In a collaborative effort, advertising analyst Apptica and gaming UA platform Gamelight have published a comprehensive report delving into the state of the gaming industry in Q3 2023. The research, spanning 37 countries and focusing on six key regions, provides valuable insights into download numbers, in-app purchase revenues, and gaming preferences across diverse markets.

Regional Gaming Dynamics

The report highlights key gaming dynamics in the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, France, and Germany, offering a nuanced view of the industry's landscape. Notably, the US claimed a significant portion of casual game installations at 53.5%, as well as dominating action and card game installs with 57.3% and 62.4%, respectively. Word games also found favor in the US, constituting 58.6% of total downloads.

In terms of spending, the US emerged as the largest overall spender in Q3, contributing 84.3% of in-app revenues for casino games. The report further detailed that the US led in spending for board games, family games, and casual games, accounting for 75.2%, 68.3%, and 62.8% of earnings, respectively. However, the genre with the most significant regional disparity was music games, with Japan claiming a staggering 89.5% of in-app purchase revenues, despite over 75% of downloads being attributed to the US, France, and Germany.

Genre Preferences and Spending Habits

Japanese gamers demonstrated a notable 51.9% share of RPG spending, reaffirming the enduring popularity of the genre in the region. The report also highlighted that Monopoly GO and Subway Surfers were the most downloaded games on iOS and Android, respectively, showcasing sustained success in the mobile gaming market.

Global Download and Revenue Insights

The report revealed that a total of 2.41 billion game downloads occurred across the six studied regions in Q3 2023. The US accounted for 1.28 billion downloads, marking a 5% decline from Q3 2022. In contrast, the UK experienced a 14% rise, Japan increased by 7%, and South Korea surged by 32%. In terms of revenue, the six regions collectively contributed 59% of worldwide earnings in games, amounting to $6.25 billion for the quarter.

The full report, titled "Mobile Games: State of the Market & Playtime Benchmarks," offers in-depth insights into top-performing games, playtime trends, and major genres that experienced a 700% higher success rate in downloads on Android compared to iOS.

Source: adapted from an article by Aaron Astle, News Editor for PocketGamer.biz.