Mobile app analytic firm App Annie has released a report sharing its predictions for what apps and games it expects to see a rise in popularity in 2022.

In the report, App Annie gives six predictions for the mobile app and games markets, including entertainment, fintech and social apps.

The firm predicts that metaverse mobile games will grow to over $3.1 billion in consumer spending in 2022.

It noted that Roblox is at the forefront of the metaverse games space, ranking in first place worldwide under the simulation and creative sandbox games for both downloads and consumer spend across the App Store and Google Play.

Closely behind Roblox is Minecraft, coming in at number two for consumer spend and fourth place for downloads.

Foretelling

App Annie predicts that games that operate a play-to-earn model, combined with metaverses which "emphasise player expression", will be the biggest drivers of mobile game innovation in 2022.

The report also suggests that Facebook’s recent name change to Meta is a testament to predicted growth in demand for metaverses.

Additionally, Temple Run 2 is on its way to be one of only three games that have surpassed 1 billion downloads, joining Candy Crush Saga and Subway Surfers.

Furthermore, Subway Surfers is on track to be the first game to surpass 2 billion downloads in 2022, further solidifying its position as the most downloaded mobile game of all time.

You can read the rest of App Annie’s predictions for 2022 here.