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Mobile game industry has been rapidly changing in the last several years and will keep growing in the foreseeable future, despite the financial and economic difficulties the world is experiencing.
According to Sensor Tower, mobile games in-app purchase (IAP) revenue rose to $80.9 billion in 2024, and consumer spending is expected to go even further as developers prioritize producing high-quality gaming experiences.
In this article, we gathered mobile gaming trends you can expect this year, along with some predictions on the future of the industry. Let’s dive in and see what to expect!
Let's take a look at the mobile games trends to expect in 2025 that every developer should be aware of:
You can jump directly to the ones that seem interesting to you. Let's discuss them in detail.
Casual games still manage to be on the top thanks to their universal approach: everyone can play them, quite literally.
According to Statista, casual games revenue is expected to increase by 13.1% in 2025, reaching $19.40 billion overall. Short gaming sessions and accessibility, common for casual games, motivate players to open them up more regularly and prefer them over different experiences that can be more difficult and complex. That’s one of the reasons why midcore market has experienced a 9% decrease in revenue.
A perfect balance is possible, though, thanks to hybrid casual games that combine the simplicity of casual games with some immersive, intricate mechanics of midcore: they have seen a 30% increase in revenue compared to the previous year. A certain mobile game trend is obvious here: casual and hypercasual games are leading.
According to SensorTower, in 2024, the Simulation and Puzzle genres led mobile game downloads, each capturing 20% of the total downloads. The most popular games in this segment in 2025 are still expected to be puzzle games and simulations, which will continue to be popular compared to other genres, such as action, strategy, sports and arcade games, which are expected to decline.
Hybrid monetization is definitely going to be one of the most popular trends in mobile gaming. This strategy maximizes earnings by combining in-app offers, subscriptions and in-app ads, allowing developers to extract the most value from players. It also provides the flexibility of not relying solely on in-app purchases (IAP) revenue, ensuring stable and diversified income streams.
According to AdInMo, 72% of mobile game developers adopt/plan to adopt this type of monetization.
Why is hybrid monetization so popular, you may ask?
Here’s a very simple example: if some players don’t want to pay for a particular in-app offer, they can watch an ad to get it. Ads that are shown are picked up by the system automatically, based on data analysis, ensuring it matches players’ interests, improving their experience and avoiding frustration: they won’t have to watch what they don’t want. And just like that, players who don’t spend on in-app purchases can still generate revenue for your project through ad views.
In many ways, it’s definitely the future of the mobile gaming industry. It also increases the chances that players will eventually make in-app purchases, boosting conversion to paying users. At the end of the day, different categories of users (hardcore and casual, those who prefer free content and those who prefer to pay) will get to enjoy the gaming experience you’re crafting.
Hybrid monetization is still a big mobile gaming industry trend in 2025 because of its flexibility and convenience. It’s expected to get only bigger and more widespread as time goes on.
Mobile gaming trend of live ops has become incredibly popular in recent years and it’s expected to grow even bigger in 2025 and further on. It allows to increase the valuable mobile games’ KPIs such as retention and engagement by simply introducing new content, game events and features, adding an element of something new and fresh.
Considering the constantly growing mobile games market, producing big numbers in revenue, it’s crucial to be competitive and regularly improve the game, responding to user’s requirements and desires. This is where live ops as one of the most profitable mobile gaming trends come up.
Live ops provide exactly that, ensuring players always return to something exciting and new, establishing a long-term relationship with the game. Additionally, they allow developers to easily incorporate player feedback into the game, making it straightforward to implement new features and keep customers satisfied.
Relying on game outsourcing studio’s services while going through the complex process of game development has also become very common among mobile game developers, especially if you’re aiming to create a mobile game that is going to be trending.
According to 360iResearch, the game outsourcing services market size was estimated at $697.96 million in 2024 and is expected to reach $748.28 million in 2025.
The reasons for these impressive figures are quite simple: outsourcing allows developers to focus on more critical aspects of game-making, save money and gain access to expertise and experience. This results in high-quality output that aligns with the mobile project’s genre, style and industry standards. Outsourcing remains one of the most convenient trends in mobile gaming.
RocketBrush Studio has been working since 2016, providing game art for numerous mobile games from leading mobile industry developers, such as Supercell, A Thinking Ape, Uken Games, G5 Games, Mangocoinz and many more. You can read our clients’ testimonials to see their feedback.
We offer a wide range of services, including 2D and 3D animation, modeling, artwork, character design, UI, background art, and more. Our work spans various styles and aesthetics, from family-friendly and casual to stylized and realistic. Explore our portfolio to see the full extent of what we can do.
Cloud gaming is one of those mobile gaming trends that has gained momentum incredibly quickly in recent years. We’re currently witnessing great technological advancements: cloud and streaming technologies are being enhanced, 5G distribution among new devices is improving latency and bandwidth and the Internet is more accessible than ever.
Along with that, big industry names such as Microsoft and Nvidia put a lot of effort into cloud gaming, establishing partnerships and collaboration.
As a result, cloud gaming is expected to become more effective, larger and smoother. Its regular and significant improvements will continue to make it more popular among consumers. Cloud gaming can be considered the future of the mobile gaming industry, providing a high-quality gaming experience wherever you go.
According to Sensor Tower, the growing popularity of AI-related mobile apps is evident from the increase in downloads, which reached 17 billion over the past year. These apps significantly impact chatbots, as well as those in the Photography, Finance, Productivity, and Lifestyle categories, making our lives a bit easier.
Games are also frequently implementing AI technologies, allowing developers and publishers to quickly generate code, images, and text for their projects. This boosts productivity and reduces costs, which is especially beneficial for smaller studios with limited resources. These trends in mobile gaming are expected to continue in 2025 and beyond, driven by the popularity of AI and the ongoing development and release of new iterations.
The mobile game market continues to grow and evolve. Considering future mobile gaming industry trends can be an effective strategy in approaching development and producing a successful title. However, developers must be prepared for unforeseen challenges that may arise during the complex game-making process.
If you ever experience issues with your game development, do not hesitate to reach out to game outsourcing company, for all types of your needs: from artwork and sound design to a full-scale development. Feel free to contact us to discuss possible solutions for your project in detail.
Whether you’re making a casual cartoon-stylized game or a pixelated sci-fi roguelite, an outsourcing company can collaborate with you and ensure that the final result will be sufficient and match the ever-changing industry standards.
Good luck! Let’s see what the future of mobile gaming industry holds.
