Mobile Games Now Account for 53% of Gaming’s Market Share

Ever since mobile games came out, they’ve had an ever-growing share of the gaming market. Now, just over half of the gaming industry’s revenue comes from mobile games. This should come as no surprise given how many of us have smartphones and tablets, and how many mobile-friendly games there are.

Why Are Mobile Games So Popular?

The answer to this question is simple: convenience. Get out your phone or tablet and you can access a massive number of mobile-friendly games. Some can be played without an internet connection; others require internet connectivity. Whether you’re into online gaming, offline gaming or both, the range of options is huge. There’s no limit to where or when you can play.

Mobile games are specially designed to be played on the go. They’re just as advanced as console games. However, they don’t usually require or encourage long gameplay sesssions like what console games tend to do. Lots of mobile games are meant to be played casually in short bursts at the player’s own pace.

There’s also the fact that lots of mobile games are free to play. With free games, revenue is typically earned from microtransactions. These are small-cost purchases players can make to earn items, power-ups, character skins and other goodies. You can still enjoy a game and do well without making any optional purchases; however, they can help you depending on what you buy.

What Types of Mobile Games Are the Most Successful?

The five most commercially successful mobile games are as follows…

1. Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor) - This is a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game that’s earned over $16 billion in revenue since launching in 2015.
2. Monster Strike - A role playing game that involves puzzle and strategy elements, Monster Strike is a monster-collection game that came out in 2013 and has generated $10.5 billion in revenue.
3. PUGB Mobile - PUGB stands for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. It’s a multiplayer battle royale shooter that came out in early 2018 and has made $10 billion.
4. Pokemon Go - An augmented reality game where you catch Pokemon in the real world; has earned $8.6 billion since coming out in 2016.
5. Puzzle & Dragons - A puzzle and role playing game that’s made $8.5 billion since its release in 2012.

Other mobile games that have been extremely successful include Candy Crush Saga, Genshin Impact and Coin Master.

The list of the highest-grossing mobile games includes a range of genres. Some of the most popular genres include massive multiplayer battle, creature catching, puzzle and role play.

What About Casino Games?

Casino games such as slots, blackjack, roulette and poker are readily available on smartphones and tablets. Pretty much every online casino has a mobile-friendly site with hundreds, if not thousands, of games for players to try their luck at. You can play these games for real money and gamble or play for free and enjoy gaming without risking your money.

Though casino games aren’t as popular as regular video games, they still bring in billions of dollars of revenue. It’s estimated that in 2022, the worldwide video games market was worth $347 billion. As for the online gambling industry, its worth in 2022 was $63 billion, of which over a third comes from mobile gambling.

Summary

It was only a matter of time before mobile games began to dominate the industry. There’s every chance that mobile gaming’s market share will increase in the coming years. However, there will always be space for console gaming, so the figure could well reach its peak quite soon. Whatever happens, it’s clear that mobile games are here to stay.