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Over the last decade, the gaming landscape around the world has changed. Once upon a time, video games ran on hardware like bulky, pricey consoles and professional-grade computers and laptops. PC and console gaming were the focus of the industry, along with video games released from legacy developers like Nintendo, Ubisoft, and EA Sports.
But that’s not the case in 2024. Over the last two years, the mobile gaming market has stabilized. After a few years of rapid growth, it’s set itself up as the king of gaming in terms of both market share and revenue. That means that mobile gaming makes more than its traditional counterparts, and also has a larger player base globally.
Last year, mobile gaming dominated different regions around the world. The largest were in Asia and North America—but Africa is a quick growing market when it comes to mobile gaming popularity. In terms of the numbers, it’s clear that mobile games are here to challenge the standard practice of console and PC gaming.
But will they replace the standard order of video games? Let’s take a closer look at the reasons why mobile games have taken a bit out of other sectors, focusing on the gaming experience rather than revenue or market share.
A More Accessible Option
If there’s one reason why mobile games are likely to stay on top, it’s their sheer accessibility. PC games require setups that involve a monitor, keyboard, mouse, Wi-Fi, and computer. Consoles require a monitor, console, controllers, and similar gadgets. Neither option is cheap—especially for someone who can’t access second-hand kit.
Mobile games, however, can be downloaded to just about any smartphone. Whether or not someone has ever labeled themselves a gamer, they could still access titles with just a few clicks. In fact, there are millions of games in the Google Play Store—a number that continues to climb year after year.
A Growing Range of Games
When mobile games first started to become mainstream in the early 2010s, there was a huge proliferation of titles. Originally, many games were goofy, social, and designed to be playable. Today, casual titles remain the focus of the mobile gaming zeitgeist. Still, industry has evolved alongside mobile technology—the better the phone, the more competitive and streamlined the games.
This has opened the door for all types of new games, even more complex ones. For example, players can access virtual poker from a smartphone, one of the most popular card games in the world. Seasoned players can easily enter tournaments to star flexing their skills. But mobile devices also let newcomers pick up the ropes by learning about poker hands and entry-level strategies.
The same is true for competitive, eSports-caliber titles. Though eSports are usually focused on consoles and PCs, there are now elite-level competitions for certain MOBA and battle royale titles. These include hits like Garena Free Fire and PUBG: Mobile. Like poker, they might not seem like a natural fit for mobile, but they’ve become popular sectors in the mobile gaming world.
As mentioned up top, casual games compose the bulk of mobile gaming’s power. Still, poker and mobile eSports highlight just how much potential mobile gaming has.
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Inside Look: Streamlined Development for Creators
Aside from accessibility and diversity of games, mobile gaming is here to stay for one concrete reason: it’s easier for developers to create and launch mobile games. This means that studios great and small alike have more autonomy to create waves in the gaming world by releasing mobile titles.
While this might not sound like a big deal, it’s small studios that often take the biggest risks. This has led to incredible innovation within the mobile gaming market, which simply can’t be matched for console and PC studios that can take years and spend millions on perfecting their latest project.
Because of this, mobile gaming will continue to see critical attention that’s on par with console and PC gaming. While the idea of mobile replacing either is a bit far-fetched, there’s plenty of proof that mobile is now its own fully fledged sector.
