AdBlock Detected!

Site not loading correctly? Ad is in our name, because it's what we do. This may cause issues if you're using ad blockers, and we don't serve any ads on our site.
Please pause or disable your ad blocker for our domain.

Blog

Blog

Mobile Gaming Surges Across APAC As We Continue To Stay Home

Posted Apr 15, 2020

With more countries across Asia Pacific implementing varying degrees of lockdown, we are occupying more space in the virtual world and mobile gaming has since seen a surge in traffic. We have observed a 30% increase in time spent on mobile in comparison to February from our internal data as countries tighten their lockdown measures.

Our trusted data partner, Apptopia, shared an update on some data to show the growth in mobile gaming for brands and organisations looking to leverage mobile and reach out to at home consumers. Here are some categories we have seen surges in downloads and sessions over the last 6 weeks:

Arcade Games
When it comes to mobile gaming, arcade games is one of the most popular gaming genres among consumers in APAC. Many titles evoke the feel and fun of retro games, with most of that coming with an upgrade in features and animation. These games have short playtimes and simple gameplay, resulting in a highly addictive, enjoyable experience that motivates players to keep going.

Both downloads and sessions for arcade games exploded since the COVID-19 situation in March, with no signs of slowing down.

Subway Surfers from SYBO Games ranked first with more than 7 million new downloads and more than 26 million monthly active users in the past 30 days.

Casual Games
Casual games have been a hot topic in mobile gaming for its fast rise among users and their opportunities for brand advertisers. This category is mobile-first, easy to learn, and does not require a lot of commitment. These “snackable” games are the perfect way to fill little pockets of time in the day, which explains their rising popularity and topping the app store charts.

Both sessions and downloads for casual games had been steadily increasing within APAC as people continue to stay at home during the COVID-19 situation.

Candy Crush Saga from King ranked first with 5.8 million new downloads in the past 30 days, with Bubble Shooter from Ilyon Games taking the top spot with almost 24 million monthly active users.

Educational Games
Educational games are designed to be informative and help the players learn in the process as opposed to just being repetitive and mind-numbing.

In the past month, we saw a steady increase in the number of sessions in these educational games as parents use it as a tool for both learning and fun for kids stuck indoors. These educational games have also proven to be great tools for home based learning.

Truck games from GoKids! ranked first with more than 1.2 million new downloads in the past 30 days, and took the top spot with almost 6 million monthly active users.

Simulation Games
Simulation games are very popular on mobile because the controls work very well on touch screens. These games usually emulate a specific activity (often real life) as closely as possible, and players are empowered to control the day-to-day lives of autonomous creatures used in the game.

Since the COVID-19 situation, there has been a sharp increase in the total number of sessions spent on playing simulation games, signifying that consumers are playing this game multiple times a day over the course of the whole month in APAC.

Woodturning from Voodoo ranked first with almost 2 million new downloads in the past 30 days, with Block Craft 3D from Wildlife Studios taking the top spot with 5.7 million monthly active users.

Trivia Games
Trivia games, including quiz games, have allowed countless people to show off their flair of knowledge of obscure facts and figures. It is a great way to enjoy endless hours of brain-teasing fun and the convenient form of gaming apps on consumers’ mobile phones.

In the past month, the number of sessions on trivia games soared as families are staying at home and looking to have some fun together.

Brain Test from Unico Studio ranked first with almost 4 million new downloads in the past 30 days, and took the top spot with more than 7 million monthly active users.

Additional Highlights
Music gaming apps have proven to be growing in popularity as we see a surprising increase in the number of sessions in the past 30 days. Tiles Hop from Amanotes took the top spot with more than 6.4 million new downloads and almost 24 million monthly active users.

Join the Conversation
What other mobile game categories do you think will surge as people work from home? Tweet us @AdColony_APAC. For the latest AdColony mobile news and updates, follow @AdColony on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect on Linkedin.

Latest at AdColony

AdColony is now part of Digital Turbine. We're powering the mobile economy.Join Us