Casual games market grows 3.6% amid a surge in strategy titles

• Global casual games revenue rose 3.6% as downloads climbed 6% year-over-year.
• Japan saw a 20% boost in revenue compared to H1 2024.
• Casual strategy titles boomed with 120% revenue growth and 80% more downloads.

Global revenue in the casual supergenre increased by 3.6% as downloads rose to 6% year-over-year. 

That's according to a new live ops report from Appmagic which showed a notable shift in top-grossing markets as Japan saw a 20% boost in revenue compared to H1 2024. 

Despite an 8% rise in downloads, the casino genre saw a 15% decline in revenue. Casual strategy games on the other hand, grew by 120% and with downloads increasing by 80% compared to H1 2024. 

Even so, the report found that most revenue in the market still comes from older titles, as only 11% of games released between 2023 and 2025 broke into the top-grossing charts for H1 2025. 

However, hypercasual games are evolving rapidly, with a 111% revenue jump driven by deeper meta mechanics and improved monetisation strategies.

Growth strategies 

Live ops activity is also on the rise, with a 10% increase in the number of events compared to Q1. Notably, the casino genre hosted 1.6 times more events than the Casual segment on average. 

Among game mechanics, Plinko continues to gain momentum, particularly within Puzzle and Casino titles, while Race has emerged as the leading mechanic in Casual games, appearing in 70% of top titles.

Releasing new events has become a core strategy as well, with 82% of games launching at least one event this year. 

IP collaborations have also become essential, featured in over 25% of the top games. Interestingly, while most games have embraced seasonal celebrations, 96% have hosted at least one holiday event. 

Valentine's Day stands out as the most popular short holiday, featured in 66% of casual games. 

You can access the full report here.