Here are ten different views on what’ll happen in the mobile game business this year, as predicted by some familiar mobilegamer.biz readers:
Bob Slinn, FunPlus
The momentum around Roblox continues to grow with an ever wider range of players spending ever more time engaged on the most social, largest scale games platform around. I predict that this year we will finally see a high quality game using established IP make a sustainable and large scale breakthrough on the platform.
Roblox has been quietly building the necessary tools to allow developers to safely bring established IP to the platform along with more and more robust gameplay and graphics experiences. New game experiences keep breaking records for CCUs making the opportunity too big to ignore.
Jude Ower MBE, PlanetPlay
In 2026 we will see the quality bar on mobile games increase due to 5G, cloud streaming and improved hardware. More multiplatform will come into play and hybrid business models will be more prevalent as the industry puts more focus on retention strategies.
Moreover, I’m hugely encouraged that amidst the myriad challenges the industry faces, our community continues to move forward when it comes to ESG and CSR, proving that creativity and conscience can thrive, even in adversity.
Vladimir Markov, Top App Games
For 2026, I see two main trends in mobile gaming. First, metrics and rapid testing: these days, the market is over competitive, so keeping an eye on CPI and retention is key to knowing a game’s viability. To succeed, studios will need to quickly test gameplay, integrate it into meta systems, and fine-tune monetisation on the go.
Second, 4X strategies and battlers will remain popular, but even in a crowded market there’s still room for hybrid games that mix simple, hypercasual mechanics with a deeper, long-term meta. A successful game combines gameplay that sells and looks great in marketing with real stickiness and depth.
James Dodd, Out Making Games
As both the gaming and media sectors navigate unprecedented industry transformations, many once-reliable sure things have proven surprisingly volatile. Meanwhile, we’ve witnessed modest, unconventional titles spark significant buzz and outperform expectations simply by offering fresh, distinctive experiences.
This trend is likely to accelerate – expect greater innovation and risk-taking in 2026, even as major releases from Asian markets continue to dominate in terms of raw player and revenue numbers. Marketing approaches will continue to diversify in order to keep up with AI and differentiate themselves, and this will drive new products to market, as the non-gaming app market continues to grow.
Jane Campbell, Ustwo Games
2026 will see mobile become a key extension of premium gaming and a core pillar of the multi-platform gaming landscape. The growing success of PC and console titles launching on the app stores via try-before-you-buy models, alongside dedicated app store curation and promotion, signals a real shift. Mobile will be an expected part of wider premium game publishing strategies, not an experiment.
Ben Cousens, ZBD
With console reward schemes winding down, we may see more players exploring mobile in 2026 – but not just because rewards exist. Player fatigue is becoming a real factor: when every game leans heavily on incentives, those rewards quickly lose their sense of value. If what’s being offered doesn’t feel meaningful or connected to genuine progression, players disengage.
Reward systems that emphasise long-term value and thoughtful design will hold attention better than disposable, gift-card-style models that struggle to sustain interest.
Artur Beresnev, Mamboo Entertainment
In 2026, we expect that traditional overused game art packs will retire. Little 2D characters and popular low-poly packs that populated thousands of mobile games are making it almost impossible to run distinguishable UA campaigns.
Next year, some studios will try to make more AI-generated or assisted art to stand out, but leading games will rely on hand-crafted art, like comic-book designed games, visually inspired by Spiderverse.
Adam Smart, AppsFlyer
I believe 2026 will be the year of omni-channel. I know you’ve heard it all before, but before the pitch forks come out let me explain… big players like Take-Two and Tencent have realised mobile, for the most part, out performs PC and console.
However, that’s because of the way the games are built, requiring the user to keep up with both time and the meta. I believe in 2026 we will see a plethora of titles either enhancing the PC and console experience with mobile, or being able to play the same game literally anywhere.
Vladimir Nikolsky, Utmost Games
I believe that in 2026, achieving success will require taking significant, well-calculated risks. The approach of bringing a product to market gradually and scaling marketing step by step will no longer work – competitors will develop a similar product and launch it faster. To succeed, studios must not only be willing to take that risk but also have all their internal processes well established, so that the critical moment is not missed.
Kian Hozouri, ByteBrew
In 2026, as levers of control in ad monetisation continue to disappear from teams, a wave of studios seeking transparency and control of their ad revenue will start to reclaim it; mirroring the shift we saw in 2025 with the ownership of purchase revenue.
