Sensor Tower: Tencent's "Honor of Kings" regained the top spot in global mobile game revenue in July

According to the Zhitong Finance APP, on August 11, Sensor Tower released the global mobile game revenue and download rankings for July 2026, with "Honor of Kings" reclaiming the championship title and rising to the top of the global mobile game revenue list. "Pokémon GO," "Gossip Harbor," "Whiteout Survival," and "Royal Match" ranked in the top five for revenue.

Top 10 Global Mobile Game Revenue Rankings for July 2026

According to the latest data from Sensor Tower's app performance insights, "Honor of Kings" led the global mobile game revenue list in July, primarily due to its differentiated customized content launched for both domestic and overseas markets. In the domestic market, the game combined the latest season updates with a seven-day special event, introducing a "Journey to the West" themed series of character skins. In the overseas market, the game continued to drive player engagement and spending through a major crossover collaboration with the classic anime "InuYasha," high-quality character skins, and large-scale esports events.

"Pokémon GO" also showed impressive performance in July, mainly driven by its annual flagship event "Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global" and the strong momentum of its 10th anniversary celebration. The game built up excitement for the paid ticket event through multiple preheating activities, including a community day featuring the water-type Pokémon "Sobble," a "10th Anniversary Party," and "Legendary Road" preheating activities. After the events, Niantic maintained the heat through anniversary-themed activities and generous benefits, while the month-long "GO Pass" further boosted player engagement and spending with additional challenges and exclusive rewards.

Other top revenue products also relied on a continuous stream of themed content updates to maintain user engagement and willingness to pay. "Gossip Harbor" combined football competition mechanics with the story-driven "Coconut’s Egyptian Adventure," layering multiple collection activities such as "Water Wonders" and "Dollhouse of Dreams" to constantly create new milestone goals for players. "Whiteout Survival" first introduced a new generation of hero characters and then shifted its focus to large-scale team competitions and siege warfare gameplay. "Royal Match" simultaneously launched a "Summer Pass," collection challenges, dragon-themed collaborations, and new storyline content In July 2026, global player spending on mobile games reached $6.6 billion on the App Store and Google Play, a month-on-month increase of 7.7%. In terms of market share, the United States maintained its leading position globally with a total revenue share of 29.5%; China (counting only iOS) followed closely with 16.7%; Japan ranked third with 12.3%.

On the global mobile game revenue growth list, "Pokémon GO" and "Honor of Kings" ranked first and second respectively, further consolidating the leading positions of these two products in global mobile game revenue. This performance was attributed to the event matrix created around the anniversary celebration of "Pokémon GO," and the version updates and collaborative content launched by "Honor of Kings" for different markets.

The tactical competitive hit mobile games "Game For Peace" and "PUBG MOBILE" performed strongly on the global revenue growth list in July, ranking fourth and fifth respectively. "Game For Peace" launched a massive "Summer Adventure" version update, inviting several high-profile celebrities as spokespersons and collaborating with the well-known domestic sci-fi animation "The Universe Devours." "PUBG MOBILE" attracted global players through crossovers with "Naruto" and Ferrari, limited-time gameplay content, and exclusive appearance rewards from the Ace Royale Pass Season 20.

Launched in July 2026, "hololive Dreams" transformed the virtual artists under hololive (digital characters brought to life by real people) into collectible characters for players to form teams freely. The game provided fans with a new experience of deep interaction with their favorite VTubers beyond live broadcasts through original storylines and exclusive interactive content. After its launch on July 23, the opening rewards attracted players to experience it early; the subsequent launch of swimsuit-themed character card pools and summer storyline events constituted the game's first batch of seasonal content.

Other mobile games that entered the top ten global revenue growth list, which are character content-centric and mainly target the Asia-Pacific market, also benefited from significant version updates and continuous content iteration. "Zenless Zone Zero" launched a new S-class character and related activities during its 3.1 version second anniversary celebration, driving revenue growth. "GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE" continued its growth momentum by continuously launching summer-themed events and character activities. "SOL: enchant" has maintained market attention since its launch in June, while "Eggy Party" achieved a noticeable rebound. The performance of these products reflects that continuous content updates have broad appeal in the mid-core and casual mobile game categories Overall, the performance of mobile games in July once again indicates that sustained growth increasingly relies on well-planned operational activities. Major version updates, popular IP collaborations, seasonal events, as well as real-world hot topics such as culture and sports, have all become important drivers for attracting players back and encouraging spending. You are welcome to gain deeper insights into game operations, commercialization, and player engagement trends through the Playliner operational activity insight platform under Sensor Tower.

Top 10 Global Mobile Game Downloads in July 2026

"Roblox" topped the global mobile game download chart in July 2026, followed by "Free Fire" in second place. "Block Blast!", "Arrow Puzzle: Tap Puzzle Games", and "Soccer Superstar" closely followed, collectively making it into the top five for global downloads.

"ROBLOX" reached the top of the global download chart mainly due to its diverse themed activities and brand collaborations launched during the summer. The "Fishing Carnival (Fischfest)" and "Prism Runway Show" extended the popularity of fishing and fashion themes into July, while the interactive music experience in collaboration with the Rolling Stones further enhanced the platform's entertainment appeal. The virtual space "FIFA Super Soccer" continued to enjoy the traffic benefits brought by the World Cup, followed by the significant launch of the MMORPG "Vesteria", and at the end of the month, the tactical FPS new title "TTK" began its promotional buildup. These concentrated efforts showcased Roblox's strong ecological capability to activate multiple gameplay genres and a diverse IP matrix.

"Garena Free Fire" maintained good download performance in July thanks to its 9th anniversary celebration and collaboration with the popular anime "BLUE LOCK". Anniversary rewards and limited packages kept players engaged until July 23, while the mid-month launch of "BLUE LOCK" themed skins and collaboration rewards further helped the game attract new players.

July coincided with the peak of the 2026 World Cup season, with major game developers leveraging this global craze to generate buzz and attract new players. "Soccer Superstar", "Football League 2026", "EA SPORTS FC™ MOBILE", and "eFootball" all made it into the top ten download charts, highlighting the strong driving effect of football-themed content and timely operational activities on download numbers In July 2026, global mobile game downloads reached 3.72 billion, a month-on-month increase of 2.2%. In terms of countries and regions, India continued to lead the world with 609 million downloads (16.4% share); the United States (7.8%) and Brazil (6.3%) ranked second and third, respectively.

On the download growth leaderboard, "Smash Fest!" ranked first globally. This game incorporates fun physics gameplay into traditional puzzle mechanics, featuring satisfying chain reactions, intuitive controls, humorous cat characters, and level designs suitable for short experiences, making it more accessible and appealing to hyper-casual players. Its main download markets include the United States, India, Japan, Russia, and Brazil.

"Painty Hide n Seek" ranked second on the global download growth leaderboard. This game combines classic hide-and-seek gameplay with a paint camouflage mechanism, creating a vibrant stickman world. The simple and easy-to-understand rules, third-person perspective, and relaxed, fun 3D scenes attract players who prefer light, fast-paced competitive experiences. Currently, it has gained significant attention in markets such as Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Brazil, and Turkey.

"Top Tycoon: Coin Theme Empire" ranked third on the global download growth leaderboard. This game combines a coin looting mechanism with theme park construction and growth gameplay. Players collect and loot resources, then invest those resources into expanding their entertainment empire, creating a positive cycle of continuous upgrades and visual changes. Its social competition mechanism and long-term growth goals are particularly popular among players in India, the United States, and Turkey.

With the FIFA World Cup concluding in mid-July, several football-themed mobile games extended the event's popularity to mobile platforms, driving download growth. "Soccer Superstar" and "Football League 2026" launched events and fast-paced challenges inspired by the World Cup; "Mini Soccer: Football Cup 2026" and "Flash Peak: Freestyle Football" attracted football enthusiasts with timely market promotions and easy-to-learn arcade gameplay