Mid-Core Games Are Eating Everyone's Lunch
This is a single insight from This Week in Apps - Games Are Not the Same. Check out the full article for more insights.
Let's talk about what's actually making money in mobile games right now. Not downloads. Revenue.
If you look at the top 1,000 earning mobile games of 2024, one trend stands out more than any other: Mid-Core titles dominate. And I mean that literally. Half of the list falls under the Mid-Core umbrella. Within that, RPGs alone make up 34% of the top earners.
To put that in perspective, that's nearly 340 of the top 1,000 games.
So what's Mid-Core, really?
We're talking about genres like RPGs, Strategy, and Shooters. These aren't hyper-casual time killers or slots reskins. They're deep, sticky, often multiplayer experiences with high retention and lots of monetization hooks. They usually take longer to build, require real game design, and appeal to more committed players.
But that commitment is paying off.
Why? Because Mid-Core players convert. They're willing to spend. And thanks to battle passes, gacha systems, and IAP bundles, developers have all the tools they need to capture that value over time. Unlike Casual players, who are often gone after a few sessions, Mid-Core players stick around and pay for the experience.
One other thing that stood out: Casual isn't dead. Far from it. Puzzle games (especially Match-3) still make up a healthy chunk of revenue. But the distance is growing. Mid-Core is where the upside is, and devs who follow the data know it.
If you're building a game today and wondering what direction to take, the data makes it clear: go Mid-Core or go niche. Anything else risks falling into the void between depth and dopamine.
App Intelligence for Everyone!
The insights in this report come right out of our App Intelligence platform, which offers access to download and revenue estimates, installed SDKs, and more! Learn more about the tools or schedule a demo with our team to get started.
Are you a Journalist? You can get access to our app and market intelligence for free through the Appfigures for Journalists program. Contact us for more details.
All figures included in this report are estimated. Unless specified otherwise, estimated revenue is always net, meaning it's the amount the developer earned after Apple and Google took their fee.
