Every Wednesday we break down the latest data, research and financial results into digestible chunks.
Read on for the numbers you need to know about without the fluff.
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Monopoly Go hits $6bn ‘in record time’
Monopoly Go has become the fastest mobile game to reach $6bn lifetime IAP revenue, according to Sensor Tower estimates. Having debuted in April 2023, it took Scopely’s game 1,275 days to reach the milestone.
Its closest competitors are Monster Strike (1,673 days), Honor of Kings (1,762 days), Royal Match (1,868 days), Genshin Impact (1,873 days) and Clash of Clans (2,206 days)
The game now ranks fourteenth on Sensor Tower’s list of the top mobile titles based on all-time revenue, closely trailing Genshin Impact ($6bn), Fate/Grand Order ($6.1bn), Gardenscapes ($6.1bn) and Royal Match ($6.4bn).
Topping the lifetime revenue rankings are more mature releases, headed by Honor of Kings ($16.2bn). It’s followed by Candy Crush Saga ($13.5bn), Monster Strike ($11.2bn), Clash of Clans ($10.8bn) and Roblox ($9.5bn).
SayGames reaches 8bn downloads
Hybridcasual specialist SayGames claims to have surpassed 8bn downloads worldwide. The Cyprus-based firm, which has a portfolio of 150+ titles including My Perfect Hotel, Johnny Trigger, Sand Balls and Race Master 3D, previously reported hitting 2bn downloads in February 2021 and 4bn in February 2023.
Gaming UA spend tops $25bn in 2025
Global gaming app UA spend in 2025 rose 3.8% year-over-year to $25bn, according to a new report from marketing and analytics firm AppsFlyer.
On iOS, UA spend increased 6% year-over-year, and on Android it was up 2% year-over-year. Overall, UA spend was 8% higher on Google’s platform than it was on Apple’s.
Almost half of all gaming UA budgets were spent in the United States, although ad spend in the US declined 5% year-over-year. In contrast, Turkey and India saw 29% and 19% rises in ad spend respectively.
When it comes to genre-specific spending patterns, casual games accounted for over 50% of total UA ad spend. Their UA spend in 2025 decreased 7% YoY on Android, but was up 1% on iOS.
Midcore games saw a notable year-over-year rise in ad spend on iOS (+26%) but were flat on Android. And hypercasual games saw ad spend rise 14% year-over-year on Android, while dropping 14% on iOS.
The report claims paid install share for mobile games was up 10% year-over-year on both Android and iOS, with ad impressions rising 20% during the same period.
On Android, 57% of installs were paid, compared with 44% on iOS. Hypercasual games continued to be the most reliant on paid traffic (81% Android, 67% iOS).
54% of casual game installs on Android were paid (up 18%), while 22% of midcore game installs on iOS were paid (up 32%).
TaleMonster Games raises $30m
TaleMonster Games has closed a $30m Series A funding round led by a16z Speedrun and Arcadia Gaming Partners, with participation from Point72 Ventures and General Catalyst.
Following a $7m seed raise last May, the latest investment will be used to grow the studio’s debut title, the match 3 puzzle game Match Valley, Mobidictum reports.
The Istanbul, Turkey-based studio was founded by members who previously developed the likes of Toon Blast and Toy Blast for Peak Games, which Zynga acquired for $1.8bn.
Arknights: Endfield tops 35m pre-registrations
Arknights: Endfield has surpassed 35m pre-registrations, according to publisher Gryphline. The milestone was announced shortly before the 3D real-time strategy RPG launches for mobile, PC, and PS5 on January 22.
Love and Deepspace surpasses 80m players
Hit dating sim Love and Deepspace has now attracted over 80m players worldwide, according to publisher Infold Games. That’s up from 70m global downloads it previously reported as of August 2025.
Released two years ago this month, the sci-fi romance title charted at number 25 on Appmagic’s list of the top-grossing games of 2024 ($295), and at number 18 ($369m) on 2025’s list.
eFootball scores 950m downloads
Konami’s eFootball has reached 950m downloads worldwide, according to the Japanese publisher.
Originally released for PC and console in September 2021, before making its way to mobile in June 2022, the game was one of the top 25 IAP earners in 2024, when it raked in over $300m, based on Appmagic data.
Hill Climb Racing speeds past 2bn downloads
Fingersoft’s original Hill Climb Racing has surpassed 2bn downloads, according to the Finnish developer. It says the physics-based driving game, which was first released in 2012, is played by over 4m people daily.
With Hill Climb Racing 3 currently in soft launch in the UK, Finland, Sweden, and Norway, Fingersoft says the franchise is on the verge of hitting 3bn downloads across all platforms, which is up from 2.5bn reported in December 2024.
Live ops activity is on the rise
The average number of live ops events per game is rising, according to Appmagic’s analysis of 130+ “top-performing” titles across casual, midcore, and hybridcasual.
Between December 2024 and November 2025, it says the average number of live ops event launches per game rose from 73 to 89 per month. Collection-based mechanics were the most prevalent mechanics featured in these events, appearing in almost 80% of the games in Appmagic’s sample.
Race, win streak, core duplicate and casual casino mechanics featured in about half of the games analysed, while fishing and expedition mechanics were the least popular, appearing in less than 20% of the games.
Around 70% of events focus on paying players and hardcore users, with monetisation driven by special offers, hard currency and paid passes. The most common monetisation elements are event points and leaderboards.
56% of all payment links buyers are new to DTC
A new report from mobile monetisation platform Appcharge claims 56% of all payment links buyers in the US are completely new to DTC. It says approximately 25% of those payment link purchasers also went on to make a first web store purchase.
Appcharge data says 97% of its web store revenue comes from repeat buyers, and the average web store purchase value in the US is 3× higher than payment links.
It also found that 65% of first-time web store buyers make a second purchase. 79% of players who make two purchases progress to a third one. 84% of players who make three purchases make a fourth, and 87% of players who make four purchases make a fifth.
