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Because of the ubiquity of smartphones and a myriad of other factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions, mobile gaming has exploded in popularity in recent years. Once a free-to-play distraction with elementary graphics and gameplay, mobile games are much more sophisticated than popular early 2000sgames like Tetris, Snake, and Bejeweled. Today's games feature social and interactive elements, intriguing stories, and progressive rewards. They also have various monetization methods, including in-app purchases (IAPs), playable ads, and subscriptions.
In fact, mobile gaming has become so popular that it has generated more revenue than PC and console gaming every year since at least 2019. In 2023, mobile gaming represented about half of the overall video game market, accounting for $90 billion in revenue. More than 100mobile titles have generated in excess of $1 billion in lifetime revenue.
Below are five of the highest-grossing mobile games, all of which have surpassed more than $10 billion in revenue since their release.
Candy Crush Saga
By many accounts the highest-grossing mobile game of all time, Candy Crush Saga has grossed more than $20 billion in revenue since its release in November 2012. A “match-three” puzzle game, Candy Crush Saga has been downloaded over 5 billion times. Developed by King, which is now owned by Activision Blizzard, as a browser game, it was soon after released for iOS and Android and has spawned three spin-offs: Candy Crush Soda Saga, Candy Crush Friends Saga, and Candy Crush Jelly Saga.
Through the success of Candy Crush Saga, King is credited with having popularized the "freemium" model of mobile gaming. Players can download and play the entire game for free on their mobile device, but also have the option to purchase items that will help unlock new levels. Activision Blizzard purchased King for $5.9 billion in 2016.
Honor of Kings
Honor of Kings, a massive online battle arena (MOBA) title created by Chinese developer Tencent, is one of the most profitable mobile games worldwide with $18.6 billion in life time revenue, including $15.6 billion from in-app purchases via China's App Store. The game, which features Mulan, Diaochan, and other legendary Chinese heroes, was released in China in November 2015. Adaptations under other titles have been released internationally. However, Tencent made Honor of Kings available in North America, Europe, and Japan for the first time in late June 2024.Earlier in the year, the company introduced the game to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), South Asia, and Eastern Europe markets.
Despite only being available in China last year, Honor of Kings was the second-highest-grossing mobile title worldwide behind Monopoly Go! in December 2023. It has about 100million daily players and has played a significant role in the growth of mobile esports. The game will be part of the 2024 Esports World Cup, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from July 4 to August 25.
PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile, a battle royale game co-created by PUBG Studios and LightSpeed & Quantum Studio, has grossed more than $11 billion since its March 2018 release. It won Mobile Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards and was among the most-downloaded mobile titles in the year of its release, with roughly 300 million downloads worldwide, most of them in the US, China, and India. It was published under different titles in China (Peacekeeper Elite) and India (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and, including those titles, had more than 1.2 billion players worldwide as of December 2022.
PUBG Mobile was also the highest-grossing mobile game in 2020, with $2.6 billion in annual revenue. By December 2022, the game's 1.1 billion total users were spending a combined $5.2million per day on IAPs.
Clash of Clans
Developed by Supercell, Clash of Clans was released as an iOS-exclusive title in August 2012 and was made available on Android the following year. It has made over $10 billion in revenue since its release and spawned multiple spin-offs, including Clash Royale and Clash Heroes, the latter of which is still in development. While it is Supercell's most popular title, the studio has also created three other games—Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, and Hay Day—that have generated over $1 billion in revenue.
Clash of Clans is among the most-downloaded mobile games of all time. Like many other titles, it is free to play, but earns revenue via IAPs. These purchases, which include in-game currencies and gems, allow players to progress through the game quicker and build stronger armies.
Monster Strike
Monster Strike, a combination RPG-puzzle game with multiplayer capability, has amassed more than $10 billion in lifetime revenue since its release in August 2013. Developed by Mixi, previously known as XFLAG, the game's core audience is in Japan, where it has been downloaded more than 50million times. The success of the game not only saved the Japanese studio from closure, but also spawned merchandise, an animated series, and esports tournaments. Although it has been around for more than a decade, it is still routinely near the top of monthly lists for the highest-grossing games in Japan. A report from Sensor Tower attributed the game’s longevity to its regular updates and collaborations with other popular titles.
