Squad Busters Takes the Spotlight Amidst a Slate of Anime-Themed Mobile Adaptations

The Sensor Tower mobile gaming pulse highlights the top-performing iOS App Store and Google Play games each month. Our analysis covers trends and movement in the top charts among the leading games across countries. It is the industry standard for professionals looking to compare the latest market shifts of leading games and publishers and prepare for the months ahead. 

The long-anticipated MOBA game from Supercell, Squad Busters, launched globally on May 29th and, as expected, got off to a strong start.  It reached the #2 top games by global downloads for the entire month of May, despite being available for only the last few days of the month. Previously, we covered how the game was the fastest among Supercell games to reach 5 million downloads, an impressive feat for a soft launch. To date, it has generated over 44.3 million downloads globally, with top markets including the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea. The game has also excelled in monetization, surpassing $28 million in cumulative consumer spending globally. 

Supercell used acquisition strategies such as linking pre-registration numbers with day-one reward and investing in paid advertising to increase awareness and downloads. According to Sensor Tower’s Pathmatics Ad Intelligence, Supercell was the top brand in terms of total digital ad spend in the United States on both Desktop and Mobile platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube, from May 29th to 31st. Consequently, the game outperformed all other non-gaming apps in downloads on iOS and Google Play during this three-day period.

Top Games by Downloads in May 2024: Which Mobile Games Topped Downloads Charts and Which Games Were the Breakout Stars of the Month? 

While Squad Busters led globally as the top breakout title, the May 2024 breakout rankings also underscored the power of anime IP or style in mobile game adaptations. Three of the top ten breakout downloads and eight of the top ten breakout revenue earners featured anime-inspired themes, highlighting their strong appeal in the mobile gaming market. Let's dive deeper into these trends. 

We took a look at which games saw the most significant growth in May 2024 in our Breakout Games by Downloads charts.

• Solo Leveling:Arise, a Hack and Slash Action game by Netmarble Games, has taken the #2 spot for worldwide downloads growth and ranked #11 by absolute downloads. Soft-launched in March 2024 and globally rolled out on May 8th, the anime-inspired game features a third-person perspective in a high fantasy setting. The game has amassed approximately 18.3 million downloads to date. Top markets include India, Indonesia, the United States, Thailand, and Brazil. Monetization has been strong, with over $75.1 million in lifetime consumer spending, led by South Korea, the United States, and Japan.The game features a Third Person camera perspective within a High Fantasy setting. Its 3D Anime art style appeals to the Mid-core audience, immersing players in a dynamic and engaging experience.

• Another breakout title, Wuthering Waves, an open-world RPG by Kuro, secured the #3 spot for worldwide downloads growth and is currently ranked #29 by absolute downloads. Since its global release in May 2024, the game has reached around 13.8 million downloads. Top markets include China, the United States, Indonesia, Japan, and Russia. Monetization has been strong, surpassing $58.7 million in consumer spending, with leading markets being China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Following the footsteps of hit title 原神 (Genshin Impact), Wuthering Waves features expansive character-driven exploration and fluid combat mechanics with Anime quality production values.

Most Popular Mobile Games by Downloads in May 2024

While the rising stars offer the best view into high-growth sectors, top charts showcase current consumer demand.

In May, Free Fire, a Battle Royale game, maintained its #1 position for top games by worldwide downloads, a status it held from the previous period. Published by Garena Games Online, the game has amassed approximately 1.64 billion downloads globally since its September 2017 launch, with its primary markets being India, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and Mexico. 

Relax Mini Games, a collection of hypercasual games, climbed to the #10 spot for worldwide downloads, up 53 positions from the previous period. The app's strategy of weekly mini-game updates keeps players engaged with fresh content, appealing to casual gamers seeking stress-free, quick thrills. With around 21.8 million downloads to date, the game has attracted a broad audience from Indonesia, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Turkey.

Top Games by App Store Consumer Spend in May 2024: Which Mobile Games Topped Spend Charts and Which Games Were the Breakout Stars of Month?

Similarly to downloads, we took a look at which games saw the greatest growth in May 2024. How did successful launches, monetization mechanics and timely re-engagement campaigns shape our Breakout Games by Consumer Spend charts? 

• Dungeon & Fighter Mobile,  a beat 'em up game, claimed the #1 spot for worldwide revenue growth and is currently ranked #8 by absolute revenue. Originally published by NEXON in 2022, the game was launched in China by Tencent in May 2024, adding 4.2 million downloads to its total, bringing it to 7.2 million downloads to date. The launch in China was a commercial success, generating over $100 million in consumer spending on the iOS App Store alone. With a side-camera perspective and an adventure-themed high fantasy setting, the game's pixel art style attracts mid-core players, delivering a rich and action-packed gaming experience.

• Arknights, another Anime-themed Tower Defense game, took the #4 spot for top Games by Worldwide revenue growth, currently #ranked 31 by absolute revenue, up 69 positions from prior period.The game’s revenue surge aligns with the Festival event  held in early May in Shanghai and its fifth anniversary celebrations, which included limited-time item sales and special offers.

Most Popular Mobile Games by App Store Consumer Spend in May 2024

Consumer spending top charts are more stable than breakout charts, with player loyalty being crucial for the longevity of leading games. In May, a game that broadened its global reach cracked the top 10, underscoring the value of targeting markets beyond one's own.

MONOPOLY GO! maintained its #1 rank in consumer spend, attributed to its classic board gameplay, engaging 3D cartoon art style, and top-down camera perspective within a tabletop-themed setting. Various in-game events during the month of May such as Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day themed events helped the game reach the pivotal milestone of $2.75 billion in lifetime consumer spend.

Coin Master,took the #10 spot for top Games by worldwide revenue, up one position from the previous period. Recent celebrity-driven advertisements, featuring football superstar David Beckham, are among the publisher's strategies to attract new users and maintain high engagement levels.

Sensor Tower's Creatives Gallery can help you identify creative best practices and how ad spend is driving mobile app performance

Top In App Events in May 2024

Each month, we compile a list of the top 10 In-App Events with the highest impact in select markets, based on the total iOS revenue generated within the first three days. These events are ranked by their revenue lift growth in each market. In the latest rankings, events run by Dungeon & Fighter Mobile and Solo Leveling:Arise topped the list for growth and were also the top two breakout games by consumer spend during the month.

Understanding the effectiveness of these events and learning how your competitors successfully run in-app events to boost user engagement and retention is crucial for achieving long-term success.

Sensor Tower's App Update Timeline Report now features In-App Events in App Update Timeline, providing visibility into live and past in-app events along with event details, type, duration, and creatives.