Mobile gaming has grown into one of the most popular forms of entertainment worldwide, with billions of people playing games on their phones every day. Over the years, some games have stood out, not just for their fun and addictive gameplay but also for their incredible financial success. These best-selling mobile games have made billions of dollars, reaching players across the globe and becoming household names.

In this article, we will explore the best-selling mobile games ever, taking a closer look at what makes them so successful. From strategy games like Clash of Clans to puzzle games like Candy Crush Saga, these titles have captivated players with their unique features and clever monetization strategies. 

Let’s dive into the world of mobile gaming and see which games have topped the charts and why they continue to dominate the industry. 

Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor)

• Total Revenue: $18.664 billion
• Initial Release Date: November 26, 2015
• Publisher: Tencent Games
• Genre: MOBA (Multiplayer online battle arena)
• Major Regions of Success: Primarily China, expanding globally with Arena of Valor and an international release on June 20, 2024.
• Key Features/Notes: Known for deep strategic gameplay, it has over 100 million daily active users.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases for cosmetic items and heroes.

Game Summary

Honor of Kings is the best selling mobile game ever. It’s a MOBA game from the stables of renowned developers TiMi Studios. The game was initially released in China, before entering Brazil, Turkey, and finally more recently the Global Market. There are 6 hero classes in Honor of Kings: Marksman, Fighter, Tank, Support, Assassin, and Mage. 

The game has more than 137 million monthly active players in China in the second quarter of 2024 and over 100 million daily gamers worldwide. Seeing these massive numbers, it’s of little wonder why Honor of Kings has made the most money ever in mobile gaming history. 

Also, before its global release on June 20, 2024, TiMi already released an international adaptation, Arena of Valor.

Candy Crush Saga

• Total Revenue: $12 billion
• Initial Release Date: November 14, 2012
• Publisher: King (Activision Blizzard)
• Genre: Puzzle
• Major Regions of Success: Global
• Key Features/Notes: One of the pioneers of the “freemium” model, simple yet addictive gameplay.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases for boosters and extra moves.

Game Summary

King’s mobile game, Candy Crush Saga, totally changed the concept of mobile games due to the “freemium” model. The game is a match-three puzzle game that has become popular due to its simple controls, but it is challenging to master the game mechanics. Since 2012, it has had more than a billion downloads, and its earnings have crossed $20 billion. They said that frequent updates are quite instrumental in the success of the game and that players are very involved. 

Originally, the game’s mechanics were quite uncomplicated—users swapped candies on the playing field to align three or more of them, and the number of users reached about 45 million people per day by 2013. The now-famous game has now become one of the first mobile games to gross over $1 billion in revenue, making it one of the best-selling mobile games.

PUBG Mobile

• Total Revenue: $11.041 billion
• Initial Release Date: March 19, 2018
• Publisher: Tencent Games / Krafton / VNG Games
• Genre: Battle Royale
• Major Regions of Success: Global, with significant popularity in Asia.
• Key Features/Notes: Known for its faithful adaptation of the console and PC versions.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: Cosmetic items and battle passes.

Game Summary

PUBG Mobile has alone changed the face of the mobile gaming sector, especially in Asia, by bringing the battle royale genre to the mainstream. It produces a surprisingly accurate and almost console-like version of the fast-paced, life-or-death gameplay that PC games provide, with several maps and modes. 

Some of these are credible graphics, good sound, and a rather effective anti-cheat mechanism. High earnings from PUBG Mobile also accrue from its monetization approaches, such as virtual bottles for other cosmetic items and season passes. PUBG Mobile features as an esports game due to its vastness; the number of weapons and gears is incredibly great, and playing it alone or in a team is possible, which makes it a phenomenon in young people’s culture. 

PUBG Mobile has successfully relied on in-app purchases to get items like clothes and passes, which has made it gross by far the highest in terms of revenue from mobile games.

 Monster Strike

• Total Revenue: $11.021 billion
• Initial Release Date: August 8, 2013
• Publisher: Mixi
• Genre: Puzzle / RPG / Strategy
• Major Regions of Success: Primarily Japan
• Key Features/Notes: Innovative physics-based puzzle mechanics, a massive success in Japan.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases for summoning new monsters and stamina.

Game Summary

Monster Strike is an anime game in the digital platform genre. In it, you destroy the enemies on the screen by throwing your monsters and taking them off. Mixi created RPGs in 2013. Crafted from Japanese culture, it reached 91.6 thousand downloads in Japan in December 2023.  

Players create monster characters that are like marbles and have to use physics to bounce off walls to attack the enemy. Based on the aspects featured above, the game has been able to gain massive success through the mechanics that it offers and an active community.  

Its special event modes and multiplayer modes are refreshing, and players are engaged while collecting monsters and leveling up.

Clash of Clans

• Total Revenue: $10.2 billion
• Initial Release Date: August 2, 2012
• Publisher: Supercell (Tencent)
• Genre: Strategy
• Major Regions of Success: Global
• Key Features/Notes: Successful mix of base-building and multiplayer strategy.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases to speed up progression and purchase resources.

Game Summary

Clash of Clans is among the best-selling mobile games out there. It combines base-building with competitive multiplayer gameplay. Supercell developed, published, and released the game in 2012. It provides an opportunity to create villages, train troops, and raid other players to collect resources. 

Its gameplay is also engaging, so it became a favorite and built a huge community in Asia. It is relevant, including updates and events smartly rolled out by the developers at Supercell in order to have users more engaged. 

The in-app monetization strategies related to the buying of all kinds of resources, like gems required for the gameplay, are very important channels toward financial success and make Clash of Clans one of the top-selling mobile games ever developed.

Pokémon Go

• Total Revenue: $9.266 billion
• Initial Release Date: July 6, 2016
• Publisher: Niantic / The Pokémon Company
• Genre: Augmented Reality
• Major Regions of Success: Global, particularly popular in urban areas.
• Key Features/Notes: The revolutionary use of AR encouraged physical activity.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases for PokéCoins are used for in-game items.

Game Summary

One of the most innovative mobile games is Pokémon Go. It uses augmented reality as an instrument to acquire further physical activity. Pokémon Go was launched in 2016 by Niantic. This game lets players discover real areas where they can catch virtual Pokémon. That’s why it is on the list of best-selling dedicated mobile games, with over 31.38 million units all over the world, especially in urban areas where gamers congregate around PokéStops and gyms. 

Some of the game’s monetization strategies involve in-app purchases related to sponsored locations, which increase the game’s revenue. The usual live events and various community activities oriented toward playing certainly maintain the level of engagement among the players, which keeps Pokémon Go very popular everywhere gamers can be found.

Puzzle & Dragons

• Total Revenue: $8.578 billion
• Initial Release Date: February 20, 2012
• Publisher: GungHo Online Entertainment
• Genre: RPG / Puzzle
• Major Regions of Success: Primarily Japan
• Key Features/Notes: The first mobile game to surpass $1 billion in revenue features RPG elements in a match-3 game.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases for magic stones to summon monsters and unlock content.

Game Summary

Another huge game in Japan is Puzzle & Dragons. It is the very first mobile game to generate more than one billion dollars in revenue. Publisher GungHo Online Entertainment launched it back in 2012. This game combines match-3 puzzles with RPG elements. Players can collect and evolve monsters within the game. 

It runs on varied mechanics and deep strategic depth, making it extremely successful, mostly in Japan. One main factor behind the game’s monetary success is its monetization model, which includes in-app purchases for monster eggs and upgrades. 

Now one of the top-selling mobile games, Puzzle & Dragons maintains its momentum with regular updates and events, drawing in even more players.

Fate/Grand Order

• Total Revenue: $7 billion
• Initial Release Date: July 30, 2015
• Publisher: Aniplex (Sony Music Entertainment Japan)
• Genre: RPG
• Major Regions of Success: Primarily Japan
• Key Features/Notes: Narrative-driven RPG with strong ties to the Fate franchise.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases for Saint Quartz are used to summon new servants.

Game Summary

Fate/Grand Order is one famous mobile game with deep narratives and complex gameplay that contributes to its immense popularity in Japan. In 2019, it grossed over $4 billion in revenue with its monetization scheme, in which a character summoning system uses Saint Quartz. Another popular game is the mobile Japanese role-playing physics game Monster Strike, which, by October of the same year, had grossed more than $7.2 billion worldwide. 

Aside from the strong narrative and their connection to the Fate franchise, both games have managed to garner the fans’ attention. Thanks to the detailed game mechanics and plot, this game is among the brightest representatives of the mobile games industry. 

Fantasy Westward Journey

• Total Revenue: $6.5 billion
• Initial Release Date: March 26, 2015
• Publisher: NetEase
• Genre: MMORPG
• Major Regions of Success: Primarily China
• Key Features/Notes: Based on a classic Chinese novel, it combines cultural elements with MMORPG gameplay.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases for various enhancements and convenience items.

 Game Summary

Fantasy Westward Journey is a very successful MMORPG developed by NetEase, based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. It was launched in December 2001 and then adapted for mobile in 2015, becoming one of the best-selling mobile games in China, with more than 310 million registered users by 2015. 

This game combines elements of traditional MMORPGs, which include character customization and questing, with culturally relevant content that places Chinese mythology and folklore at its core.

Its monetization strategies, such as in-game purchases and a free-to-play model, have been huge contributors to its financial success, with lifetime revenue estimated at $6.5 billion in 2019. Storytelling, but above that, the cultural themes reflected in the game bring along an experience that touches players at a deep level, ensuring its popularity prevails.

Roblox Mobile

• Total Revenue: $5.54 billion
• Initial Release Date: December 11, 2012
• Publisher: Roblox Corporation
• Genre: GCS / MMO
• Major Regions of Success: Global
• Key Features/Notes: User-generated content platform with diverse game genres.
• In-Game Monetization Strategies: In-app purchases for Robux are used for in-game items and game access.

Game Summary

Roblox Mobile is a virtual universe of gamers who create and enjoy a vast variety of games. Since its official launch in 2006, it has grown to be one of the most successful mobile games ever, with a view count of more than a billion downloads on the Play Store. Roblox, as a creative outlet that allows users to create and share millions of games, encourages creativity. 

You will find even games with high viewership that may qualify as one of the best-selling games of all time. Its monetization strategy, using Robux, makes it possible for creators to earn money, thus making Roblox very successful. On its own, in 2019 alone, Roblox has paid out over $100 million to developers. 

This finally leads to the point that the game Roblox keeps attracting children and their friends to the mainstays of imagination and communication. 

FAQs of the Best-Selling Mobile Games

Which is the most downloaded game in the Play Store?

The most downloaded gaming app in the Play Store app is Subway Surfers. This endless runner game boasts a gigantic 2.3 billion plus download since its launch on May 24, 2012. 

Which mobile game has made the most money?

Honor of Kings is the Mobile Game that has made the most money. This MOBA has generated over $18 billion in revenue thanks to its monetization methods.  

Parting Shots

The world of mobile gaming is vast and ever-changing, but some games have managed to leave a lasting impact. The best-selling mobile games we’ve discussed are not just popular because they’re fun to play; they’ve also set the standard for success in the industry. These games have mastered the art of engaging players, offering regular updates, and using smart monetization strategies.

As we look to the future, new games will continue to emerge, but the lessons learned from these top sellers will remain valuable. Developers can learn from their success, focusing on creating enjoyable gameplay, building strong communities, and staying innovative. 

Whether you’re a casual player or a serious gamer, these best-selling mobile games have something to offer everyone, and they remind us just how powerful and influential mobile gaming can be.