Here at PocketGamer.biz, we provide insights on all manner of games, from new releases, soft launches, as well as providing insightful analyses and interviewsaround the top titles on the market.
This Chart Climbers feature puts the spotlight on the mobile games that have been rising up the ranks - whether they are new titles that have maintained a successful launch or older titles experiencing a renaissance and supercharged growth - and aims to help you discover the games to watch right now.
Data estimates are pulled by PocketGamer.biz from AppMagic.
Got or know a game that’s been on the rise and you think should be included on this list? Drop a message to PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple at craig.chapple@steelmedianetwork.com.
Game: Sea of Conquest: Pirate War Publisher: FunPlus Platform: App Store and Google Play Release date: January 2024
Sea of Conquest: Pirate War is one of the latest mobile titles from serial hit maker FunPlus, which has launched billion-dollar games such as State of Survival, King of Avalon and Guns of Glory.
Game: Legend of Mushroom Publisher: Joy Net Games Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: November 2023
Legend of Mushroom is an RPG title where players build up a team of warriors on a quest for the titual small mushroom to become human.
First releasing in November, the game has quickly generated $239.7 million to date from the App Store and Google Play. In March 2024, the game accumulated $85.8 million, with the game proving to be most popular in South Korea and Japan.
Game: Match Factory Publisher: Peak Games Platform: App Store and Google Play Release date: November 2023
Match Factory is a new title from Peak Games, the studio responsible for hit blast games Toy Blast and Toon Blast. This time, the team has taken on the emerging match-3D genre and may well have another hit on its hands.
Since its official release on November 7th on the App Store, the title has accumulated an estimated $56.4 million from gross player spending. The title was initially launched exclusively on the App Store, though is now available on Google Play.
In March 2024, the title hit $16.7 million in global player spending, according to AppMagic estimates.
Game: Matching Story Publisher: JoyCastle Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: August 2023
Narrative-driven puzzle and renovate games are a theme of this list - and JoyCastle has found its own success with Matching Story. The match-3 game has players solve puzzles and decorate gardens and castles as they progress through the story across more than 2,000 levels.
In March, the title generated $5.3 million, with total revenue to date hitting $16.5 million
Game: Last War: Survival Game Publisher: FirstFun Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: June 2023
For anyone keeping an eye on mobile game ad creatives, screenshots for Last War: Survival Game will look familiar. The title uses hypercasual-like gameplay of soldiers shooting through hordes of zombies, and combines it with 4X strategy.
It’s an odd mix but one increasingly used by titles to pull in players through creatives and then monetise them through deeper gameplay and monetisation mechanics. In Last War’s case, the strategy seems to be working, with revenue rising substantially in just a few short months.
To date, the title has already accumulated $276.4 million from an estimated 32.3 million downloads. In March, Last War generated $94.5 million worldwide from the App Store and google Play, according to AppMagic data.
Game: Hero Clash Publisher: Glaciers Game Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: November 2022
Hero Clash offers a mashup of hypercasual and core gaming styles. The title has featured gameplay elements from Vampire Survivors-style gameplay to drawing and 'save the doge'. to date, it has picked up $46.4 million over the past year.
Revenue has picked up significantly during the past few months, hitting $3.9 million in January 2024, before rising to an all-time high of $9.3m in March.
Game: Seaside Escape: Merge & Story Publisher: MicroFun Platform: App Store and Google Play Release date: September 2022
Seaside Escape: Merge & Story is a merge title first released in September 2022, which combines puzzle gameplay with narrative elements and renovation mechanics, as have come prevalent in the space following the success of Gardenscapes.
According to AppMagic estimates, player spending in the title has risen every month since launch, reaching a peak of $11.5 million to date in March 2024.
Game: Gossip Harbor: Merge & Story Publisher: Microfun Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: July 2022
Another game from Microfun, Gossip Harbor: Merge & Story uses the same merge and renovate gameplay, but delivers a different setting and story for players to delve into.
The title has been out longer than Seaside Escape, but is currently performing better and continues to increase revenue each month. To date, Gossip Harbor has accumulated $144 million from player spending, according to AppMagic estimates, with March 2024 proving to be another record month.
Game: Travel Town - Merge Adventure Publisher: Magmatic Games Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: February 2021
Another merge title that has seen strong growth in recent months, Magmatic Games’ Travel Town is already looking like a surefire hit. As with other games in the genre, it combines the puzzle gameplay with renovation mechanics and is narrative-led, with players tasked with restoring the seaside town.
To date, the title has generated $203.4 million from player spending to date, with revenue peaking in March at $21.1 million.
Game: Dice Dreams Publisher: Superplay Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: February 2020
Combining a simple dice rolling mechanic with features such as a Coin Master dozer mechanic, Dice Dreams has found proven to be hugely successful for developer SuperPlay.
While the title was released in 2019, March 2024 saw the game hit its best month ever for player spending on the App Store and Google Play, picking up $22.2 million. Lifetime revenue to date has reached $325.2 million, according to AppMagic estimates.
Game: Brawl Stars Publisher: Supercell Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: December 2018
Supercell's 3v3 multiplayer brawler was the famous Finnish developer's last global release back in December 2018. After a hugely successful launch, Brawl Stars had been in a (still lucrative) decline for years, but recent updates and new features have seen the title experience a renaissance.
The title has surpassed $2 billion in global player spending. AppMagic estimates the title had a record month for revenue in March 2024, generating some $67 million in a single month.
Game: Total Battle: War Strategy Publisher: Scorewarrior Platforms: App Store and Google Play Release date: October 2018
Total Battle: War Strategy is a 4X strategy game that mixes the deep core gameplay mechanics of the genre with the run and gun gameplay that’s become a trend in ad creatives (and it’s not the only title in this list to do so).
During the latter half of 2022 and into 2023, the game has scaled steadily in revenue alongside downloads, generating $163.6 million to date.
Craig Chapple is a freelance analyst, consultant and writer with specialist knowledge of the games industry. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.
