SocialPeta sorted out the top 20 global mobile games by advertising, revenue, and download in August 2024, hoping to be of assistance to more people in the mobile game industry who are trying to understand the changing trends of the global mobile market.
The overall performance of global mobile games in August:
【鈴蘭の剣】sets sail again, topping the charts in Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. on its first day;
Boosted by the popularity of the TV series, 【Ghost Story: Love Destiny 】becomes a sensation across Southeast Asia;
【Last War: Survival】 surpasses 【Royal Match】 to claim the top spot in global revenue;
The popularity of supermarket simulation games has doubled, with three competing titles dominating the download charts;
A new game joins The Seven Deadly Sins franchise as Netmarble bets on idle games with its latest addition.
Top 20 Mobile Games by Advertising
1.The Japan-Korea Wave Surges: 【鈴蘭の剣】 Plays the Nostalgia Card Aggressively
【鈴蘭の剣】 is a Japanese-style SRPG (Strategy Role-Playing Game) developed and published in-house by XD Inc. The game focuses on retro gameplay, pixel art style, and hardcore tactical strategy, evoking the essence of classic Japanese tactical games in both its gameplay and narrative presentation. As early as August 11, 2023, 【鈴蘭の剣】 made its first international debut, launching in the Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan markets. One year later, on August 1, the game took its second step abroad, expanding into key overseas markets, including the U.S., Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. On the day of its launch, 【鈴蘭の剣】 topped the free game charts in the U.S., Japan, and Korea markets.
According to the advertiser analysis feature from SocialPeta, 【鈴蘭の剣】 had approximately 4,800 deduplicated ad creatives in August, with a cumulative ad advertising duration of 51 days. The specific iOS ad advertising data is as follows:
- In the past 30 days, video ad creatives accounted for approximately 72.8% of all materials.
- The majority of video creatives were in a horizontal format (1280×720), representing around 33.8%.
- Image ad creatives constituted about 27.2% of the total in the past 30 days.
- The most common image ad format was square (1080×1080), making up roughly 29.5%.
- The key phrases used in the ad copy focused on “SRPG, authentic SRPG, traditional SRPG, free 30 draws,” and similar terms.
From the promotional copy used in the Japanese server of the mobile game, it is clear that 【鈴蘭の剣】 strives to position its style as a traditional, classic SRPG (Strategy Role-Playing Game), reminiscent of single-player tactical games, while deliberately downplaying the gacha elements common in online games. This approach is also reflected in the game’s paid acquisition materials. The video creatives for 【鈴蘭の剣】 primarily focus on showcasing the epic multi-chapter storyline, character introductions, special abilities, and character settings. By mimicking the trailer editing style of major single-player titles, the game taps into players’ nostalgia, driving downloads and conversions.
2.Another major title published by VNG: 【Ghost Story: Love Destiny】 is taking Southeast Asia by storm.
The Southeast Asia server of NetEase’s MMO mobile game 【Ghost Story: Love Destiny】, published by VNG, officially launched on August 22, 2024. The game includes the latest content from the 3.0 version of the Chinese server of Ghost Story. With the influence of the game’s IP and the large fan base of the popular TV drama Love O2O, 【Ghost Story: Love Destiny】 enjoys a significant level of recognition overseas.
According to SocialPeta’s Advertiser Analysis feature, 【Ghost Story: Love Destiny】 generated approximately 11,000 deduplicated ad creatives in August, with a cumulative ad duration of 67 days. The specific advertising performance for iOS is as follows:
- Ads were placed in 14 regions, with the Vietnamese market having the largest share.
- In the past 30 days, video ads accounted for approximately 53.03% of all ad creatives.
- The majority of video ad creatives were in square format (720×720), accounting for approximately 41.98%.
- In the past 30 days, image ads made up around 46.97% of all ad creatives.
- Most image ad creatives were in square format (1200×1200), accounting for approximately 32.05%.
【Ghost Story: Love Destiny】 has deployed a large number of live-action creatives, including clips from the TV drama 【Love O2O】, cosplayers performing in red costumes, official live-action PV montages, and KOLs delivering on-camera endorsements. Additionally, the song 【One Alluring Smile】 by Silence Wang has been frequently used as background music in the ads.
3.【Screw Home: ASMR Clean】: A combination of ASMR, screw removal, and home renovation.
【Screw Home: ASMR Clean】 is a puzzle simulation mobile game released by LUCKY FORTUNE GAMES on July 12. As the name suggests, 【Screw Home: ASMR Clean】 combines popular mini-games such as screw removal, home renovation, and highly advantageous ASMR elements. However, due to the multitude of integrated elements, the presence of ASMR features in the game is not particularly prominent.
According to SocialPeta’s Advertiser Analysis feature, 【Screw Home: ASMR Clean】 generated approximately 7,000 deduplicated ad creatives in August, with a cumulative ad duration of 57 days. The specific advertising performance for Android is as follows:
- Ads were placed in 44 regions, with the Brazilian market having the largest share.
- In the past 30 days, video ads accounted for approximately 39.55% of all ad creatives.
- The majority of video ad creatives were in vertical format (720×1280), accounting for approximately 84.23%.
- In the past 30 days, image ads made up around 60.45% of all ad creatives.
- Most image ad creatives were in square format (1080×1080), accounting for approximately 58.75%.
- The ad copy keywords focused on “ASMR, renovation, cleaning,” etc.
Similar to its gameplay, the ad creatives for 【Screw Home: ASMR Clean】 are also divided into three main content areas. ASMR elements are predominantly represented by watch-cleaning visuals; the screw-removal gameplay incorporates common casual game tactics such as problem-solving and deliberate failure scenarios; and the home renovation aspect primarily uses dramatic before-and-after transformations of dilapidated houses to capture players’ attention.
Top 20 Mobile Games by Revenue
Games with surging revenue on the App Store in August :
SLG mobile game【Last War:Survival】 under First Fun generated over $65 million in revenue for August, representing an approximately 10.3% month-over-month increase.
With the combined effect of the ninth anniversary celebration and the summer swimwear event, 【Fate/Grand Order】, a long-established mobile game under Aniplex, generated approximately $33 million in revenue in August, representing an approximately 475.4% month-over-month increase.
Strategy card mobile game 【AFK Journey】 under Lilith Games generated approximately $30 million in revenue for August, leading the App Store revenue charts with the highest month-over-month growth.
Games outstanding with downloads on the Google Play in August：
SLG mobile game 【Last War:Survival】 under First Fun generated approximately $68 million in revenue for August, reflecting a month-over-month increase of approximately 66.3%.
Dream Games’ most profitable match-3 mobile game, 【Royal Match】, generated approximately $55 million in revenue for August, marking a month-over-month increase of approximately 35.7%.
MMO mobile game 【리니지M】, developed by Korean company NCSOFT, generated approximately $38 million in revenue for August, reflecting a month-over-month increase of approximately 21.4%.
Top 20 Mobile Games by Downloads
Games outstanding with downloads on the App Store in August：
【Supermarket Master 3D】, the hit supermarket simulation mobile game by Takeshi Ube, recorded approximately 5.3 million downloads in August, with German players contributing 10.9% of the total downloads.
【The Seven Deadly Sins: Idle】, an idle RPG mobile game based on the Seven Deadly Sins IP and developed by Korean company Netmarble, was launched on August 4. In its launch month (August), the game recorded approximately 3 million downloads on a single platform.
【Fruit Merge: Match Game】, a mobile game featuring the ‘Fruit Merge’ gameplay by a Vietnamese casual game developer, recorded approximately 2.1 million downloads on a single platform in August, with U.S. players contributing 31.4% of the total downloads.
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Games outstanding with downloads on the Google Play in August：
【Hole.io】, a mobile game developed by French casual game company Voodoo, recorded approximately 6.7 million downloads on a single platform in August, with U.S. players accounting for 17.6% of the total downloads.
【My Supermarket Simulator 3D】, the hit supermarket simulation mobile game by Playspare, recorded approximately 9.4 million downloads on a single platform in August, with Turkish players contributing 16.1% of the total downloads.
【Car Race 3D】, a simulation racing mobile game by Vietnamese casual game developer Zego Studio, recorded approximately 9.4 million downloads on a single platform in August, with Indian players contributing 14.6% of the total downloads.
The above are insights into global mobile games in August 2024, as well as mobile game revenue and download situations across both the App Store and Google Play. For more mobile marketing data, please visit www.socialpeta.com.
