Japan witnessed an increase in both mobile game installations and associated spending during the first quarter of 2024
The mobile market in Japan is experiencing a rebound, following a modest downturn in 2023, with gaming applications outdoing other app categories.
According to a recent study by Adjust, supported by Sensor Tower, Japan recorded a 1% decline in app installations in 2023. However, Q1 2024 witnessed a 3% uptick compared to Q4 2023.
Consumer expenditure remained stable last year, taking yen value fluctuations into account. Yet, Q1 2024 already indicates a 3.5% rise in spending from the previous quarter.
Focusing on mobile games, installations surged by 18% in Q1 compared to Q4 2023, and spending also increased by 2.23%. Furthermore, the average mobile gaming session lengthened to 27.37 minutes in Q1 2024, compared to 26.37 minutes in 2022.
Among the most downloaded apps, only two games made it to the top ten: Hortor Games' Fatgoose Gym at fifth and Joy Nice Games' Legend of Mushroom.
In terms of revenue, gaming apps dominate, securing eight out of the top ten highest-grossing spots. Monster Strike ranks second, trailing only the digital comics app Piccoma.
Other lucrative titles include Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Fate/Grand Order, Professional Baseball Spirits A, Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle, Puzzle & Dragons, Dragon Quest Walk, and Honkai Star Rail. Most of these games are developed domestically in Japan.
Japan's total mobile consumer spending reached $17.9 billion in 2023, placing it third globally, behind China and the United States.
Additional insights reveal that 73% of Japan's population regularly uses smartphones. The gaming demographic is predominantly male at 63.6%, although genre-specific variations exist—58.9% of arcade game users are female.
The age group 25 to 34 represents the largest and most active segment, comprising 35.5% of players. Additionally, iOS users account for 55% of the audience, while 45% use Android devices.
Below are the most downloaded and highest-grossing games:
