Mobile Gaming Market Size 2026: Revenue, Forecast & Market Share
A sourced reference on mobile gaming market size: ten years of revenue, a forecast to 2029, store, country, and publisher breakdowns, emerging revenue channels, and where mobile games are watched.
The Mobile Gaming Market Size in 2026: Growth, Countries & Leading Companies
Figure 1: Mobile gaming market size worldwide, 2016-2029. Left panel: Sensor Tower app store revenue1,2,3,4,5,6. Right panel: Newzoo forecast of all-channel consumer spending8,9. The panels use different trackers and scopes and should not be read as one continuous series. Hatched bars are Vetra Mobile calculations.
How We Sized the Mobile Gaming Market
From September through October 2026, the Vetra Mobile research team compiled and aggregated 27 market reports, datasets, and industry benchmarks from Newzoo, Sensor Tower, Statista, AppMagic, Stream Hatchet, Bain & Company, and BCG. Coverage runs from 2016 through the first half of 2026, plus published forecasts to 2030. By Newzoo’s measure, the worldwide mobile gaming market reached $113.3 billion in 20257, up 10.7% year over year7, with $121.1 billion forecast for 20269. Trackers differ in scope: Newzoo counts consumer spending across all channels, excluding ads7, while Sensor Tower reports in-app purchases on the App Store and Google Play, which totaled about 81.8–82 billion in 20256. Every figure is labeled with its source and scope. Figures marked with an asterisk (*) are Vetra Mobile calculations based on the cited data.
Mobile Gaming Market Size Over the Past 10 Years
The tables below supply the figures behind Figure 1: a decade of app store revenue from one tracker, followed by Newzoo’s forecast through 2029.
Mobile Game Revenue Worldwide, 2016-2025 (Sensor Tower)
Scope: gross in-app purchase spending on the App Store and Google Play; third-party Android stores in China are excluded. The 2016 value is back-calculated from the reported 30% growth in 20171, and the 2022 value from the reported 2% decline in 20234. Each cell uses the figure published in the cited report.
Key points:
• Mobile game app store revenue more than doubled over the decade, from $37.2B*1 in 2016 to $81.75B6 in 2025, a compound annual growth rate of about 9.1%*.
• Revenue peaked at $89.6B3 in 2021, then fell 12.6%* in 2022 as pandemic-era spending normalized.
• 2025 revenue remains about 8.8%* below the 2021 peak, after growth of 4%5 in 2024 and 1.3%6 in 2025.
Mobile Gaming Revenue Forecast, 2026-2029 (Newzoo)
Scope: consumer spending on mobile games across all channels, excluding advertising. Newzoo’s forecast horizon ends in 2029.
Key points:
• Newzoo forecasts mobile gaming revenue of $121.1B9 in 2026, up from $113.3B7 in 2025.
• At the projected 4.6%8 annual growth rate from 2026 to 2029, the market reaches about $138.6B* by 2029.
• For 2025, Newzoo’s $113.3B7 estimate sits about $31.6B* above Sensor Tower’s $81.75B6, because Newzoo also counts spending outside the two major app stores.
Mobile Game Revenue and Downloads by App Store, 2025 (Sensor Tower)
Scope: Sensor Tower State of Gaming 2026, in-app purchase revenue by store23. The two store figures sum to $82.5B*, slightly above the $81.75B6 total above because they come from a separate Sensor Tower report.
Key points:
• The App Store earned about 64%* of combined store game revenue in 2025 from about 16%* of mobile game downloads.
• Each App Store download generated about 9.5x* the revenue of a Google Play download.
• Downloads fell on both stores in 2025 while revenue grew on both23.
US Mobile Gaming Market Size vs. Other Countries
The US is the largest mobile gaming market by app store revenue, but the ranking depends on which tracker and scope are used.
Mobile Gaming Market Size by Country, 2025 (Sensor Tower)
Scope: Sensor Tower State of Mobile 2026, gross in-app purchase revenue on the App Store and Google Play10. China figures exclude Android, so China’s true total is higher. Shares are Vetra calculations against Sensor Tower’s $81.75B6 global 2025 total.
Key points:
• The five largest markets generated about $57.4B*, roughly 70.2%* of global mobile game app store revenue in 2025.
• The US alone accounted for about 32.0%* of global app store spending, about 2.1x* China’s iOS-only total.
• In H1 2026, spending fell 7% in the US28 and 10% in both Japan and South Korea28, while Germany grew 7%28.
US vs. China Mobile Game Spending Across Two Trackers
Key points:
• On Sensor Tower’s app store data, US players spent about 1.9x* as much as Chinese iOS players in H1 2026.
• Across all platforms, Newzoo ranks China first at $54.6B11, ahead of the US at $50.8B11, so the ranking depends on the tracker and scope.
Which Companies Hold the Largest Share of the Mobile Gaming Market
Ten publishers earned $16.3B14 of the $40B12 players spent on mobile game in-app purchases in the first half of 2026.
Leading Mobile Game Publishers by Revenue Share, H1 2026
Scope: Sensor Tower in-app purchase revenue, App Store and Google Play. Shares are Vetra calculations against Sensor Tower’s $40B12 global H1 2026 total.
Key points:
• The top 10 publishers captured about 40.8%* of global mobile game in-app spending in H1 2026.
• Tencent alone held about 12.6%*, roughly 2.6x* the share of second-place Century Games.
• Six of the top 10 publishers saw revenue decline year over year14; Microfun, the only newcomer in this ranking, grew 30%14.
Emerging Technology Trends Reshaping Mobile Gaming Revenue
As app store growth slows, new channels for buying and playing games are taking a larger share of player spending.
Emerging Mobile Gaming Channels by Revenue and Adoption
Key points:
• Web shops now capture about 15%15 of mobile in-app spending, and 74%17 of top-50 grossing games run one, up from 12%17 in 2019.
• China’s mini-games grew 34.39%18 in 2025, more than three times Newzoo’s 10.7%7 growth rate for mobile overall.
• Cloud gaming has wide trial but limited regular use: 60%20 have tried it, while only 27%20 play regularly.
Highest-Grossing New Mobile Games of 2025 (AppMagic)
Scope: AppMagic gross player spending on major app stores, estimates as of December 15, 202521. Color Block Jam launched in June 2024 but earned almost all its revenue in 202521.
Key points:
• The 10 biggest new mobile games of 2025 earned $2.2B21 combined, down 27%21 from 2024’s top 10.
• No new release reached $1B21 in 2025; the top newcomer, Kingshot, earned $586.5M21.
• Four of the five biggest launches came from Asian studios21, while US players accounted for 43%21 of Kingshot’s spending.
Where Mobile Gaming Is Watched: Twitch vs. YouTube Gaming
Mobile games rank among the most-watched titles on live-streaming platforms, but that viewership is concentrated on YouTube rather than Twitch.
Live-Streaming Hours Watched, Twitch vs. YouTube Gaming, 2025 (Stream Hatchet)
Scope: Stream Hatchet tracked 36.4B24 live-streaming hours across platforms in 2025. Twitch hours include all categories, including non-gaming streams; YouTube Gaming counts gaming channels only, so the two figures are not like-for-like. The Twitch Mobile Legends figure is Twitchtracker data published by Statista27.
Key points:
• Twitch still drew about 2.2x* YouTube Gaming’s hours in 2025, but YouTube Gaming was the platform that grew, up 12%25.
• Two of YouTube Gaming’s four most-watched games in 2025 were mobile esports titles26.
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang drew about 1.6M27 hours on Twitch in September 2025, a small fraction of the 412M26 hours it drew on YouTube Gaming for the year.
What the Mobile Gaming Market Size Data Means
Mobile remains the largest segment of gaming at $113.3B7 in 2025 and a forecast $121.1B9 in 2026. App store revenue has more than doubled since 201616, and the App Store earns about 64%* of store game revenue. Growth is now concentrated: the top 10 publishers take about 40.8%* of in-app spending, and new revenue is shifting toward web shops15and established titles rather than new launches21.
Players also watch. Twitch and YouTube Gaming logged a combined 28B* hours of live streams in 20252425. Vetra Mobile’s Unlimited Elite plan is $65 a month with AutoPay22and includes a monthly VSUB redeemable on Twitch or YouTube Premium22. Its Broadband Facts label lists typical latency of 17 to 32 ms22, and data may be deprioritized during network congestion22. Full plan details and Broadband Facts labels are on the Vetra plans page.
References
1. Sensor Tower. "Global App Revenue Grew 35% in 2017 to Nearly $60 Billion." January 2018. https://sensortower.com/blog/app-revenue-and-downloads-2017
2. Sensor Tower. "Consumer Spending in Mobile Apps Grew 17% in 2019 to Exceed $83 Billion Globally." January 2020. https://sensortower.com/blog/app-revenue-and-downloads-2019
3. Sensor Tower. "Global Consumer Spending in Mobile Apps Reached $133 Billion in 2021, Up Nearly 20% from 2020." December 2021. https://sensortower.com/blog/app-revenue-and-downloads-2021
4. Sensor Tower. "Global Mobile Games Market Outlook 2024." 2024. https://sensortower.com/blog/state-of-mobile-games-market-outlook-2024-report
5. Sensor Tower. "2025 State of Mobile: Consumers’ $150 Billion Spent on Mobile Highlights Another Record-Setting Year." January 2025. https://sensortower.com/blog/2025-state-of-mobile-consumers-usd150-billion-spent-on-mobile-highlights
6. WN Hub. "In 2025, the revenue of the mobile gaming market increased, but only slightly" (Sensor Tower State of Mobile 2026). January 2026.https://wnhub.io/news/analytics/item-49875
7. PocketGamer.biz. "Global Games revenue surpasses $200bn for the first time, mobile generates $113bn" (Newzoo). 2026. https://www.pocketgamer.biz/global-games-revenue-surpasses-200bn-for-the-first-time-mobile-generates-113bn/
8. GameDev Reports. "Newzoo: The Gaming Market in 2026." September 2026. https://gamedevreports.substack.com/p/newzoo-the-gaming-market-in-2026-934
9. PocketGamer.biz. "No ‘single model’ for growth, says Newzoo." September 22, 2026. https://www.pocketgamer.biz/no-single-model-for-growth-says-newzoo/
10. Mistplay. "70+ key mobile gaming statistics for 2026 and beyond" (Sensor Tower State of Mobile 2026 data). February 2, 2026.https://business.mistplay.com/resources/mobile-gaming-statistics
11. WN Hub. "The crisis didn’t prevent the gaming market from setting a revenue record in 2025, according to analytics" (Newzoo). 2026. https://wnhub.io/news/analytics/item-51165
12. Sensor Tower. "H1 2026 Gaming Digital Market Index." July 2026. https://sensortower.com/report/h1-2026-gaming-digital-market-index
13. WN Hub. "Russia entered the top 5 countries for mobile game downloads in the first half of 2026, according to analytics" (Sensor Tower). July 30, 2026.https://wnhub.io/news/analytics/item-51613
14. WN Hub. "The ten largest mobile game publishers earned $16.3 billion in the first half of 2026" (Sensor Tower). July 16, 2026. https://wnhub.io/news/stores-and-publishing/item-51452
15. PocketGamer.biz. "Report: Mobile game D2C revenues reach $17bn as publishers push beyond app stores" (Appcharge and GDC). June 24, 2026.https://www.pocketgamer.biz/report-mobile-game-d2c-revenues-reach-17bn-as-publishers-push-beyond-app-stores/
16. Bain & Company. "Gaming’s Next Winners Will Be Built on Player Focus, AI-Powered Personalization, and Direct Relationships." August 19, 2026.https://www.bain.com/about/media-center/press-releases/2026/gamings-next-winners-will-be-built-on-player-focus-ai-powered-personalization-and-direct-relationships-bain-co-report-finds/
17. WN Hub. "Analytics: web shops are now available for 74% of top mobile games" (Bain & Company). 2026. https://wnhub.io/news/analytics/item-51815
18. PocketGamer.biz. "The key numbers on China’s booming Mini-Games market." 2026. https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-key-numbers-on-chinas-booming-mini-games-market/
19. Meridian Play and JINKE. "China WeChat Mini Games Industry Report 2026" (DataEye data). 2026. https://meridianplay.substack.com/p/china-wechat-mini-games-industry
20. Boston Consulting Group. "Gaming Industry Emerges from Post-Pandemic Slump as Gamers Play More." December 9, 2025. https://www.bcg.com/press/9december2025-gaming-industry-emerges-from-post-pandemic-slump-gamers-playing-more
21. PocketGamer.biz. "Asia dominates 2025’s biggest mobile releases as top 10 new games make $2.2bn" (AppMagic). December 18, 2025. https://www.pocketgamer.biz/asia-dominates-2025s-biggest-mobile-releases-as-top-10-new-games-make-22bn/
22. Vetra Mobile. "Plans." Accessed October 23, 2026. https://vetramobile.com/plans
23. GameDev Reports. "Sensor Tower: State of Gaming 2026." 2026. https://gamedevreports.substack.com/p/sensor-tower-state-of-gaming-2026
24. Net Influencer. "Live streaming viewership hits four-year high as Kick surges and Twitch loses ground" (Stream Hatchet 2025 Live Streaming Trends Report). 2026.https://www.netinfluencer.com/live-streaming-viewership-hits-four-year-high-as-kick-surges-and-twitch-loses-ground/
25. GameSquare. "GameSquare’s Stream Hatchet Publishes 2025 YouTube Gaming Trends Report." March 5, 2026. https://investors.gamesquare.com/news/news-details/2026/GameSquares-Stream-Hatchet-Publishes-2025-YouTube-Gaming-Trends-Report/default.aspx
26. Net Influencer. "YouTube Gaming Viewership Hits Record 8.8 Billion Hours In 2025, Data Shows" (Stream Hatchet). March 2026. https://www.netinfluencer.com/youtube-gaming-viewership-hits-record-8-8-billion-hours-in-2025-data-shows/
27. Statista. "Number of hours watched of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang on Twitch worldwide from October 2021 to September 2025" (Twitchtracker data). October 1, 2025. Dataset: Twitchtracker, https://twitchtracker.com/games/494184 https://statista.com/statistics/1357213/mlbb-hours-watched-twitch
28. GameDev Reports. "Sensor Tower: The Gaming Market in H1’26." 2026. https://gamedevreports.substack.com/p/sensor-tower-the-gaming-market-in
