The mobile gaming industry kicked off 2025 with major momentum. According to Sensor Tower’s App Performance Insights, both downloads and revenue saw significant growth, driven by blockbuster events, collaborations, and the ever-growing global player base.

Here’s a detailed look at the Top 10 Worldwide Mobile Games by Revenue and Downloads in January 2025:

🎯 Top Mobile Games by Revenue (January 2025)

1. Honor of Kings (Tencent)
Honor of Kings surged six spots to become the highest-grossing mobile game globally. Strategic collaborations like the Frozen crossover, Lunar New Year events, and exclusive skin launches almost doubled its monthly revenue, marking its second-highest monthly earnings ever.

2. Royal Match
The popular match-swap puzzle game climbed to the second spot, driven by successful in-app events like Ocean Odyssey and Arctic Research. With its charming 2D cartoon art style and historical-themed puzzles, Royal Match continues to captivate casual players worldwide.

3. Last War: Survival Game (FirstFun)
This survival-themed game claimed the third spot, maintaining strong player engagement with high-stakes challenges and seasonal events.

4. Whiteout Survival
Fourth on the list, Whiteout Survival gained momentum with its post-apocalyptic theme and well-timed in-game activities.

5. MONOPOLY GO!
Rounding out the top five, MONOPOLY GO! kept players hooked with its innovative twists on the classic board game formula, new maps, and live events.

📈 Global Mobile Game Revenue Highlights

• Total Consumer Spending: $7.27 billion (up 4% from December 2024).

• Top Revenue Markets:

  • United States: $2.16 billion (29.8% share)

  • China (iOS only): 20%

  • Japan: 14.8%

• Tencent’s Dominance:
  Tencent captured four out of the top five revenue spots with Honor of Kings, Game For Peace (China’s PUBG Mobile), CrossFire, and Teamfight Tactics.

  • Game For Peace benefited from a crossover with a popular local drama and mythological-themed skins.

  • CrossFire grew with a new PvE mode and exclusive seasonal content.

  • Teamfight Tactics capitalized on Lunar New Year festivities with exclusive skins and new game mechanics.

  • Genshin Impact (by miHoYo) was the only non-Tencent title in the top five, boosted by limited-time 5-star banners and its Lantern Rite Festival.

🚀 Top Mobile Games by Downloads (January 2025)

1. Garena Free Fire
Free Fire remained the most downloaded game worldwide, adding 37.1 million new downloads, fueled by the Free Fire x Naruto Shippuden collaboration and festive seasonal events.

2. Roblox
Roblox climbed to the second spot, thanks to engaging experiences like the Hell’s Kitchen event featuring Gordon Ramsay.

3. Block Blast!
This puzzle game captured third place with its addictive gameplay and mass appeal.

4. Subway Surfers
An evergreen hit, Subway Surfers stayed in the top five thanks to its vibrant updates and endless runner charm.

5. Cat Chaos: Prankster
A surprise entry, Cat Chaos soared to #5, offering lighthearted gameplay where mischievous cats create chaos — a hit particularly across Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico.

🌎 Global Mobile Game Download Highlights

• Total Downloads: 4.41 billion (up 5.4% from December 2024).

• Top Download Markets:

  • India: 682 million downloads (15.5%)

  • United States: 8.0%

  • Brazil: 7.8%

• Emerging Trends:

  • Cat Chaos: Prankster was the fastest climber in January, gaining 22.4 million downloads.

  • Hypercasual Survival Games (Prison Survival: Tap Challenge, Survival Game: 456 Challenge, and 456 Cat Survival Master 3D) gained massive popularity, fueled by the cultural impact of Netflix’s Squid Game: Unleashed.

  • Where Winds Meet by NetEase, a wuxia-themed MMORPG, ranked #9 in download growth, appealing to mid-core players looking for AAA-quality mobile experiences.

Final Thoughts

January 2025 showed that timely collaborations, seasonal events, and creative content continue to drive success in mobile gaming. Tencent’s dominance remains strong, but fresh titles and hypercasual games are also making waves globally.

Stay tuned — as 2025 progresses, expect even more new trends, record-breaking launches, and innovations across the mobile gaming world!