Mobile game sales revenue share in China's gaming market 2014-2024

Over the past decade, the Chinese mobile gaming market has developed by leaps and bounds, accounting for over 73 percent of China’s total gaming sales revenue in 2024. Owing to the state's online gaming crackdown, video game revenue saw its first decline in a decade in 2022. 

A mobile game wonderland

The most populous country in the world has a huge mobile gamer base. In fact, over half of the Chinese population were playing mobile games, accounting for the majority of game users in the domestic market. This gaming community is not only massive but also more engaged compared to other markets. In general, Chinese mobile gamers played at least once per day, with an average session lasting for about ten minutes. The users were also willing to spend money on games, which was reflected by a rising average revenue per user (ARPU) according to market forecasts.

Lucrative yet challenging

Due to strict regulations and cultural gaming preferences in China, international gaming giants often struggle to compete with domestic rivals. In this context, Tencent remained the leading mobile game publisher in the Chinese arena. In 2022, the entertainment tycoon earned around 171 billion yuan from its gaming business. Its bestselling mobile game Honor of Kings generated on average 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in global in-app annual revenue. The enterprise had extended its footprint to the mobile eSports sector and quickly controlled a major market share.