Honor of Kings remains a reigning champion in the Chinese gaming market when it comes to audience impressions. However, its close competitor, Honkai: Star Rail, is steadily climbing the rankings and catching up to Genshin Impact, its predecessor.

The top five mobile games making waves on Weibo, with its massive user base of over half a billion monthly active users, are: Honor of Kings, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda, Honkai Star Rail, and Light & Night.

The popularity of Honor of Kings comes as no surprise, given its immense success in China, making it arguably the most popular MOBA worldwide and a significant contributor to Tencent's market dominance in the country.

This ranking offers an intriguing glimpse into the Chinese gaming market, highlighting the strong presence of mobile titles like Honor of Kings and Genshin Impact. The recent release of Tears of the Kingdom propelled The Legend of Zelda to surge in popularity, making it a notable exception among the mobile-dominated landscape.

Interestingly, this also indicates a potential shift in Genshin Impact's dominance. MiHoYo took a gamble by releasing Honkai: Star Rail, a direct competitor to their own game, and it has already shown signs of surpassing Genshin Impact in terms of ongoing revenue.

Moreover, the market's heavy reliance on social media popularity is evident in the success of games like Eggy Party, which may not rank high in mentions but gains momentum as a social media phenomenon, suggesting prolonged longevity.

The Chinese gaming market is undergoing subtle changes, with Tencent facing threats to its market dominance, and MiHoYo witnessing internal competition between its own titles. These dynamics promise an intriguing and eventful year ahead in the Chinese gaming landscape.

Source: Iwan Morris, Staff Writer at PocketGamer