Roblox Outage Sparks Usage Rise in Rival Mobile Games Minecraft and Among Us

The recent server outage for Roblox from Roblox Corporation coincided with a rise in usage of alternative multiplayer mobile games such as Minecraft from Mojang and Among Us from InnerSloth on Android, an analysis of preliminary Sensor Tower Consumer Intelligence data shows.

Usage Trends

The Roblox outage began on October 28 and lasted until October 31, during which time players were unable to access the game or even visit its website. Comparing the period of full-day outage from October 29 to 31, the average time spent in the app declined by 93 percent week-over-week worldwide. This is due to our panel of installs continuing to show session counts based on attempts to access the app.

Analyzing other popular apps and games during the same period between October 29 to 31, Sensor Tower data shows that Minecraft’s usage increased by 2 percent week-over-week. Among Us, meanwhile, saw time spent climb by 6 percent W/W. Usage in Among Us surged by approximately 12 percent on October 29 compared to the day prior, while Minecraft’s usage climbed by 13 percent D/D on October 30, compared to the day prior.

Twitch also saw an increase in usage, with time spent in the app rising by 8 percent W/W. It should be noted, however, that numerous reasons could be at play for the streaming platform’s growth, including the League of Legends semi-finals over the weekend and Halloween holiday streams from popular channels/streamers.

Session Count

Analyzing the average number of daily sessions players engaged in each day between October 29 to 31, Roblox saw a decline of approximately 33 percent W/W, suggesting players were still hoping to access the game throughout its downtime.

During the same period, average daily sessions for Minecraft and Among Us saw minimal growth W/W. Twitch, however, experienced an increase in average session count of 11 percent W/W.

Among Us Rises

Preliminary Store Intelligence estimates across both the App Store and Google Play showed growth in both downloads and player spending during the Roblox outage. Among Us mobile downloads peaked at approximately 436,000 on October 30, up 19 percent from the day prior and 44 percent W/W. This marked the title’s best day for installs since April 4, 2021. During the same day on October 30, Among Us picked up approximately $12,000, a rise of 1 percent from the day prior and 11 percent W/W. It was the mobile title’s best day for revenue since July 17, 2021.

As with our recent analysis of Facebook’s services outage, as well as causing an inevitable drop in usage with consumers unable to access an app, downtime can also result in users heading elsewhere for entertainment. Whether this recent outage for Roblox will have a long-term impact remains to be seen, though few other apps offer the type of experience the Roblox itself provides.