Apple’s storefront carried 15% of the world’s game downloads in 2025 and still out-earned Google Play by 75% on in-app purchases. App Store gaming revenue grew 0.6% that year, the slowest of the three storefronts Sensor Tower tracks, and mobile game spending then fell 4.5% in Q2 2026. Here is what the platform, genre, regional and regulatory data shows.
App Store Gaming Revenue
How Big Is App Store Gaming Revenue in 2025?
Mobile games generated $82 billion in in-app purchase revenue across the App Store and Google Play in 2025, up 1.4% year over year, according to Sensor Tower’s State of Gaming 2026 report. The App Store accounted for $52.5 billion of that and Google Play $30 billion.
Sensor Tower puts App Store game IAP revenue 75% above Google Play’s for the year. These are gross figures, inclusive of store commissions, and they exclude advertising, third-party purchases and Android revenue in China.
The download picture runs the opposite way. Google Play handled roughly four times as many game installs as the App Store, and Sensor Tower counts only one download per Apple or Google account.
| Storefront group | Game downloads 2025 | Share of all game downloads |
|---|---|---|
| Google Play | 42.4B | 81% |
| Apple App Store | 7.8B | 15% |
| PC and console | 2.0B | 4% |
Source: Sensor Tower, State of Gaming 2026, full-year 2025
Mobile game downloads fell 7.0% in 2025 and IAP revenue per download reached $1.62. Free-to-play accounted for 96% of mobile game downloads, rising to 99% on Google Play. Broader install and spend patterns sit in our mobile game statistics breakdown.
App Store Gaming Revenue vs Steam and PC Storefronts
Steam premium game revenue reached $11.7 billion in 2025, up 13.0%, the fastest growth of the three storefronts. That figure measures premium game purchases rather than in-app purchases, so it is not directly comparable to the App Store and Google Play totals.
Steam also led PC and console on downloads, with 37% more than PlayStation. Valve’s wider trajectory is covered in our Steam platform data, and the surrounding market in our PC gaming figures.
Why Is App Store Gaming Revenue Falling in 2026?
Consumers spent $43.6 billion inside apps globally in Q2 2026, up 5.3% year over year, on flat downloads. Non-gaming apps hit a record $24.4 billion, up 14.6%, while gaming revenue declined 4.5%.
Google Play outpaced iOS on revenue momentum across all app categories in Q2 2026, growing 10% year over year against 3% on iOS. Growth also shifted away from the United States, down 3%, toward Mainland China, which added $519 million on iOS, and the UK, Germany and France, which together added $500 million across both stores.
Generative AI doubled consumer mobile spend in the quarter, up 108% year over year, with ChatGPT reaching $1.4 billion in quarterly revenue. The money moving into apps is not disappearing from mobile; it is moving out of games. Our in-game purchase spending habits page tracks where that spend concentrates.
Which Genres Grew?
Puzzle was the standout. The genre rose 17% year over year to surpass $4 billion in Q2 2026 IAP revenue, closing on Strategy at $4.4 billion. Puzzle was also the only major mobile game genre with positive download growth, at 1% year over year, while Simulation and Arcade both posted double-digit download drops.
Two arrow puzzle titles drove the install surge. Arrows Puzzle Escape became the most downloaded mobile game worldwide, and Arrows GO! ranked fifth; together they added over 110 million installs quarter over quarter.
Across full-year 2025, strategy IAP revenue rose 20% and puzzle rose 14%. Strategy was the only genre to grow downloads across Asia, North America and Europe.
Where Did Publisher Revenue Move?
Asian publishers gained the most ground in 2025. North American publishers lost more than Europe and the Middle East gained combined.
| Publisher HQ region | Change in mobile game IAP revenue, 2025 vs 2024 |
|---|---|
| Asia | +$2.58B |
| Europe | +$0.36B |
| Middle East | -$0.18B |
| North America | -$1.78B |
Source: Sensor Tower, State of Gaming 2026, full-year 2025 vs 2024
Tencent held the top spot by 2025 mobile game IAP revenue, ahead of Scopely and Century Games, with Supercell and Miniclip counted separately. Roblox platform numbers and Minecraft player data cover two of the largest cross-platform titles in that cohort.
App Store Gaming Revenue and Apple’s Commission Problem
Appfigures estimates Apple’s US App Store commission revenue has fallen 18% year to date in 2026, reported by the Financial Times in August 2026. An April 2025 court ruling in the Epic Games case bars Apple from collecting commission on purchases completed through external payment links in the US.
Sensor Tower separately estimates US consumer spending through the App Store fell 6% year over year in Q2 2026, against 9% growth a year earlier. Global App Store consumer spending grew 3% in the June quarter, down from 13% growth a year prior. Both figures cover all App Store spending, not games alone.
Apple’s own results for the quarter ended June 27, 2026 show total revenue of $109.4 billion, up 16%, with Services at $30.7 billion, up 12%.
| Segment | Revenue, quarter ended 27 June 2026 | YoY change |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone | $54.3B | +22% |
| Services | $30.7B | +12% |
| Mac | $10.4B | +29% |
| Wearables, Home and Accessories | $7.9B | +6% |
| iPad | $6.2B | -6% |
Source: Apple, fiscal 2026 third quarter results, quarter ended 27 June 2026
App Store commissions are one line inside Services, which also covers advertising, AppleCare, iCloud, payment services and Apple’s media subscriptions.
Where Game Publishers Spend to Win App Store Installs
Mobile app networks such as AppLovin and AdMob still take the majority of mobile game ad spend. YouTube’s share of that spend rose from 12.0% in 2024 to 16.9% in 2025, while TikTok’s fell from 6.2% to 3.7%.
App Store Gaming Revenue Outlook for 2026
Newzoo forecasts the global games market at $213.9 billion in 2026, up 6.1%, in its Global Games Market Report 2026. Mobile is projected at $121.1 billion, up 6.8%, which is about 57% of the total.
| Platform | Forecast 2026 revenue | Forecast YoY growth |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | $121.1B | +6.8% |
| Console | $46.9B | +5.1% |
| PC | $45.9B | +5.3% |
Source: Newzoo, Global Games Market Report 2026, full-year 2026 forecast
Newzoo’s figure counts advertising and direct-to-consumer channels, which is why it can rise while store-measured IAP falls. The same report puts global mobile game downloads down 25% year over year in H1 2026, with cost per install up 30% to $0.56. Platform-level comparisons sit in our mobile versus console revenue breakdown.
App Store gaming revenue is holding its scale rather than its momentum. A $52.5 billion base, 0.6% growth in 2025, a 4.5% category decline in Q2 2026 and an 18% drop in US commission collection point the same direction: money is relocating, not evaporating.
FAQs
How much revenue does the App Store make from games?
The App Store generated $52.5 billion in mobile game in-app purchase revenue in 2025, up 0.6% year over year, per Sensor Tower. That figure is gross, including Apple’s commission, and excludes advertising and third-party purchases.
Does Apple make more money from games than Google Play?
Yes. Sensor Tower puts App Store game in-app purchase revenue 75% above Google Play’s in 2025. Apple achieved that on 7.8 billion game downloads against Google Play’s 42.4 billion.
Why is mobile game revenue falling in 2026?
Mobile game IAP revenue fell 4.5% year over year in Q2 2026 while non-gaming apps grew 14.6%. Sensor Tower attributes US App Store weakness partly to rulings in the Epic Games case allowing external payment links.
Which mobile game genre is growing fastest?
Puzzle. It rose 17% year over year in Q2 2026 to pass $4 billion in IAP revenue, closing on Strategy at $4.4 billion, and was the only major genre with positive download growth at 1%.
Do game publishers advertise on Reddit?
Yes. Sensor Tower tracks Reddit as a PC and console ad channel, and reports Battlefield 6 leaned more heavily on Facebook, Reddit and desktop display before launch than recent Call of Duty releases did.
Sources
https://sensortower.com/blog/state-of-gaming-2026
https://sensortower.com/blog/q2-2026-digital-market-index-report
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/07/apple-reports-third-quarter-results/
https://sensortower.com/report/state-of-gaming-2026
https://www.quantumrun.com/consulting/mobile-game-statistics/
https://coopboardgames.com/statistics/mobile-game-statistics/