Highest Earning Mobile Games in 2022

Mobile gaming is the most profit-grossing area of gaming, i.e., the video gaming industry, where the profit stream of some top companies is crossing billions of dollars. Mobile games, which exist as apps, are being downloaded by millions of cellphone users around the world.

These games are bringing in huge revenue for the developers of these games than most gaming consoles or PC sellers could ever hope to achieve, and this feature is all about the Top 10 highest-earning mobile games in 2022. 

The year 2022 was a record-breaking period for the mobile gaming industry as its market share continued to grow at a record-crushing pace.

According to the information published by data insight platform ‘Sensor Tower,’ eight different businesses in this sector surpassed more than $ 1 billion in the time period between January and December 2022, recognizing them as the highest-earning mobile games in 2022. 

Top 10 Highest-earning Mobile Games in 2022

Some of the top games are well-recognized titles that have remained successful over the years and continue their growth journey.

This was made possible as more players begin to spend more time gaming on their mobile gadgets, i.e., phones or tablets.

Among these games, there were PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings, which, with earning more than $2.8 billion in player spending during the noted period, are on the top spot, as the highest-earning mobile games in 2022.

This is the reflection of a very strong Chinese mobile games market as these two highest-grossing mobile games of 2022 are the properties of Tencent, the Chinese internet tech giant.

Even if some games like PUBG Mobile need to be rebranded for release in the restricted region due to strict gaming regulations, they seem like will hold the same progression.

From November 2022, ‘PUBG Mobile’ was also the highest-grossing mobile, achieving $254 million in total player spending. This is more than 46% of the total player spending from the same period in 2020.

The interesting fact is, around 66 % of that revenue came from China, signifying the strength of the market of that region. 

In addition, these top two, ‘Genshim Impact’ also passed a strong year as it is updating its content and impressive visuals continuously. With $1.8 billion in total player spending.

It’s in the third position, not to mention it’s also a China-produced game. Genshim Impact has also generated $ 2.4 billion in total earnings after its launching in September 2022 and second-highest earning mobile games in November 2022, though only 36% of its income came from China. 

After these top three, Roblox and Coin Master got positioned with $1.3 billion of players spending each. These two titles got 20.3 percent and 13.8 percent year-over-year growth respectively. 

Pokemon Go just missed the top 5 positions, but still enjoyed its best year in player spending with more than $1.2 billion. Candy Crush Saga and Garena Free Fire also continue to be hugely profitable with $1.2 bn and 1.1 bn in terms of revenue earning. 

The industry could see the ninth mobile title to cross the $ 1 billion milestone in 2022, as Uma Musume Prety Derby from the Cygames closed the $ 1 billion landmark with $965 million last year.

The games launched just in February of 2022 and are only available in Japan, however it has achieved tremendous high-speed revenue. 

The mobile games market acquired $7.1 billion approximately from players spending across the App Store and Google Play in November 2022, which signifies a 7 percent increase over last year.

According to the marketplace or country in generating revenue in November 2022, the United States was in 1st position with $ 2 billion approximately.

It’s 29 percent of total player spending worldwide. With 20% of the total revenue, Japan is in the second marketplace position.

Though Google Play is not available in China, With 18% of the market share, this country is in the third position thanks to its big-tech game developer organizations and huge population. 

Another mobile game that could join the billion-dollar club of 2022 is Monster Strike from Mixi. It earned up to $ 970 million as revenue in 2020, which is 2.8 percent more than that amount in 2019.

This title has been in the top 5 positions since 2014 and is one of the most demandable games of all time. 

Now, let’s go to see the top-achievers condition in 2020. The five one billion dollar mobile games in 2020 exceeded the amount seen in previous years.

In 2019, three titles– Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, and Fate/Grand Order from Sony’s Anipex, earned more than $ 1 billion. Among the previous years, 2014 saw two titles hitting the $ 1 billion milestones. 

Why is the Gaming Industry Growing?

The outstanding success of the most successful players in the mobile gaming industry comes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

It’s assumed that as more people stayed at home during the lockdown, they spend much more time playing mobile games. 

The ever-increasing use of smartphones and the advancement of technology, along with the adoption of the latest technical resources are major reasons behind the mobile gaming industry’s development.

The advancements in mobile technology made some companies the highest-earning mobile game product providers. 

The gaming industry is expanding and smartphone has been playing a pivotal role in this expansion. And the development of mobile games has become the centerfold of the gaming industry.

As part of product differentiation, social media giants like Facebook and Instagram have also started to develop innovative mobile games. 

The Number of players spending on mobile games has increased due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown 

Many countries are developing innovative mobile games to ensure high product differentiation and benefit from engaging games to enhance their advertisement strategies.

Many governments around the globe are also facilitating funds to promote and assist the local gaming industry. For example, in 2019, the German government allocated EUR 50 million for the starting up of a games fund.

There’s a public-private partnership in Sweeden which helps students in developing games with the help of government-funded offices and equipment. 

The option of purchasing extra privileges within the games is a significant revenue-generating channel for the mobile gaming industry.

The flexibility for in-game payment options is also paving the way for the growth of mobile gaming revenues around the world. 

Despite geopolitical hassles, the increasing smartphone penetration and growing gaming options are also the catalysts behind mobile gaming activation in many places of the world.

For example, according to the information researched by White Designers Game studios, Iran has a population of 82 million, and 35% of them use smartphones.

So, there’re more than 30 million active mobile gaming players in the country, which is the strength of the highest-earning mobile games in 2022.  

Most countries were under lockdown in the previous two years due to the spreading of Coronavirus. Hence, there has been significant growth in the digital entertainment market.

As is the case with the mobile gaming market, too. The major gaming businesses around the world, i.e., the highest-earning mobile games companies, have witnessed strong growth in downloads of various types of mobile games in the COVID-19-affected market.

Keeping pace with this growth, the market will expand with the same dynamism, expects the tech analysts of the world.