Mobile gaming projected to hit $126B in 2025, report

Xsolla, a global video game commerce company, has announced the release of the Q2 2025 Edition of “The Xsolla Report: The State of Play.” This detailed report provides crucial insights, trends, and opportunities shaping the gaming landscape, empowering industry professionals to adapt and thrive in today’s rapidly changing market.

In 2024, global mobile app usage soared to an astonishing 4.2 trillion hours, an all-time high that powered a massive $150 billion consumer spending across mobile platforms. Mobile gaming is leading this charge, which accounted for more than half of that total.

Despite a 6% dip in overall game downloads, falling to 49.6 billion, in-app purchase (IAP) revenue surged, indicating deeper user engagement and a more valuable player base. And the momentum is far from over: mobile gaming revenue is projected to grow at a steady 5.57% CAGR, climbing to $126.06 billion in 2025 and hitting a staggering $156.58 billion by 2029.

Digging deeper into genre performance reveals how uneven the mobile gaming landscape is. Role-playing games (RPGs) dominated in revenue, raking in $2 billion from in-app purchases with a solid 7.2% success rate.

Strategy games came next, generating $352 million and a 3.8% success rate. But simulation games took the crown in reach, amassing over 1 billion downloads and boasting the highest success rate at 10.2%, a sign of strong user engagement and retention.

The path to success remains steep: only 1.9% of new titles broke the $1 million revenue mark, while a staggering 62% earned nothing, underscoring the highly competitive, saturated, and unforgiving market for newcomers.

As developers seek alternative growth models, direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategies are gaining traction. A recent EU-based developer survey found that 23% of the respondents have adopted D2C models, and 12% are actively building them. However, 62% have yet to implement such strategies.

Chris Hewish, President, Communication & Strategy, Xsolla: “The shift in mobile is clear – players are spending more, but on fewer, better-supported games. For developers, combining hybrid monetization and distribution strategies is essential to long-term sustainability.”

72% of developers now embrace hybrid monetization models, which combine IAPs, subscriptions, and advertising to maximize revenue and reach broader audiences. As monetization evolves, these models, alongside LiveOps and strategic IP collaborations, shape the blueprint for mobile success in 2025 and beyond.

The full report can be accessed here

www.xsolla.com

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