The highest grossing cellular video games of 2024

It’s been any other difficult yr for the cellular video games marketplace, nevertheless it’s returning to expansion.

We have now already analysed at period how the sector’s most sensible grossing cellular video games have modified overtime. We have now additionally simply printed a piece of writing about 2024’s most sensible new releases, which integrated one in every of this yr’s best-performing titles total.

Right here we analyse the highest earnings turbines and the important thing tendencies and tales from 2024’s most sensible grossing ratings.

The estimates are taken from cellular intelligence platform AppMagic and come with information for the App Retailer and Google Play. All estimates are from January 1st to December seventeenth, 2024.

Best grossing cellular video games for 2024

The #1 grossing recreation of the yr used to be, after all, Tencent’s Honor of Kings at $2.6 billion. It’s been the sector’s absolute best earnings producing recreation at the App Retailer and Google Play since 2017, apart from within the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, when it used to be usurped by means of any other Tencent recreation: PUBG Cell.

At quantity two used to be Scopely’s Monopoly Pass, which gathered $2.2bn. The identify has been a huge good fortune for the writer, profitable it the Recreation of the 12 months and Easiest Writer accolades on the Pocket Gamer Cell Video games Awards 2024.

In the meantime, Dream Video games’ Royal Fit ranked 1/3 with $2bn in participant spending, Tencent’s PUBG Cell sat at fourth with on the subject of $1.7bn, and Roblox rounded out the highest 5 with $1.6bn.

By means of the tip of the yr, the highest 10 grossing cellular video games will each and every have hit the $1bn mark for 2024, up from the former prime of 9 in 2021.

Total, the cellular video games marketplace generated $81.8bn from international participant spending around the App Retailer and Google Play between January 1st and December seventeenth, 2024, a upward push of four.9% Y/Y from 2023.

The large tales

Dungeon & Fighter and Remaining Battle are the breakout hits of the yr

As we highlighted in our research of 2024’s most sensible new video games, the release of Nexon’s Dungeon & Fighter Cell, printed by means of Tencent, used to be the largest new free up of the yr. Nexon wanted successful – earnings used to be down forward of D&F Cell’s free up, and whilst it’s a $22bn+ franchise, even Dungeon & Fighter On-line used to be dealing with difficulties following an replace the negatively impacted its financial system.

On China’s App Retailer by myself, Dungeon & Fighter Cell generated $1.1bn in 2024, a determine which may be somewhat upper by means of the New 12 months. Taking into consideration earnings from third-party Android retail outlets, that quantity will likely be a long way upper.

It’s an instance of the ability of the Dungeon & Fighter IP, which doesn’t get a lot popularity within the West, and of ways most sensible IPs of its ilk can virtually be qualified hits in Asia (like Lineage has been in South Korea for NCSoft and Netmarble).

It is also price noting that D&F Cell ranked because the 9th most sensible grossing recreation on this planet this yr, regardless of handiest liberating on Would possibly twenty first, 2024.

In the meantime, FirstFun has had a mega hit with Remaining Battle: Survival. The 4X technique recreation, which blends hypercasual gameplay that makes use of gate mechanics – as noticed in lots of a cellular recreation advert – began scaling in November/December 2023, and has temporarily discovered itself amassing $1.5bn this yr.

Whilst advanced by means of a Chinese language developer, not like D&F Cell, the identify has discovered world good fortune out of doors of the rustic, rating because the 6th most sensible grossing recreation of the yr.

Century Video games’ Whiteout Survival, any other 4X technique identify, additionally merits a unique point out. Whilst it discovered its footing in 2023, earnings has persisted to extend in 2024 to a prime of $158.5m in November 2024.

Pokémon Buying and selling Card Recreation Pocket, in the meantime, handiest introduced on October thirtieth, however has rapid turn into one of the most yr’s greatest video games, racking up an estimated $292m. Papergames and Infold Video games’ Love and Deepspace simply neglected out at the most sensible 25 grossers, producing $397.4m.

Royal Fit overthrew Sweet Weigh down Saga because the match-3 king

Sweet Weigh down Saga earnings hasn’t dwindled. If truth be told, in keeping with AppMagic estimates, it used to be remarkably on par with 2023 participant spending at $1.5bn.

However Dream Video games’s first recreation, Royal Fit, has ascended as the brand new king of match-3 this yr, emerging to the 1/3 most sensible grossing recreation on this planet with an estimated $2bn from participant spending. Handiest Playrix’s Gardenscapes has in the past challenged Sweet Weigh down’s throne in 2020 – and handiest simply.

Royal Fit has confirmed itself the height of match-3 recreation polish. Dream Video games is hoping to do the similar once more with Royal Kingdom, introduced in November and taking a look to copy no less than a few of that good fortune after producing $21.2 million in comfortable release.

We’ll see in 2025 whether or not Dream Video games unearths any other hit, or if it begins seeing diminishing returns from sequels and spinoffs of its flagship hit as King has.

Brawl Stars rises again to the highest – and remains there

When you’re within the cellular video games trade and haven’t heard about Brawl Stars’ upward push over the last yr, welcome again, I am hoping you’re doing k.

After years of quite a lot of adjustments – even eliminating  loot packing containers – to resuscitate Brawl Stars’ declining earnings, Supercell hit the jackpot within the latter months of 2023.

Following the addition of recent options like Starr Drops and Hypercharges, Brawl Stars sparked again to existence. It’s now the well-known Finnish studio’s flagship identify forward of Conflict of Clans, and ranked because the eleventh most sensible grossing cellular recreation in 2024.

It’s a lesson in how are living ops and constantly checking out out new concepts can’t handiest stay a recreation working for the long-term, however even once in a while breathe totally new existence into it.

For comparability, Brawl Stars generated an estimated $147.5 million in gross earnings between January 1st and December seventeenth, 2023. In the meantime, all through the similar length in 2024, participant spending rose by means of 524% to $921.3m.

Its good fortune has propelled Supercell again into the highest 10 most sensible grossing cellular recreation publishers on this planet by means of App Retailer and Google Play earnings in 2024. The concern of falling by the wayside is what has resulted in key cultural and structural adjustments on the corporate over the last yr.

HoYoverse unearths a profitable decline

There are numerous caveats to this, however HoYoverse’s flagship video games Genshin Have an effect on and Honkai: Celebrity Rail have fallen out the highest 10 in 2024, to a nonetheless very profitable twelfth for Honkai and 14th for Genshin.

Mixed the titles made $1.5bn from the App Retailer and Google Play thus far this yr. That doesn’t be mindful earnings from third-party Android retail outlets, its internet store, and different platforms.

However it’s notable that during November, the 2 titles had their worst months ever for earnings at the App Retailer and Google Play, capping a steady decline for the 2 titles.

Genshin Have an effect on’s rumoured funds consistent with yr used to be as soon as mentioned to be $200m consistent with yr, so a noticeable drop in participant spending is noteworthy.

However with a loss of information on earnings generated off Apple and Google’s retail outlets, it’s tricky to understand how problematic the dropoff is for HoYoverse. Any writer could be pleased with the degrees of participant spending from those titles, however few different video games are as pricey to deal with.

Asia ruled new recreation releases, however most sensible grossers cut up around the globe

We analysed the highest new cellular recreation releases of 2024 already, highlighting that 13 out of 15 of the highest grossing new titles are by means of publishers based totally in Asia.

Price noting too that the opposite two titles have sturdy connections to China, Sea of Conquest developer FunPlus has studios within the nation, whilst Squad Busters maker Supercell is owned by means of Tencent.

However with regards to 2024’s total most sensible grossers, it’s a a lot more even tale. Of the highest 10 earnings turbines, 5 publishers are based totally in Asia, together with the sector’s most sensible grossing recreation Honor of Kings.

Within the most sensible 25, in the meantime, 12 publishers are based totally in Asia. Then again, it’s price as soon as once more noting the affect of Japanese firms. As in the past discussed, Supercell, which has two video games within the most sensible 25, is owned by means of Tencent. In the meantime, Activision’s Name of Accountability: Cell used to be advanced in collaboration with Tencent’s TiMi Studio.

To get truly particular, Niantic’s Pokémon Pass is, after all, based totally off of an IP made in Japan.

Previous this yr, we named the Best 50 Cell Recreation Makers for 2024. You’ll take a look at that listing out right here.