Mobile game industry is a rapidly developing sector that continues to reshape a new type of game experience and expectations. Driven by smartphones as new portable consoles and also as a new source of casual entertainment.
The rise of free-to-play titles that contain in-game purchases and other microtransactions while offering multiplayer experiences, attract millions of daily users worldwide. At the same time, this industry faces growing scrutiny and new legislations over monetisation practices and data privacy.
Explore with us the current state of the mobile gaming industry, its growth and the predictions for future years.
A Change In Focus, From Design To Marketing
The use of smartphones as a new gaming portable device has developed a mobile game industry. Capable of delivering sophisticated gaming experiences. Nevertheless, this growth has also produced free-to-play experiences with monetisation models that nowadays dominate the market.
Revenue-Driven Design
Mobile games have progressively shifted to a pay-to-win mechanic. Players are often encouraged, or pressured, to purchase advantages such as extra lives, faster progression or exclusive equipment in order to overcome artificial difficulty or lengthy waiting times.
Many titles also replace direct payments with “watch an ad” options, allowing users to continue playing without spending money. However, players are still paying through their attention and time. Turning engagement itself into a monetisable resource. As a result, game design in the mobile sector is frequently shaped less around gameplay quality, and more by revenue optimisation strategies.
User Retention
Mobile games are often designed to encourage frequent daily engagement through notifications, login rewards, time-limited events and deals. Mobile game engagement is short but frequent. This sets a clear difference in behaviour between pc and console players, and mobile players. PC and console games prioritise longer sessions, progression and narrative depth and replayability.
While mobile games are focused on a system of rewards, seasonal events and limited time rewards to influence in user retention.
In a Reddit entry by a game engine developer, this user argues that the modern mobile gaming industry has shifted its focus away from creativity and player experience in favour of aggressive monetisation and short-term performance metrics.
“But then came the rise of the games that by design had psychological triggers aimed at extracting certain response from the player, and the financial reality of the market was brutal. […] The mechanics were built around monetizing player frustration—selling time, selling second chances. It created a business model that was just too profitable to ignore.”
Mobile Game Industry In Numbers
In 2025 spending on mobile games reached $81.8 billion, US dollars. For 2026 it is projected to reach $134.2 US dollars, according to statista. This means that the average revenue per user in the mobile games market worldwide is projected to be $61.65 in 2026.
Users of mobile games are increasingly leaning to a multigamer experience, looking for social interaction and community engagement. A trend particularly pronounced among younger gamers, particularly Gen Z and younger Millennials. There is also a rising demand for narratives that reflect diverse identities and cultural relevance, which enhances emotional investment.
However, meanwhile the mobile game industry continues to rise in revenue, the market also showed another rising behaviour. While no mobile game generated more than $1 billion in annual consumer spending, other no-game apps surpassed this quantity, such as Capcut, or ChatGPT.
Mobile Game Adaptations Of Video Games
Age of empires mobile, the loved and iconic series of video games entered the mobile games industry in 2024. From the first moment, the goal of this new version was to adapt the original mechanics to a portable version. Age of Empires mobile is a free-to-play strategy game that combines combat and resource management. This version is visually impressive and the sound design pays tribute to the original game.
The game allows players to build and develop their own city. While battling against users from around the world, a new mechanic that transforms Age of Empires mobile into an online multiplayer.
Unfortunately, the game also includes every feature all free-to-play mobile apps have. Microtransactions and gacha mechanics are also part of the Age of Empires mobile game experience. Premium imperial coins can be used to purchase the items, acquire resources, and unlock speed boosts to build faster. The tavern building serves as a gacha system to play and unlock new features and characters.
Call of Duty mobile was released in 2019. A free-to-play, first-person shooter and multiplayer battle game. Players compete against each other online, with realistic military-style weapons to complete different missions. The game features a battle Royale mode that allows up to 100 players to fight to be the last one standing. With a chat in which players communicate with each other in three different modes:
- World (a public chat)
- Friends (with a closed group of users)
- Clan (to chat with your team).
Although this mobile game has a PEGI-18 rating, and players are asked for their date of birth before playing, there is no age verification required. This is a common red flag🚩among multiple mobile games. The game also features microtransactions to buy “points” with which the players can obtain weapons, skins and battle passes.
The Rise of New Regulations In Video Game Practices
Due to the rise of free-to-play experiences, mainly focused in mobile gaming, gaming ratings and lawmakers have adapted the restrictions and obligations these videogame developers need to meet.
PEGI rating (Pan-European Game Information) will raise age restrictions, Starting in June 2026. Europe’s equivalent to ESRB will assign a new rating of PEGI-16 to all games that contain item sales.
All video games carrying microtransactions will be categorised as PEGI-12.
Furthermore, all games featuring NFTs sales and blockchain related items will be rated PEGI-18.
Also, the EU takes a stand against harmful practices in games that target directly appeal to children in their ads, urging them to purchase in-game currency or items. Using pressure techniques such as limited editions or time-limited promotions to influence the gamers’ behaviour. All of this in a context of lack of closer and transparent information. Adapted to children, and leading consumers to spend more than they intend to. We recently saw this new legal basis take Fornite to the Rotterdam Court.
Can Mobile Gaming Change the Industry?
This point is open to interpretation. While it is well known that mobile games are cheaper to produce than PC and/or console games, the latter tend to offer greater rewards in terms of community engagement and replay value. Titles such as Candy Crush, which enjoyed huge popularity in their day, lack the narrative depth and replay value that a PC or console game might offer.
Furthermore, we must take into account the rise of other applications which, by virtue of their use, are attracting a growing number of users. By this we mean video editing, trends and AI, which are directly linked to the use of social media.
The mobile gaming industry, although it currently appears to have hit a bit of a slowdown, will continue to grow. Ultimately, it is up to the players to decide what kind of experience they want to have and what kind of content they want to consume.
What do you think?
Game on!