Mobile gaming has continued to increase in popularity over the last couple of decades, with several titles having truly disrupted the industry and arguably paving the way for the successes that have since followed.
According to figures, over 80 billion (82.98) games were downloaded on mobile platforms in 2021, with it also found that mobile game consumer spending reached $116 billion in 2021. Indeed, there are a variety of different types of games that can have contributed to this, including games that feature in-app purchases.
Games that feature this service have proven to be incredibly popular as they are initially free to download and play, however users can then look to purchase certain things that can help them to either advance/progress or complete a level that they may be stuck on, or potentially equip their characters with items, etc.
Indeed, whilst there are many who will be using their smartphone devices to play titles available from this huge list of live casino games, we have identified six of the biggest mobile games to have ever been created that have certainly disrupted the entire industry and changed how we know it.
Let’s explore what they are, with it likely that you will already know a lot about each of them:
“Candy Crush Saga”
“Candy Crush Saga” took the world by storm when it was first released in 2012. It was one of the first mobile games to feature heavily in-app purchases, and its success paved the way for other “freemium” games that followed. The game is still popular today, with millions of people playing it every day, whilst it has introduced several variations and spin-offs, too.
“Clash of Clans”
“Clash of Clans”, released in 2012, was one of the first mobile games to successfully use a freemium model. In-app purchases are integral to the game, and it has been extremely successful, grossing over $1 billion in revenue. It remains one of the most popular mobile games today with many of the millions to have downloaded it continuing to compete against each other.
“Angry Birds”
“Angry Birds” was first released in 2009 and was one of the first mobile games to achieve widespread popularity. It is a simple but addictive puzzle game that can be played for free or for a small fee. The game has been downloaded over 2 billion times and has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, whilst the success it has had has also seen it be the inspiration for a movie!
“Pokemon GO”
“Pokemon GO” was an instant phenomenon when it was released in 2016. It is an augmented reality game that allows players to catch virtual Pokemon in the real world. The game was hugely popular, with millions of people playing it every day. However, it has since declined in popularity and is no longer one of the most popular mobile games. Nonetheless, it managed to disrupt the industry in an immense way and was groundbreaking when it was launched.
“Fortnite”
Another game that managed to take the world by storm is “Fornite” which was released in 2017. It is a free-to-play battle royale game that has been extremely popular with both kids and adults and has subsequently been downloaded over 125 million times, thus grossing over $1 billion in revenue. It remains one of the most popular mobile games today.
“Wordle”
“Wordle” is the newest mobile game to have truly disrupted the industry, with the word-guessing title having enjoyed huge success since it was released in 2021. It has been so successful, that the New York Times decided to acquire it for an undisclosed seven-figure sum in January 2022!
