Downloads of casual mobile games have increased, yet revenue in the sector remains unchanged

According to a recent analysis by AppMagic, a mobile market intelligence platform, while there has been an uptick in the number of casual game downloads since the year's start, the revenue figures have remained mostly unchanged.

AppMagic's Casual LiveOps Report for the first half of 2025 revealed a 6% increase in global casual game downloads compared to the previous year, rising from 28.4 billion in 2023/2024 to 30.2 billion in 2024/2025, with winter months contributing significantly to this rise.

Though there has been a year-on-year increase in global revenue, the growth is modest. Revenue from casual games grew by 3.6%, up from $22.9 billion in 2023/2024 to $23.8 billion in 2024/2025.

Analyzing half-year data, there's a 5% surge in downloads compared to the same timeframe last year, whereas revenue has seen minimal change, recording less than a 1% variation since the beginning of 2025.

The report also observes a "noticeable change in revenue trends" among leading countries in the first half of 2025.

The United States and China remain the top revenue-earners, yet both have seen a revenue dip in the first half of 2025, with the United States and China experiencing declines of 7.06% and 7.31%, respectively. Conversely, Japan reported a revenue rise of 21.8% during the same period.

Similar geographic patterns are visible in downloads. Previously among the top three countries for downloads in the first half of 2024, Brazil has been overtaken by Indonesia in 2025. Downloads in Indonesia have climbed by 21% compared to the first half of 2024, while Brazil has seen a 20% decline.

The report further identifies puzzle, casino, and simulation as the leading revenue-generating game genres in the casual mobile market, with puzzle games witnessing a 13.2% revenue growth from the first half of 2024 to 2025.

It was also discovered that 70% of the leading casual games in 2025 incorporate a race element, and a quarter of the top games (tracked by AppMagic) have featured at least one intellectual property collaboration this year.

On the other hand, fishing elements have lost traction and are no longer featured in new top games.