SocialPeta sorted out the top 20 global mobile games by advertising, revenue, and download in January 2025, hoping to be of assistance to more people in the mobile game industry who are trying to understand the changing trends of the global mobile market.
Global Mobile Game Performance in January:
- The new version of Wuthering Waves 2.0 received widespread praise, with 108 free creatives driving significant traffic.
- A total of 4,000 creatives were deployed across various campaigns, with Pokémon utilizing its IP and hosting live-streamed unboxing events.
- Genshin Impact’s Lantern Rite event and Pyro Archon banner resulted in a remarkable 161% month-on-month revenue increase on a single platform.
- The exclusive Cat Lover Game reached a new download milestone, with the new release Cat Chaos: Prankster achieving nearly 13 million downloads on a single platform in January.
Top 20 Mobile Games by Advertising
Wuthering Waves: The Spectacular Launch of Version 2.0
With the launch of Version 2.0 on January 2nd, Wuthering Waves achieved remarkable success in both reputation and revenue. Its user retention and new user acquisition were on par with Genshin Impact’s initial Liyue expansion. The introduction of popular new characters, alongside the return of iconic legacy characters and the addition of the soaring system, drove both new and returning players to engage enthusiastically, even during the holiday season.
According to SocialPeta, Wuthering Waves deployed approximately 5,000 deduplicated creatives across both platforms in January. The breakdown for iOS is as follows:
- In the past 30 days, video creatives accounted for approximately 56% of the total, with videos under 30 seconds making up about 31%. The majority of video creatives were in landscape 1280×720 format, representing around 44.7%.
- Daily creative deployments showed an upward trend towards the end of December 2024, peaking on January 2nd and 25th.
- Korean-language ad copy comprised 40% of the total, with English and Japanese also being popular choices.
- The ad copy primarily focused on the benefits of the new version, including 108 free draws and the complimentary Sanhua skin.
In January, Wuthering Waves‘ creative placements were primarily focused on character banners. The distribution of new characters Carlotta and Roccia in the ads was approximately 6:4, based on both the number of placements and the popularity of the creatives. The image creatives predominantly showcased close-up character portraits, with a strong emphasis on the 108 free draws.
The video creatives primarily featured character showcase PVs, with captivating openings and YouTuber-style voiceovers, complemented by overlay graphics.
Pokémon TCG Pocket: The Unstoppable Live-Streamed Card Draws
As the world’s most profitable gaming IP, Pokémon has already achieved significant financial success even before fully launching its offerings. Pokémon TCG Pocket has seen substantial revenue flow in, primarily driven by player purchases of passes, without relying heavily on paid features. The game’s mechanics, including card draws, prize reveals, and showcases, effectively bring otaku culture to life on mobile screens.
According to SocialPeta, Pokémon TCG Pocket deployed approximately 4,400 deduplicated creatives across both platforms in January. The deployment details for the Android platform are as follows:
- In the past 30 days, video creatives accounted for approximately 83.1% of the total, with videos under 30 seconds making up around 82%.
- The majority of video creatives were in portrait 720×1280 format, representing about 21.7%.
- English ad copy comprised 49% of the total, with other popular languages including Japanese, Spanish, French, and German.
- The ad copy primarily focused on unpacking content, such as new card deck launches and daily free card packs.
Pokémon TCG Pocket offers a diverse range of video content, from unpacking animations and live-action unboxings to in-game card and battle showcases. The entire card unpacking process is fully represented, with highly captivating sound effects. The satisfying “tear” sound of opening a card pack remains endlessly enjoyable, perfectly capturing the essence of popular unboxing live-streams.
Due to file format limitations, the sound effects cannot be fully demonstrated here. We invite you to log in to SocialPeta to view the original ad creatives.
Dice vs Monsters: A Unique Innovation Merging Dice and Tower Defense
When discussing Homa, most people likely think of its viral hit All in Hole. However, another recently launched title under its banner, Dice vs Monsters, has also performed strongly in user acquisition campaigns. The gameplay is highly diverse, blending elements of dice, tower defense, and idle progression.
According to SocialPeta, Dice vs Monsters deployed approximately 4,000 deduplicated creatives across both platforms in January. The specific deployment details for the Android platform are as follows:
- In the past 30 days, video creatives accounted for approximately 96.3% of the total, with videos under 30 seconds making up around 8%.
- The majority of video creatives were in portrait 720×1280 format, representing about 52%.
- Creative deployments showed an upward trend starting in early December, peaking at 1,500 creatives on January 3rd.
- English ad copy comprised 84% of the total, with Japanese and Korean being other popular languages.
In terms of user acquisition copy, Dice vs Monsters keeps it relatively simple, focusing primarily on dice, luck-based battles, and castle defense. While dice are a popular theme, the abundance of dice imagery might evoke the familiar, comforting association of glutinous rice dice for many viewers.
For video creatives, Dice vs Monsters primarily features live-action voiceovers paired with gameplay demonstrations. Occasionally, a binary decision-making element is introduced at the beginning to encourage viewers to click and explore further. The standout feature of the videos is likely the dice itself, with its casual shaking sound that taps into players’ innate desire to engage and play.
Top 20 Mobile Games by Revenue
Games with Surging Revenue on the App Store in January:
- モンスターストライク (Monster Strike), a long-standing game with exceptionally strong earnings, generated over $42 million in revenue on a single platform in January, reflecting a month-on-month increase of approximately 48.9%.
- Whiteout Survival, with impressive sustained momentum, maintained its position in the top three of the App Store’s revenue rankings, generating around $60 million in revenue on a single platform in January, marking a month-on-month increase of about 13.3%.
Games with Surging Revenue on Google Play in January:
- Royal Match, the top-grossing match-3 game, remained unaffected by the new release Royal Kingdom, generating over $52 million in revenue on a single platform in January, with a month-on-month increase of approximately 6.3%.
- miHoYo’s two flagship titles made a strong comeback. With the support of the Pyro Archon banner featuring Mavuika and Citlali, the new Hu Tao skin, and the Lantern Rite event, Genshin Impact achieved over $26 million in revenue on a single platform in January, reflecting a remarkable 161% month-on-month increase. Meanwhile, Honkai: Star Rail earned over $15 million in revenue on a single platform in January, marking a 50% month-on-month increase.
Top 20 Mobile Games by Download
Games Outstanding with Downloads on the App Store in January:
- Block Blast!, a puzzle and strategy game, retained the top position on the App Store’s download charts, with approximately 9 million downloads on a single platform in January. Of these, 23.1% came from players in the United States.
- The official mobile game of Squid Game continued to maintain high popularity, with Squid Game: Unleashed reaching around 6.5 million downloads on a single platform in January, with 38.5% of downloads coming from players in India.
Games Outstanding with Downloads on the App Store in January:
- A nostalgic hit, Free Fire partnered with Naruto to drive a significant increase in downloads, reaching approximately 14 million downloads on a single platform in January, with 22.2% of downloads coming from players in Brazil.
Another game for cat lovers, Cat Chaos: Prankster, a cat-themed role-playing game by Mirai Studio, was officially launched on December 30th. In January, the game achieved approximately 13 million downloads on a single platform, with 15% of the downloads coming from players in the United States.
The above provides insights into global mobile game launches in January 2025, along with revenue and download trends across both the App Store and Google Play. For more mobile marketing data, please visit: www.socialpeta.com.
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