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The State of Mobile Gaming Industry – Statistics and Trends
June 18, 2018Did you know that Mobile games now account for 51% of global revenues in the gaming industry followed by Console games (25%) and PC Games (24%) . 62% of smartphone owners install a game within a week of getting their phones and Mobile Games now account for more than 43% of total time spent on smartphone. Check out our infographic on “The State of Mobile Gaming Industry” for latest mobile gaming statistics and trends.
Infographic by GO-Gulf Web Design Company In Sharjah
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The mobile gaming industry is expected to grow from $78.7 billion in 2019 to $96.8 billion in 2022, with mobile games surpassing desktop and console games in the next few years.
Mobile gaming industry has been on a rapid rise since its inception in 2007. With the release of smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets, people have been able to play games anywhere and at any time. This has led to a surge in the popularity of mobile gaming which is now worth over $100 billion annually.
Mobile game developers are constantly working on new games that provide an immersive experience for their users and keep them hooked for hours at a time. These top mobile games include Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, Clash Royale and Clash of Clans.
Mobile gaming industry has seen many changes over the years. The market has evolved and we are now seeing more than 100 billion hours spent on social media each month, which will increase to 300 billion hours spent by 2022.
Estimated market share of Mobile Games of Global Gaming Revenues
| Year | %age of global gaming revenue |
| 2017 | 46% |
| 2018 | 51% |
| 2019 | 54% |
| 2020 | 57% |
| 2021 | 59% |
Gaming apps are the most popular app sub-category accounting for 25% of most active iOS app and 21% of Android Apps
62% of smartphone owners install a game within a week of getting their phones and Mobile Games now account for more than 43% of total time spent on smartphone
Android gamers represent 78% of the global mobile gaming market and can be worth eight times more than iOS players in the country.
Top Mobile Gaming Genres by Penetration
| Mobile Gaming Genres | Penetration rate among smartphone users |
| Puzzle | 57.29% |
| Arcade | 55.6% |
| Action | 34.75% |
| Racing | 31.31% |
| Strategy | 15.79% |
| Adventure | 15.51% |
| Card | 15.44% |
| Board | 14.09% |
| Simulation | 13.72% |
| Word | 13.52% |
Top Mobile Game Sub-categories by User Retention
| iOS Game sub-category | User Retention %age | Android Game sub-category | User Retention %age |
| Puzzle | 5.4% | Adventure | 3.2% |
| Board | 5.2% | Puzzle | 3.1% |
| Educational | 5.1% | Role Playing | 3,1% |
| Action | 5% | Arcade | 3% |
| Arcade | 4.9% | Strategy | 3% |
Top Challenges of Mobile Gaming Industry According to Game Developers
| Challenges | %age |
| Competition | 73.1% |
| Rising User Acquisition Costs | 63.2% |
| Rising Marketing Costs | 47.5% |
| Amount of Free Content | 31.8% |
| Rising Development Costs | 27.8% |
Revenue per active use by mobile game genre
| Mobile Game Genre | Revenue per active user |
| Role Playing | $0.66 |
| Adventure | $0.50 |
| Strategy | $0.21 |
| Casino | $0.19 |
| Racing | $0.19 |
| Card | $0.18 |
| Action | $0.18 |
| Puzzle | $0.16 |
| Casual | $0.15 |
| Simulation | $0.14 |
Estimated Time Spent By Mobile Game Genre
| Mobile Game Genre | Time spent per active user (in minutes) |
| Puzzle | 105 |
| Casual | 93 |
| Arcade | 73 |
| Simulation | 71 |
| Adventure | 71 |
| Strategy | 70 |
| Card | 69 |
| Board | 63 |
| Role Playing | 62 |
| Action | 59 |