As the year 2023 draws to a close, there is more and more insight into user preferences throughout the year at various levels – e.g. play bets sports, but also mobile phone games – and it is the latter that the article focuses on, presenting the most successful ones so far.
There are several ways to approach the subject: whether by numbers of downloads, by profits or by players' opinions, and here we will tell you about a list of the most successful games overall across the different criteria. We are based on data from studies from specialized data websites Statista and Singular.
Royal match
Data collected by the website specialized in statistical data Statista shows that one of the mobile games that has earned the most money so far this year is Royal Match, with 417,26 million dollars.
The data analysis website Singular shows that it is a game that tops the list of most successful considering not only the number of installations, but also the profits – in the combined between Android and iOS platforms.
Royal Match is a puzzle game with a motif from the courts of the Middle Ages, in which the player is challenged to combine the elements of the palace's decoration in an agile way – with the king watching closely.
candy Crush Saga
Originally released in 2012, Candy Crush Saga continues to be a successful phenomenon. This year alone, until August, it recorded US$592,75 million in revenue, and is also among the best classified in terms of combined installations and profits.
This is another puzzle-type game, in which the player moves colored candies. Those that match and are adjacent are removed from the game board, with more candies appearing at the top of the screen.
The graphs are arranged in columns and rows. There are several levels, which have to be completed in sequence, and each of these levels poses different challenges to the player.
Pokémon GO
The Pokémon franchise is over 20 years old and, even today, is highly popular among cartoon and video game aficionados.
One of the most popular mobile phones today is Pokémon GO – which has already raised more than 318 million dollars in 2023 in players' expenses.
Launched in 2016, Pokémon GO puts the player in the shoes of a Pokémon trainer – you can catch them and participate in battles of various types. It is based on the player's real location, using augmented reality elements.
The game mechanics even promote physical activity, as there are elements unlocked with the steps taken – such as incubating Pokémon eggs. It also brings players together as a community to, for example, participate in Raids and catch stronger and rarer Pokémon.
Coin Master
With players having already invested $447,37 million this year, Coin Master continues to be one of the most successful games this year – even leading in sales in Germany and the United Kingdom since 2019.
The player has to earn coins to upgrade items and thus build villages. They can also attack other villages, but to do so you need to make spins and earn coins. Each hour a player has five attempts.
Coin Master is a game that involves strategy, but also some level of interaction between players – since it is possible to launch attacks on other villages. There are also multiple levels that are reached by meeting targets: there are 506 in September 2023.
Gardenscapes
Originally released in 2016, Gardenscapes is one of the games that generates the most sales today – 361,68 million dollars between January and August this year.
In the top ten of Android and iOS combined in number of installations and revenue, Gardenscapes frequently appears among the top free mobile games in dozens of countries around the world.
It's a puzzle game, with a story that gives it a guiding thread. The player has to complete levels and earn “stars” to restore and decorate the different spaces in the garden.
Like the other games on this list, Gardenscapes is free to play, but there are in-game purchases that can improve the gaming experience and make it easier to achieve objectives.
