Over the past few years, the mobile games industry has undergone significant changes. The number of new mobile game releases in the US has steadily declined since 2020, dropping from over 200 to 100 in 2024. However, the average number of downloads per game has remained consistent at 1/2 million, indicating a trend that prioritizes quality over quantity. This evolving market is reflected in the revenue trends and consumer spending patterns that emerged in 2024, showcasing both challenges and opportunities for developers. These trends are expected to continue in 2025 as the industry adapts to changing user preferences.
Mobile Games revenue in 2024
In 2024, revenue from in-app purchases (IAP) in mobile games reached $80.9 billion, marking a 4% growth compared to the previous year. Despite this result, downloads dropped by 6% to 49.6 billion. For instance, in the United States, mobile game in-app purchases reached $25.5 billion, marking a 9% year-over-year increase, while downloads dropped by 7% to 3.9 billion.
In terms of global weekly spending, the mobile games category saw spending exceed $1.54 billion in 2024, with the number of downloads approaching a billion every week. (Sensor Tower)
Users spend more time on mobile devices and make more and more purchases prompted by more advanced games and new ways of monetization. In 2025, developers’ focus on creating increasingly high-quality gaming experiences and building stronger relationships with players should drive continued growth in consumer spending.
Consumers spend on Mobile Games
Strategy mobile games led global consumer spending reaching $17.5 billion in 2024, with the 4x strategy sub-genre emerging as the leader, capturing nearly 10% of the market share. Role-playing games (RPGs) closely followed, generating $16.8 billion in expenditure. The Puzzle genre secured third place with $12.2 billion, maintaining an 8.67% market share, despite a decline in downloads, largely driven by the success of titles such as Royal Match. The Casino genre ranked fourth, with $11.7 billion in revenue.
Action, Simulation and Shooter genres saw notable growth, with Action mobile games leading the charge, boasting a 46% increase in earnings. Lastly, sports mobile games, while experiencing a drop in downloads, still generated $2.7 billion. (Sensor Tower)
To sum up, strategy, RPG and Action genres continue to demonstrate strong monetization potential, drawing large global players due to their competitive and immersive qualities. These trends highlight the ongoing dominance of immersive and strategic genres in the market, which continues to expand thanks to a number of well-established favorites and new titles that are attracting an ever-growing player base.
Best Mobile Games categories
In 2024, the mobile games market continued its evolution, with established genres maintaining their dominance while new opportunities emerged within more niche categories. The global download statistics provide valuable insights into player preferences and potential avenues for developers to pursue.
- Simulation games accounted for 20% of downloads, showing a slight increase (+0.4%).
- Puzzle games also represented 20% of downloads, experiencing a modest decline (-3%).
- Arcade games made up 19% of downloads, despite seeing a notable decrease (-12.5%).
- Lifestyle games experienced a decline.
- Action games also showed a downward trend.
- Strategy games saw a significant growth (+14.5%), generating 21.5% of revenues despite constituting only 4% of downloads. (Sensor Tower)
The varying performance across genres underscores a balanced demand for both casual and immersive mobile games, providing developers with opportunities to innovate and adapt to the ever-changing preferences of global players.
User Acquisition spending on Mobile Games
In 2024 the mobile games category experienced significant growth in User Acquisition spending, with a 5% year-on-year (YoY) increase, reaching $65 billion.
In this landscape, casual games dominated the scene, increasing their total User Acquisition expenditure by 3% (from 61% to 64%). Whereas casual games have gained in popularity, mid-core games and social casinos have seen a significant decrease in spending (21% and 12% year-on-year, respectively), indicating a change in users’ preferences. Specifically, mid-core games saw a slight increase of 6% in user acquisition, despite this decline. Lastly, sports and racing games experienced a slight growth in user acquisition (18% and 14% respectively).
Conclusion
In conclusion, 2024 marked a year of notable growth in the mobile games category, with in-app purchase revenue reaching $80.9 billion despite a decline in downloads. The continued popularity of strategy and role-playing games, along with a shift towards higher-quality gaming experiences, indicates a promising future for the industry.
As we look ahead to 2025, these mobile games trends are expected to be reaffirmed, with developers focusing on enhancing player engagement and monetization strategies to drive further growth.
