – 1.41 billion
- Runner (Action) – 1.20 billion
- Creative Sandbox – 1.12 billion
- Simulation Sports – 1.10 billion
- Pet (Simulation) – 0.90 billion
Most Popular Mobile Games in 2022
1. PUGB Mobile earned the most in May 2020
(Source: Sensor Tower)
PUGB Mobile earned $176.3 million in January 2020. February 2020 sales were $191.6 million. PUGB made $232 million in March 2020. The game made approximately $225.2 million in April and May 2020. All while remaining the year’s top-grossing mobile game.
2. Among Us was December 2020’s most downloaded mobile game
(Source: Sensor Tower, 9to5mac)
In January of 2020, more than 44.5 million people downloaded Jonny Trigger on their mobile devices. Wood Turning 3D by Voodoo, which had over 34 million downloads the following month.
At the end of March, “Slap Kings” had amassed 35.6 million downloads. In March, “Save the Girl” surpassed 50.2 million downloads, setting a new benchmark. By the end of December, “Among Us,” a popular multiplayer game, had 48 million downloads, making it the overall victor.
3. Casino and card games have the longest mobile sessions
(Source: Udonis)
The typical session length for casino or cards games is 22 minutes.
The median session length for all other genres was 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Time spent playing arcade, sports, and racing games was typically the shortest.
4. Most people play casual smartphone games
(Source: Udonis)
It has been shown that 58.86% of mobile players prefer for casual mobile games.
56.5 %, 34.19 %, and 55.08 % were the numbers for puzzle and action, respectively. Games like Two Dots, Reign, Super Mario, and Smash Hit, just to name a few, fall into this category.
5. Over 90% of millennials game on smartphones, not PCs
(Source: GlobeNewswire)
When it comes to online gaming, 9 out of 10 millennials would rather use their mobile devices.
It’s not hard to fathom why people prefer playing games on their smartphones.
6. US mobile game market estimates $11.9 billion from mobile games in 2024, a 1.3% CAGR
(Source: Golden Casino News)
The United States continues to be the second largest gaming market, behind only China. Market studies of the mobile gaming industry in the United States estimate 2019 sales of $9.9 billion, with 2020 sales expected to reach $10.1 billion. Clearly, the revenue has been growing, and this trend is forecast to continue into 2022 and beyond.
7. Consumers in 12 markets Now Spend More than Four Hours a Day on Mobile
(Source: data.ai)
More than four hours per day were spent in apps by users in 12 countries in 2021 (up from five countries in 2020). In the meantime, users in Brazil, Indonesia, and South Korea have all surpassed the 5-hour mark.
8. Chinese mobile gamers exceeded 600 million in 2020
(Source: Statista)
China had over 604 million gamers by the middle of 2020, according to estimates of the size of the mobile gaming market in 2021. At the same time, mobile gaming in the country had reached $15.6 billion in earnings. It is on track to meet or exceed all of its goals for the year.
9. Candy Crash Saga earned $473 million in 2020
(Source: Statista)
Despite having been out for more than eight years, Candy Crush Saga is still a financially successful venture. Players spent close to $500 million on the puzzle video game between January 2020 and December 2020.
10. Experts predict 1/20 market growth between 2020 to 2025.
(Source: GlobeNewswire)
Between 2020 and 2025, the predicted CAGR for mobile game sales is about 0.05.
In other words, that demonstrates that the gaming market is showing no signs of slowing down. Users clocked in more than 670 billion hours of playtime across all kinds of games.
11. 64% of Candy Crush Saga players in 2020 were female
(Source: Statista)
According to female gamer statistics, nearly 3/4 of its players were women and only 36% were men.
12. Women mobile gamers are 79% more likely to make an in-app purchase
(Source: Venturebeat)
A study of mobile gamers found that women were 79% more likely to make an in-app purchase than men.
In-app purchases are a form of microtransaction, or the purchase of small digital goods within a game.
13. Consumers in the US spent $1.02 billion in Q2 of 2020
(Source: Statista)
Spending on video game content by consumers topped $1 billion in the first quarter of 2020. Approximately $800 million was spent on hardware, with an additional $500 million on accessories.
14. In 2020, men to female gamers were 2:1
(Source: Wired)
Even while women have made great strides in recent years, they still have a ways to go before they reach parity. When Sony and Ubisoft made their respective championship announcements in 2020, men made up 77% of the victors while women made up 23%.
15. India’s mobile gaming sessions grew 65% in 2020
(Source: Mordor Intelligence)
Mobile gaming is exploding in India, therefore developers should watch that industry. Sessions went up by almost 70% in 2020. Organic app purchases doubled year-over-year.
16. Subway Surfers Was the 1st Game to Get More Than 1 Billion Downloads in Google Play Store.
The 2012 game was an instant hit. First Android game to reach 1 billion downloads. In 2018, the most downloaded app on Google Play was Facebook with 4.119 billion downloads.
Highest Grossing Mobile Games by Revenue
In 2022, it is estimated that there will be nearly 300 million mobile gamers in the United States alone. This number has been on the rise in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The most popular genres of mobile games are puzzle, strategy, action, and multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA).
| Games | Operating System (OS) | Total Revenue ($) |
|---|---|---|
| PUBG Mobile | iOS and Android | 2.6 Billion |
| Honor of Kings | iOS and Android | 2.5 Billion |
| Pokemon Go | iOS and Android | 1.2 Billion |
| Roblox | iOS and Android | 1.2 Billion |
| Coin Master | iOS and Android | 1.1 Billion |
Mobile Gamer Statistics for 2023
The mobile gaming industry is booming, and here are some interesting statistics about it.
Mobile Gamer Behavior
- Gen Z and Millennials spend the most time gaming. (Newzoo)
- 85% of mobile gamers aren’t players. (Mediakix)
- Women play mobile games 25% longer than men. (MoPub)
- 43% of female gamers play weekly or more. (MoPub)
- 38% of male gamers play five times a week. (MoPub)
- Smartphone apps and games account for 90% of usage. (eMarketer)
- Average monthly mobile games played is 2-5. (AppAnnie)
- Users spend three and a half hours a day on mobile devices, including 11% on mobile gaming. (eMarketer)
- Hyper-casual mobile gamers download 10x more games than others. (VentureBeat)
- 50% of smartphone gamers play in the bathroom. (Mediakix)
Percentage of Players by Platform
77% of Gen Z, 73% of Millennials, 54% of Gen X, and 34% of Baby Boomers play on mobile.
Favorite Mobile Game Genres and Franchises by Generation
Newzzoo’s research shows that Gen Z gamers like battle royale, sandbox, and MOBA games the most. Their favourite names were Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, and Among Us.
RPG, strategy, and adventure games like Hearthstone are the types of games that millennials like the most.
Puzzle, shooter, and sports games are what most people in Gen Z like to play.
Baby Boomers like puzzles, board games, and match-three games like Candy Crush Saga.
Share of Players Personas per Generations
Newzoo says that 23% Gen Z players and 20% of Millennials are what they call “Bargain Buyers.” This kind of gamer likes to play high-quality games that are free to play.
The Time Filler is a type of gamer that 38% of Gen X gamers and 66% of Baby Boomers can relate to. When they have some free time, these people play games on their phones.
Why do people spend their free time playing mobile games?
- To relieve stress.
- To get lost in another character or world.
- To feel good about completing something hard.
- To show something unique about themselves.
- To stay in touch with people they know.
- Be amazed by something unique.
- To connect with something they’re interested in outside of gaming.
(Source: Facebook Gaming)
What factors influence players to come back after a 30-day break?
- An in-person mention of the game, or the discovery of fresh material or updated features.
- Learning There Will Be Benefits For Returning.
- Hearing about the game by word of mouth from loved ones.
- Reading game-related stories in the media or online.
(Source: Facebook Gaming)
Mobile Game Advertising Statistics for 2023
- In 2021, 6 million video ads were placed, which is 73% more than in 2020. (SocialPeta)
- In 2021, the most ads were for casual games (more than 18 thousand).
- The most ad campaigns were for role-playing games (6.6 million). (SocialPeta)
- In the United States, the CPM for mobile games was over $28 in 2021, which was 93% more than in 2020. (SocialPeta).
- In 2021, mobile games had an average CTR of $1.28, which was 29% less than in 2020. (SocialPeta)
- In APAC, the average CPI for mobile apps is $0.93, in EMEA it’s $1.03, in Latin America it’s $0.34, and in North America, it’s $5.28. (Business of Apps)
- The average mobile game CPI for iOS is $4.3. For Android games, it costs $1.15. (Business of Apps)
- iOS has a slight edge in ROAS, but an iOS install costs 4 times as much as an Android install. (Liftoff)
- Marketers can expect to get back twice what they spend on ads in 3 weeks. (Liftoff)
- In 2021, the average time for an ad to run was 32.5 days. (SocialPeta)
Global Mobile Ad Spend
The mobile advertising ecosystem had a busy year in 2021. It was the year that people finally did something about their worries about privacy. Apple deprecated its IDFA, which meant that most advertisers could no longer track and measure what their users did without getting their permission first.
Global eCPM Statistics for 2023
Here we present the highest effective cost-per-thousand-impression (eCPM) countries for rewarded video, interstitial advertisements, and banner ads on iOS and Android. Get more eCPM statistics here.
Interstitial Ads
Rewarded Video
Banner Ads
Average Playtime of Games by Genre
How long do people play mobile games? The answer differs by genre.
Casual Games
- Top 25% of games – 28 minutes
- Median 50% of games – 15 minutes
- Bottom 25% of games – 8 minutes
Classic Games
- Top 25% of games – 47 minutes
- Median 50% of games – 30 minutes
- Bottom 25% of games – 17 minutes
Mid-Core Games
- Top 25% of games – 35 minutes
- Median 50% of games – 18 minutes
- Bottom 25% of games – 10 minutes
What do these numbers tell us?
The numbers show that people are spending more time playing mobile games than they did in the past. They also show that people are spending more time playing casual games and strategy games than they are spending on other genres. These numbers suggest that mobile gaming is becoming more popular and that people are spending more time playing mobile games than they did in the past.
Average Gaming Session Length Statistics
The data below shows the typical playtime for 2020’s casual, classic, and mid-core video games. The average session length measures the total time spent by players during a session.
Casual Games
- Top 25% of games – 7 minutes
- Median 50% of games – 4 minutes
- Bottom 25% of games – 3 minutes
Classic Games
- Top 25% of games – 9.5 minutes
- Median 50% of games – 6 minutes
- Bottom 25% of games – 4 minutes
Mid-Core Games
- Top 25% of games – 9 minutes
- Median 50% of games – 5.5 minutes
- Bottom 25% of games – 3 minutes
Game Install Ratio
The installs ratio measures how many unique users are among the game’s daily active players. Here are the norms for the year 2021.
Casual Games
- Top 25% of games – 51%
- Median 50% of games – 30%
- Bottom 25% of games – 16%
Classic Games
- Top 25% of games – 28%
- Median 50% of games – 12%
- Bottom 25% of games – 5%
Mid-Core Games
- Top 25% of games – 54%
- Median 50% of games – 35%
- Bottom 25% of games – 19%
Top Mobile Gaming Companies
Let’s compile a shortlist of the best-known studios and the games they’ve created.
King
Candy Crush Saga and its many offshoots are all their creations (e.g. Candy Crush Soda, Candy Crush Jelly).
Microsoft Studios
Mojang, a Swedish gaming studio, released Minecraft Pocket Edition in 2011 and Subway Surfers in 2012. Mojang joined Microsoft Studios in November 2014.
Electronic Arts
They have full rights to games like FIFA, The Sims, Need For Speed, Battlefield, Mass Effect, and Titanfall. Did you know that they also own Plants vs. Zombies? One of the most popular mobile games of all time. Originating in 2009, it was created by PopCap Games before being purchased by Electronic Arts in July 2011.
Epic Games
Where did they come from? Just the Fortnite developers. Mobile access to the game was introduced in 2018, and it now generates $1.5 million daily in revenue.
Future Trends in Mobile Gaming
Cloud gaming is a new and emerging technology that offers a number of advantages for mobile gamers. Cloud gaming allows gamers to play their favorite games on their devices without having to download and install the game files onto their device. This means that gamers can save space on their devices, as well as enjoy a smoother and more responsive gaming experience overall.
In addition, cloud gaming also offers gamers the ability to play games with other gamers around the world in real time. This means that mobile gamers can enjoy a more social and interactive gaming experience than ever before. Cloud gaming is still in its early stages of development, but it is clear that it has the potential to revolutionize the mobile gaming industry.
Final Thoughts
Mobile gaming is becoming more popular every day, and the industry is poised for continued growth in the years to come. There are a number of factors that are driving this growth, including the increasing popularity of cloud gaming, the rise of social and interactive gaming experiences, and the ever-expanding app store ecosystem. With so much potential for growth, it will be exciting to see how the mobile gaming industry evolves in the years to come.
Thanks for reading! We hope you found this article informative and helpful. Be sure to check back soon for more great content like this!
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