The Real Winners in Mobile Gaming Aren't the Newest Games
This is a single insight from This Week in Apps - Games Are Not the Same. Check out the full article for more insights.
We all love new. New titles. New mechanics. New trends. But in mobile gaming, old games are still eating everyone's lunch.
According to Appfigures Intelligence, the top-grossing mobile games in 2024 weren't all released last year. We grouped the top earners last year by their release year and the #2 spot went to games released in 2015!
The 2015 batch of games accounted for a combined $5.4 billion of gamer spending globally in 2024, according to our estimates. Yes, games released in 2015. That's a decade ago.
The top revenue-generating cohort was from 2022 with $5.7 billion, and 2018 followed closely behind.
What does this mean?
It means longevity matters. A lot.
The biggest winners are games that have built strong live ops, regular content updates, loyal communities, and robust monetization systems. These games weren't just a set of levels or a cool game mechanic but rather platforms. And they're still delivering.
This is a reminder that success in mobile isn't just about launch day. It's about everything that happens after. How you retain. How you grow. How you monetize over time. And how you stay ahead of the competition.
Take Candy Crush or Subway Surfers. These titles are more than 10 years old but continue to dominate in both revenue and brand recognition. Why? Because they've mastered the post-launch game. They've turned into ongoing services that evolve with their audience.
If you're a developer, this is both inspiring and a little intimidating. Launching is hard, but keeping players engaged and spending for 5+ years? That's where the real challenge begins.
The report has the full breakdown by release year, and the numbers are worth a look. Get the report →
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All figures included in this report are estimated. Unless specified otherwise, estimated revenue is always net, meaning it's the amount the developer earned after Apple and Google took their fee.
