The mobile gaming industry has experienced exponential growth over the last decade and is now making up almost half of the revenue generated within the entire global video game industry. This transformative shift towards mobile games has seen numerous game studios and certain titles rise to phenomenal popularity, securing their place on millions and even billions of devices across the globe. These games helped shape the mobile gaming phenomenon and gained popularity even among millions of people around the world who otherwise aren’t typical “gamers”.
This extending popularity beyond the typical gaming demographics has turned mobile games into the by far most common form of video games played around the world. The mobile gaming industry also continues to grow and is expected to become the dominant segment within the general video game industry within the next few years.
The following ranking lists the ten most downloaded mobile games of all time. The ranking is based on the combined download numbers from the Google Play Store (for Android devices) and the Apple App Store (for iOS devices), providing a comprehensive view of each game’s popularity across the two major mobile platforms. This method ensures that the list reflects the popular mobile games that have truly resonated with a global audience, transcending barriers of geography, and demographics.
Top 10 Most Downloaded Mobile Games of All Time
1. Subway Surfers
Subway Surfers tops the ranking and is the definitive all-time leader in mobile games. Co-developed and released by Danish video game companies Kiloo Games and SYBOO Games in 2012, the game was the first individual mobile app game in history to have reached one billion downloads across all app platforms. The game still remains hugely popular and has now been downloaded over four billion times.
Subway Surfers captivates with its vibrant graphics and dynamic gameplay, where players help the main characters Jake, Tricky, and Fresh escape from a grumpy Inspector and his dog through fast-paced and colorful urban landscapes. As players dart around trains and barriers, they collect coins and power-ups, making it an absolute staple of the ‘Endless Runner” game genre on mobile devices around the world.
2. Candy Crush Saga
Candy Crush Saga follows as the second most downloaded mobile game of all time. The game was developed in 2012 by Swedish video game company King.com, which is now owned by American video game giant Activision Blizzard, one of the biggest video game companies in the world. The game is a puzzle game and as such, the most popular puzzle video game of all time.
As perhaps one of the most addictive mobile games ever created, Candy Crush Saga challenges players with a sweet-filled puzzle adventure where players match candies in combinations of three or more to progress through more than a thousand levels, each offering a different puzzle challenge.
3. Hill Climb Racing
Hill Climb Racing ranks third among the most downloaded mobile games of all time. The game was also developed and released in 2012, by Finnish video game company Fingersoft and remains by far the most popular and most downloaded mobile racing game of all time.
In Hill Climb Racing, players are introduced to Newton Bill (or Bill Newton), an aspiring uphill racer whose journey takes him where no ride has ever been before. From Ragnarok to a Nuclear Plant, all locations are a racing track to Bill. The globally beloved mobile game combines physics-based driving mechanics with a quirky cartoon style. Players guide their vehicles over hilly terrains, ensuring they don’t run out of fuel or flip over, making it a unique approach to the racing game genre.
4. My Talking Tom
My Talking Tom is the fourth most downloaded mobile app game in history. The game was released in 2013 by Slovenian video game company Outfit7. It is the fourteenth installment of the widely successful “Talking Tom & Friends” franchise, the most downloaded mobile game series of all time, albeit no other installment was nearly as successful as the My Talking Tom game.
The game allows players to adopt their own baby kitten (Tom) and help him grow into a fully grown cat. It also includes a variety of mini-games designed to test skill, reflexes, and puzzle-solving ability and is primarily designed for younger gamers, integrating various aspects of pet care with interactive features, making it a family favorite across the globe.
5. PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile) completes the Top Five ranking of the most downloaded mobile games. PUBG Mobile is the mobile version of PUBG: Battlegrounds, one of the best-selling video games of all time. The game was developed in 2018 by video game studio LightSpeed Studios, which is owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent, also one of the world’s biggest video game companies. The mobile version of the highly successful Battle Royal game brings the full experience of its PC counterpart to mobile devices.
Much like its big-screen brother, PUBG Mobile has gained acclaim for its depth, real-life physics, and tactical combat, all while being well-optimized for mobile gaming. When it comes to mobile-based Battle Royale, PUBG Mobile certainly reigns supreme in that category.
6. Free Fire
Free Fire, also known as Garena Free Fire, ranks sixth in the list of the most downloaded mobile games of all time. The game was only released in 2017 and already boasts over a billion downloads. It was developed by the Singaporean video game studio Garena International, owned by the Singaporean tech corporation Sea.
Free Fire is a fast-paced battle royale game that concludes in just ten minutes per match. Players parachute onto a remote island and must scavenge for weapons and equipment while fighting to be the last person standing. The game’s quick pace and strategic depth attract millions of players every day, making it a cornerstone of mobile esports and the entire Battle Royal game genre.
7. 8 Ball Pool
8 Ball Pool is the seventh most downloaded mobile game across all app platforms. The game was developed and published in 2010 by Swiss video game studio Miniclip, also owned by Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent. The revitalized the classic game of pool for the mobile gaming audience and was one of the earliest mobile gaming successes of the smartphone era. It is also still the most downloaded mobile sports game of all time.
In 8 Ball Pool, players from around the world compete against each other in this highly skill-based pool game, while entering pool tournaments to win trophies and exclusive cues.
8. Temple Run 2
Temple Run 2 takes the eighth place in the ranking. The game was developed by American video game company Imangi Studios. It is the direct successor of the original Temple Run mobile game, one of the biggest and earliest game app successes of the iPhone era. Temple Run 2 builds upon the success of its predecessor while enhancing the endless runner formula with improved graphics and dynamic new environments, which made it ultimately even more successful than the original title.
The Temple Run sequel offers thrilling chases and evasive maneuvers that have become benchmarks for the genre on mobile platforms. Players must navigate cliffs, mines, and forests as they try to escape with a cursed idol while collecting coins along the way.
9. Ludo King
Ludo King is the ninth most downloaded mobile game in the world. Indian video game company Gametion Technologies developed the game in 2016. It modernized the traditional Indian board game Ludo and brought it into a digital format, allowing easy access on mobile devices. Unsurprisingly, the game is especially popular in India and other South Asian countries.
Ludo is a board game of strategy and chance that dates back to the sixth Century. The mobile game version in the form of Ludo King also supports online multiplayer features, allowing friends and families to play from a distance.
10. Clash of Clans
Clash of Clans concludes the Top Ten of the most downloaded mobile games of all time. Clash of Clans was developed in 2012 by Finnish video game studio Supercell, also owned by Chinese tech giant corporation Tencent. It is a strategy-centric mobile game that encourages players to build their own villages, raise clans, and then compete in epic clan wars against other players.
The game’s strategic depth and community-driven gameplay have made it a major influence in shaping the mobile gaming industry, while also proving that strategy games do have a place on hand-held mobile devices.
The 10 Most Downloaded Mobile Games of All Time:
Year released: | Developer: | Genre: | Total Downloads: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. SUBWAY SURFERS | 2012 | Kiloo Games & SYBO Games | Endless Runner | ~ 4.1 billion |
2. CANDY CRUSH SAGA | 2012 | King.com | Puzzle Game | ~ 3.0 billion |
3. HILL CLIMB RACING | 2012 | Fingersoft | Racing | ~ 1.8 billion |
4. MY TALKING TOM | 2013 | Outfit7 | Virtual Pet | ~ 1.4 billion |
5. PUBG MOBILE | 2018 | LightSpeed Studios / Tencent | Battle Royale | ~ 1.3 billion |
6. FREE FIRE | 2017 | Garena International / Sea | Battle Royale | ~ 1.3 billion |
7. 8 BALL POOL | 2010 | Miniclip | Sports | ~ 1.2 billion |
8. TEMPLE RUN 2 | 2013 | Imangi Studios | Endless Runner | ~ 1.1 billion |
9. LUDO KING | 2016 | Gametion Technologies | Board Game | ~ 1.0 billion |
10. CLASH OF CLANS | 2012 | Supercell | Strategy | ~ 750 million |
Most downloaded mobile games of all time by the total number of downloads across the Google Play & Apple App Stores. Titles within a game series are each counted individually. Game creation systems (e.g. Roblox) are not counted as mobile games here.
Sources for Ranking:
/ AndroidRank, Sensor Tower (Data.ai), Google Play & App Store
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