As the fastest-growing segment of the gaming industry, mobile games continue breaking records and making billions in revenue each year. The most significant part of mobile gaming profits comes from Asian countries, home to nearly half of all mobile gamers globally.
According to data presented by Mejores Apuestas, the number of mobile gamers in Asia hit nearly 1.3 billion in 2021, more than in North America, Europe, and Latin America combined.
Asia Has 60% more Mobile Gamers than Europe as the Second-Largest Market
Mobile games have completely changed the gaming industry, bringing constant entertainment on the go through cloud-based games and apps that work offline. The countries of the Asia Pacific region, which account for the biggest share of mobile phone users globally, have seen their mobile gaming markets explode in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 hit.
As the largest gaming market globally, China is the best example of this impressive growth. According to Statista data, the number of mobile gamers in the country jumped by 36% in the last three years and hit over 560 million in 2021. Moreover, the Chinese mobile games revenues soared by 80% in this period, rising from $22.8bn in 2018 to $41.4bn in 2021.
The DFC Intelligence survey showed Europe is the second-largest mobile gaming market globally, with 551.7 million users in 2021, almost 60% less than leading Asia.
Latin America ranked third with over 309 million users in the mobile gaming segment this year, around 100 million more than North America as the fourth-largest market globally. The MENA region and Sub-Sahara Africa follow, with 145.8 million and 126.2 million mobile gamers, respectively.
Asian Mobile Gaming Revenues to Touch $100B by 2025
The Asian mobile gaming industry was thriving even before 2019. But after the pandemic hit, revenues and the number of users surged, reaching new record highs. Statistics show Asian mobile gaming revenues jumped by an impressive 46% in the last two years, rising from $46.5bn in 2019 to $68.1bn in 2021 or 77% of total gaming revenues in the region this year.
In comparison, Europe saw its mobile gaming revenues grow by 42% to $12.5bn in this period. North America follows with a 35% increase and $22.7bn in revenue in 2021.
By 2023, the Asian mobile gaming revenues are expected to jump by another 25% and hit over $86bn, and by 2025 the entire market is forecast to touch $100bn value.
