23+ Mobile Gaming Statistics for 2023—Insights Into a $175B Games Market

Nowadays most people walk around with their mobile phones almost glued to their hands. It seems we really are addicted to our devices. We spend most of our time chatting with friends, scrolling through social media, surfing the Web and playing games, all in the name of keeping our brains entertained. Our eyes are always focused on the small screens and there’s that constant clicking sound that can be heard everywhere.

Here’s an interesting question for you:

What type of apps do you think are most popular?

You’re probably thinking about social media apps or photo editing ones. Or even dating apps, like Tinder, Badoo, etc.

Well, guess what.

You are wrong. At least according to mobile gaming statistics.

Games rule the app world.

Fascinating, right? In a century, widely dominated by Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, where influencers are thought to be the new voice of brands and everyone and their aunt is taking selfies, games are still the number one favorite type of apps for mobile device users.

Now let’s talk numbers.  

Fascinating Mobile Gaming Statistics

• 21% of Android and 25% of iOS apps downloaded are games.
• Games account for 43% of all smartphone use.
• 62% of people install a game on their phone within a week of owning it.
• 78% of gamers are Android users.
• By the end of 2022, the number of global active mobile gamers will surpass 3 billion.
• 57.9% of the games played are puzzle games.
• More women spend money on in-game content than men.
• The mobile games' revenue hit $175.8 billion by the end of 2021.

So let’s break this down, shall we?

Starting with the most recent mobile gaming stats for 2022.

Mind-Blowing Mobile Gaming Statistics for 2023

We spend an awful lot of time on our phones.

But what do we do?

Play games, mostly.

Game apps are top-rated among mobile phone users. The COVID-19 lockdown only adds fuel to the fire - a significant number of people resort to mobile gaming to ease boredom. 

Wanna know more?

Here are some of the most outstanding mobile gaming statistics.

1. The mobile games' revenue hit $175.8 billion worldwide by the end of 2021.

(Source: Hot Play Games)

The mobile gaming industry report boasted a 2021 revenue of a whopping $175.8 billion! This monumental growth has led to expectations of surpassing the $200 billion mark in 2022 and even reaching $218.7 billion by 2024.

At the end of 2019, mobile games revenue grew to $68.5 billion. However, mobile gaming stats for 2020 show that this figure is estimated to experience a 12% increase by the end of 2020.

2. Subway Surfers was the most downloaded game for May 2022.

(Source: Sensor Tower)

With 30 million installs, the Sybo Games creation easily earns the title “most downloaded game.” This figure represented an 86.5% increase from May 2021.

What more do the latest gaming industry statistics report?

Garena Free Fire takes second place with 26 million downloads (a 50.3% increase from last year).

What’s interesting, though, is that if we consider only Google Play downloads, we will notice that the places are switched—Android users favor GFF over SS, which is left second.

Moreover, if we were to examine only App Store downloads, we’d see that Subway Surfers holds the first place tightly, while Garena Free Fire doesn’t even make it into the top 10.

3. The mobile gaming content market will be worth $173.4 billion by 2026.

(Source: Statista)

What about the mobile gaming content market? Well, recent mobile game profit statistics estimate that by 2026, it will be worth over $170 billion!

Currently, it’s put at $131.2 billion. You probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the majority of its revenue originates from Asia, right?

4. Asia is the biggest gaming marketplace in the world.

(Source: Statista)

According to mobile gaming statistics for 2022, Asia makes up almost half of the mobile gaming market with approximately $34.114 billion revenue from over 905 million users. China alone generates $21.02 billion which is about 61% of the Asian revenue.

5. PUBG mobile is the top mobile game worldwide in terms of revenue.

(Source: Gadgets Now)

Tencent’s PUBG is the top-grossing mobile game for the beginning of 2022.

Mobile gaming industry analysis put its earnings at about $237 million. What’s fascinating is that 64% of these came from China. The US recorded 8% of the PUBG player spending, while Turkey was responsible for 7% of its revenue.

6. More women spend money in-game than men worldwide.

(Source: Mopub)

Mobile gaming gender statistics show that 4.5% of women who play mobile games pay for the in-app game content, compared to 3.3% of men who do. 

7. Every 2 out of 3 users in the 55–64 age group play mobile games.

(Source: Hot Play)

Mobile gaming demographics are typically a source of fascinating info. The latest data suggests that every 2 out of 3 internet users between 55 and 64 years old play mobile games. The gaming rates might not be as high as with the younger generation, but you still didn’t expect that, did you?

Keep reading for more:

The current mobile gaming gender split is 51% for females and 49% for males. What’s more, statistics indicate that 43% of women play more than five times a week. The same’s true for only 38% of men.

We told you we’d leave you mind-blown. Hungry for more? Let’s see what the situation is in the US:

US Mobile Gaming Statistics

Although Asian countries are known to top the gaming industry, the United States is not so far behind. According to US mobile game market statistics, the United States is home to over 203 million gamers. 

Get ready, we have more US mobile game market statistics prepared for you.

8. 6% of all Android game publishers are from the United States.

(Source: 42 Matters)

The total number of worldwide Android gaming publishers is set at 164,700. However, US mobile game market statistics show that there are more than 10,144 American Android game publishers.

9. 33% of American mobile games are available for both Android and iOS.

(Source: 42 Matters)

American game publishers put in extra effort to ensure the availability of their games for both Android and iOS. Only a meager 18% of publishers worldwide can boast of such a feat.

10. Imangi Studios is the biggest mobile game publisher in the US.

(Source: 42 Matters)

The American company which is best known for its gaming app, “Temple Run” owns 4 mobile games that have been downloaded more than 1.2 billion times worldwide.

The mobile gaming industry seems to be on top of the game. To prove that, we have some interesting facts prepared for you:

General Mobile Gaming Statistics

Here are random tidbits that you need to know about mobile gaming.

11. 74c of every dollar spent in the app store was spent on mobile games.

(Source: App Annie)

It’s only logical. Mobile games are easily accessible, provide quick entrainment and rarely ask for any special skills. You can play while waiting for your coffee or in the queue of your local supermarket. Or when using the bathroom. Hey, we’ve all been there! No judgment.

It helps there is such a huge variety of gaming apps. Most of them are easy and don’t require special skills or knowledge, which makes them perfect for basically anyone.

12. The number of mobile gamers worldwide is estimated to pass 3 billion by the end of 2022.

(Source: eMarketer)

The growth rate of the mobile gaming market is a force to be reckoned with. With the high adoption rate of VR games and the buzz that came with the launch of the metaverse, experts have projected that by the end of 2022, the number of gamers worldwide will well exceed 3 billion!

13. By 2025, Google Play games are expected to hit 66 billion downloads.

(Source: Web Tribunal)

Time for some impressive mobile game profit statistics!

These indicate an immense CAGR for Google Play game downloads. Predictions put them at 66 billion by 2025. Moreover, they forecast over 121 billion for non-game app downloads.

14. In 2021 alone, Candy Crush generated over $550 million in revenue in the US.

(Source: Statista)

The Candy Crush 2021 revenue was $556.44 million in the US alone!

Even more impressive is that the parent company King Digital Entertainment has amassed $682 million in revenue for Q1 2022 alone!

15. 49% of mobile gamers are men.

(Source: Hot Play)

Women also play more often and are more willing to pay for games. That makes them more valuable than male players. What was considered a male kingdom turned out to be dominated by females.

16. In fact, 60% of females play daily. And 36% of those who play spend money on mobile games.

(Source: Highsnobiety)

Yeah, you heard that right. The mobile gaming demographics show that this gaming universe is mainly inhabited by women.

But that’s not all, folks.

17. 55% of mobile gamers are around 55 years old, while 21% are between 25 and 34 years old.

(Source: Imarc)

That’s hardly the end of the surprises we have prepared for you.

18. Only 8% of mobile gamers are teenagers.  

(Source: Technology and Adolescent Mental Health)

And society here blames teenagers for always being on their phones and never reading books. Hypocritical much?

Here comes the catch though:

19. According to mobile gaming statistics, 85% of gamers do not identify as such. Surprising, considering 30% of all play games daily.

(Source: Applovin)

People around the age of 55 don’t really consider themselves gamers, although they still spend a lot of time playing. We are going to blame the stereotype for their unwillingness to show their true colors. Actually, the percentage of older people who have never played a mobile game is under 20%. That comes to show that living in such a fast-paced environment has made us all constantly entertainment-hungry.

Now let’s take a look at mobile game revenue by genre. We figured out a lot of people play, but what exactly do they enjoy?

Here’s your answer:

Puzzle games.

More than half of smartphone users prefer puzzle games. The honorary second place goes to arcade games. Action and racing games are also quite popular, along with strategy and adventure ones. Simulation and word games finish at the bottom of most mobile gaming statistics.

20. The total global revenue for Puzzle Games is poised to surpass $21 billion by the end of 2022.

(Source: Statista)

As you now know, Candy Crush is currently the top-grossing game in the segment. Thus, experts predict that by the end of 2022, puzzle games' total revenue will reach $21.42 billion.

Additionally, its yearly growth rate is estimated at 7.49% between 2022 and 2026. That means that by 2026, it’s set to hit the $30 billion mark.

21. 21% of the Android and 25% of iOS apps downloaded are games. But 78% of the players worldwide belong to the android game markets.

(Source: GO-Globe)

They are seen as eight times more valuable than iOS players.

22. 59% percent of Android users prefer casual games.

(Source: WePC)

The latest trends in gaming suggest this percentage is set to increase in the upcoming years.

23. Voodoo was the most popular gaming app publisher for iPhone for February 2022.

(Source: Statista)

With nearly 15.57 million downloads, Voodoo takes the lead as the top gaming app publisher for Q1 2022. Supersonic Studios Ltd ranks second with about 12.27 million app downloads on iPhone.

24. Puzzle games are expected to surpass 11 billion downloads by the end of 2022.

(Source: Statista)

Puzzle games are a massive hit. Every day, more and more gamers yield towards this segment, leading to a continuous increase in the number of downloads. Mobile gaming statistics prove this beyond doubt—the number of downloads is expected to be near 12 billion!

Each of these downloads generates average revenue of $1, with the US responsible for most of it.

To Sum It Up

The modern mobile device user mostly uses their phone to play games. The casual and hyper-casual games rule the gaming world, with AR technologies coming to claim the throne. Interestingly, most players are middle-aged and not teenagers and most of them are women.

Hope you found these mobile gaming statistics as fascinating as I did! Until next time!