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The global gaming market generated more than $184 million in 2023, up 0.6 percent from the year prior, and is projected to reach $205 billion by 2026. Mobile gaming, once a fringe segment of the market, accounted for 49 percent ($90 billion) of all gaming revenue in 2023, up from $55 billion just six years prior. Mobile gaming was the leading market segment last year, ahead of console ($53 billion) and PC games ($38 billion).
Mobile games make money through a variety of monetization strategies including ads, in-app purchases, and subscriptions. While RPG was the most profitable genre in 2023, hyper-casual games, known for their easy gameplay and short play sessions, accounted for the most downloads. These games also present good marketing opportunities for advertisers because people playing hyper-casual games view twice as many ads as they do when playing other genres.
Below are five of the most popular hyper-casual games in 2024, based on revenue and downloads.
1. Candy Crush Saga
Candy Crush Saga is one of the most popular and highest-earning hybrid-casual games. It is also one of the most successful mobile games of all time. Originally developed for Facebook, it has since spawned a mobile version and other titles, including Candy Crush Soda Saga and Candy Crush Friends Saga. It is the second-most-downloaded game of all time behind Subway Surfers and, despite being around for more than a decade, was fourth among all titles with 155 million downloads in 2023. It also ranked third with $1 billion in annual revenue, behind only PUBG Mobile ($1.1 billion) and Honor of Kings ($1.4 billion).
A testament to its staying power and playability, Candy Crush Saga generated a record $265.21 million in revenue during the first quarter of 2023. Like other hyper-casual titles, it's an easy-to-understand game that people can mindlessly play to pass the time. It's particularly popular among Baby Boomers.
2. Bridge Race
Released in December 2020, Bridge Race is a racing game with more than 1,000 levels. Players can select from one of 80 different characters and progress through the levels by collecting blocks and building bridges. Bridge Race was one of the most-downloaded hyper-casual games in 2023, with 33.3 million downloads in Q1 2023. However, it only generated about $93,000 in revenue, well below titles with a similar number of downloads.
Bridge Race ranked 10th among mobile games in all genres with 113 million downloads in all of 2023. It has been downloaded more than 200 million times since its release and earned more than $1 million in revenue, including more than $200,000 from players in the US.
3. Tomb of the Mask
A retro-style mobile puzzle game in which players control a character in search of a mask that lets them climb walls, Tomb of the Mask features a series of progressively challenging levels, much like Pac-Man. Released by Happy Magenta in 2016, Tomb of the Mask has been downloaded more than 200 million times and generated more than $10 million in lifetime revenue, more than half of which is from players in the US. The game is most popular in Brazil, which accounts for 15 percent of all players.
While it has been available for download on iOS and Android since 2016, it continues to be a hot title in 2024. In Q1 2023, it ranked fifth among hyper-casual games with 27 million installs. Tomb of the Mask earns revenue from both ads and in-app purchases.
4. Burger Please!
Burger Please! is a simple game in which players progress through levels and can expand their fast-food business by completing small tasks, including cleaning tables and delivering burgers. They earn money by finishing jobs and can use that money to buy new or upgrade existing equipment. Released in February 2023, it was an immediate hit, ranking ninth among hyper-casual titles in downloads (25 million) during the first quarter.
Since its release, Burger Please! has exceeded 50 million downloads and $500,000 in revenue. American players account for 41 percent of its revenue's, while its largest markets in terms of downloads are India (12 percent of total), Brazil (9 percent), US (8 percent), and Indonesia (8 percent).
5. Helix Jump
Helix Jump is a 3D arcade game in which players navigate a falling ball through a series of obstacles on a revolving platform. Developed by Voodoo and released in March 2018, its simple concept and challenging nature helped it quickly become one of the most popular games on the market. In Q4 2018, it led all mobile games with an average of 25.6 million players per day.
Helix Jump has been downloaded more than 500 million times and earned more than $2 million in lifetime revenue. The US is the game's largest market, accounting for 46 percent of its total revenue and 14 percent of downloads, ahead of Brazil (13 percent) and Indonesia (9 percent).
