Gamers Have Spent $59.5 Billion On Mobile Titles In 2021 Already

Mobile games are having their time in the sun — and it appears their momentum isn’t slowing down any time soon.

According to new figures from research group Sensor Tower shared by Games Industry, mobile gamers spent $US44.7 billion ($59.5 billion) in the first half of 2021, a marked increase of 17.9 per cent from figures in the first half of 2020.

It’s an impressive amount, and it only seems to be increasing as mobile games continue their stratospheric rise in popularity.

The highest-grossing games for this period included Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact, Roblox and Coin Master. Notably, the revenue for Game For Peace has been added to PUBG Mobile‘s total due to it being the local Chinese version of the title.

Given Honor of Kings and PUGB Mobile take out the top spot, it’s safe to say Tencent reigns supreme in mobile games. And while it remains one of the most profitable video game companies, its position is increasingly threatened by the rise of action-adventure Genshin Impact in third place. Fans can’t just can’t get enough of their handsome anime husbands and waifus, and that’s reflected in mobile spending patterns.

Apple’s App Store accounts for half of the spending totalled, with players forking out upwards of $US26 billion ($34.6 billion) for games on the store. Google Play followed closely behind, representing $US18.7 billion ($24.9 billion) of spending on mobile titles.

According to Sensor Tower, downloads actually dipped in the first half of this year, at just 28.1 billion (down 1.4 per cent). But while this figure is dropping, spending continues at a phenomenal rate. Of the overall consumer spending between the Google and Apple Stores, 68.9% was on gaming — eclipsing other app downloads by a wide margin.

As the landscape for mobile gaming changes and more titles enter the market, expect this figure to continue trending upwards. Just look at recent successes like the launch on Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds, which earned more money in its first 11 days than Pokémon GO over the same time frame.