The Top Mobile Apps, Games, and Publishers of Q2 2018: Sensor Tower's Data Digest

First-time app downloads grew 14.6 percent year-over-year across Apple's App Store and Google Play in the second quarter to approximately 25.9 billion, up from 22.6 billion in the year-ago quarter, Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates show. Google Play led in terms of both volume of installs and percentage increase, with 18.6 billion app downloads compared to the App Store's 7.3 billion, and year-over-year growth of 15.6 percent compared to 12.9 percent on Apple's platform.

Read on for our full top 10 charts and download the free Q2 2018 Data Digest for install estimates covering the quarter's top 20 apps and publishers, along with the leading categories on both stores and in-depth analysis of Q2's top trends.

Top Mobile Apps

Netflix remained the No. 1 non-game app last quarter in terms of worldwide revenue across both platforms. Meanwhile, Tencent Video climbed one position from 1Q18 to rank at No. 2 for global App Store revenue as its user base continued to grow in China.

Overall non-game installs were again reigned over by Facebook-owned apps WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram, which were unchanged in their rankings from Q1, but Bytedance's short video app Tik Tok moved into the No. 5 position following tremendous growth in Asian markets.

Top Mobile Games

Tencent's Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor in the West) continued to dominate overall mobile game revenue, while the platform specific charts contained most of the top games from Q1. An exception was Fortnite from Epic Games, which climbed to No. 7 in terms of global iOS game revenue, having launched near the end of Q1.

Game downloads were led by super casual titles Helix Jump and Love Balls, from Voodoo and Super Tapx/Lion Studios, respectively.

Top Mobile Publishers

Games-focused publishers ruled in terms of revenue, as is to be expected, as mobile games accounted for approximately 77 percent of all app spending last quarter. Chief among them was once again Tencent, leading both overall and game revenue, with its powerhouse Honor of Kings largely to thank. Non-game revenue was also led by Tencent, which recaptured the top spot from Tinder owner IAC.

Facebook remained at No. 1 for overall and non-game app downloads, while Tencent stayed in the lead for game installs.

Get Our Latest Report for Free

Comprising download estimates from our Store Intelligence platform, the Q2 2018 Data Digest includes:

• Rankings of Q2 2018's top apps and publishers on the App Store and Google Play.

• The quarter's most popular app categories and their year-over-year-growth.

• In-depth insights into the quarter's most important stories and trends.

Click below to download the report in PDF format:

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