The Top 100 Mobile Games Accounted For 64% of U.S. Player Spending in 2020

Summary

According to Sensor Tower data, the top 100 mobile games in the U.S. by revenue represented 64.4% of all player spending in 2020, a 4.6% decrease in share since 2017. However, player spending in this tier surged over 35% year-over-year to $14.4 billion, driven by COVID-19 lockdowns.

Meanwhile, all other tiers (ranked 101-1000) saw faster percentage growth and increased their revenue share. For instance, titles ranked 101-200 grew 41.2% to $3 billion, raising their share to 13.7%. In the global market, the top 100 grossing games accumulated $42.7 billion in 2020, up 29% YoY, accounting for 53.5% of global spending—slightly up from 2019 but down from 56% in 2017.

The top 10 worldwide generated $13.7 billion (up 34% YoY), with a 17.2% share, down from 20.4% in 2017. Notably, lower tiers in the U.S. saw share increases, while globally only the top 100 increased share, possibly due to Asian hits like Honor of Kings and global successes like Pokémon GO.

Overall, the mobile gaming market is growing across all tiers, with a rising tide lifting all boats.