If we were to rank the most popular gameplay styles of the year, "Loot & Extract" would undoubtedly be among the top. The impressive data from "Delta Force" with daily active users surpassing 30 million, alongside "Escape from Duckov" achieving a million evacuations, consistently confirms that this genre is in a period of explosive growth. What’s particularly noteworthy is that "loot & extract" is breaking the boundaries of traditional shooting games, beginning to penetrate the heavy category of SLG. Recently, AppGrowing observed that an increasing number of SLG developers are gravitating towards "Loot & Extract" gameplay. For instance, FunPlus launched "Bone War" last month, integrating a "top-down shooting + loot & extract" model similar to that in "Escape from Duckov," […]

In recent years, South Korea's influence in the global anime-style games market has gradually increased, with several high-performing titles emerging, such as "Goddess of Victory: NIKKE" and "Limbus Company." Among them, SmileGate's "Epic Seven" stands out particularly, as it has remained at the top of the Korean Google Play IAP charts since its launch in 2018, according to data from AppGrowing. Source:AppGrowing Last month , SmileGate's new title "Chaos Zero Nightmare", launched in multiple regions worldwide.On its launch day, the game topped the iOS free charts in multiple countries including the U.S., Japan, and South Korea. Within just ten days of release, "Chaos Zero Nightmare" is expected to generate over $10.95 million in revenue. Source:AppGrowing Game producer mentioned in a […]

"Foreign players are learning Song Dynasty history through the game." Since its global launch on November 7, NetEase's MMORPG "Sword of Justice" has generated trending discussions across major social media platforms worldwide. In the game, players explore the Hongqiao Bridge in Bianjing, experiencing the scenery of 'Qingming Shanghe Tu'. Through interactive storylines, they also engage with classical Chinese poetry. This international release has successfully introduced traditional Chinese cultural elements and aesthetic values to global gaming audiences. From the very first day of launch, the game dominated charts in multiple countries, topping the free sections of App Store and Google Play in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and other nations.   01. Light Character Progression + Heavy Social Interaction As a highly culturally […]

In recent years, Bilibili's ACG games have struggled, with more than 10 titles discontinued. Among the shutdowns are notable titles like "Strode," featuring 3D aerial combat, and "千年之旅:ELF," known for its extreme ML theme. Recently, AppGrowing found that Bilibili's casual ACG game Trickcal: Chibi Go released overseas on October 9 and quickly climbed to the top of the iOS free charts in Japan. The game has already surpassed $1 million in revenue, with over 60% coming from the Japanese market. The success of 'Trickcal: Chibi Go' appears to be breaking the stereotype of Bilibili's 'ACG Game Depression.'   01. Korean Audience Base + Differentiated Themes Actually, the achievement of 'Trickcal: Chibi Go' should not be entirely unexpected. You might not […]

On September 11th, American casual game developer Hitapps Games officially launched Solitaire Associations: Words. According to AppGrowing, the game reached the Top 2 in the US iOS free charts within just two weeks of launch. Source: AppGrowing Solitaire Associations: Words clearly indicates its core gameplay integrates two elements: “Solitaire” and “Word” . Both genres have substantial download volumes and high DAU in overseas markets, representing large user-base game categories. Meanwhile, Hitapps Games, the developer behind Solitaire Associations: Words, has long specialized in word-based games, having launched several hit titles. These include the word puzzle game Figgerits, which surpassed 2 million downloads in a single month, and the word association game Associations, which has amassed 10.4 million downloads on Google Play. […]

At the end of last month, Destiny: Rising made its global debut, immediately claiming the No.1 spot on the U.S. iOS download chart and peaking at No.22 on the top-grossing list. Seven years have passed since NetEase invested $100 million in Bungie in 2018 and announced a new joint project. In that time, the mobile shooter landscape has been largely dominated by incumbents. Why, then, has Destiny: Rising managed to shake up the market—and what does this breakthrough mean for NetEase? 01.Why Destiny: Rising Stood Out Part of the success lies in the strength of the Destiny IP. The original Destiny launched in 2014 with first-day sales reaching $500 million, while Destiny 2 became the best-selling U.S. title of 2017 […]

In Sensor Tower's latest global revenue ranking, Kingshot joined Whiteout Survival at the top, securing both the No.1 and No.2 spots for Century Games. Meanwhile, its newly launched merge title, Tasty Travels: Merge Game, also entered the chart at No.29. The company has become nothing short of a hit factory. Riding its momentum, parent company Century Huatong's stock price has surged, with market capitalization surpassing ¥100 billion (≈ US$13.8 billion) in July 2025—cementing its status as a leading A-share gaming giant. Looking back, Century Huatong's ¥6.939 billion acquisition of Century Games from FunPlus was seen by many as a high-stakes gamble. A decade later, it is now considered a masterstroke. 1. A ¥6.9B Acquisition and the ¥2B Performance Gamble Rewind […]

Habby may not be a permanent fixture at the center of the mobile gaming industry, but whenever it drops a new title, the spotlight inevitably follows. Its latest release, Wittle Defender, launched globally in early June and quickly climbed into the top 10 on the iOS grossing charts across Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan of China. According to Sensor Tower, the game has generated $2 million in iOS revenue over the past two weeks. Following the successes of Capybara Go! and Archero 2, Wittle Defender marks Habby's third breakout title within a single year. It's almost as if the studio has cracked a repeatable formula for success—one that consistently delivers solid results. Despite feeling familiar in both gameplay and marketing […]

Following the breakout success of Whiteout Survival, which sparked a wave of enthusiasm for the "simulation management + 4X" hybrid model, a number of publishers rushed to get in on the action.Most recently, EWORLD's prison-themed 4X game Lands of Jail has made a strong showing. According to Sensor Tower data, the game's revenue surged 342% in April alone, surpassing $4 million in combined iOS and Android revenue over the past month. The United States emerged as the top-grossing market, accounting for 33% of total revenue, followed by Germany with 13%. So, how did Lands of Jail leverage the unusual appeal of a prison setting to stand out? And what else contributed to its breakthrough performance in an increasingly saturated genre? […]

According to Sensor Tower, Century Games' Whiteout Survival has raked in a staggering $2 billion in global in-app purchase revenue—this figure excludes China's third-party Android channels. As the title celebrates this milestone, AppGrowing has detected the emergence of a new 4X game from Century Games that is beginning to make waves across global markets. In just one month, the game—Kingshot—climbed from around No. 200 to the top 50 on the U.S. iOS grossing charts. It also broke into the top five of the free games ranking and the top 100 grossing games on South Korea's Google Play store. After hands-on testing, it's clear that Kingshot signals Century Games' ambition to replicate the success of Whiteout Survival. 01.Medieval Theme Meets Casual […]