Sophie Blake
Japan’s mobile gaming market has demonstrated a notable resurgence in early 2024, following a slight decline in 2023. Video games continue to be a dominant force in mobile consumer spending, comprising eight out of the top ten highest-grossing apps.
A comprehensive report by Adjust, in collaboration with Sensor Tower, highlights the growth trends in Japan’s mobile market. While the overall number of app installs in Japan saw a minor 1% decline year-on-year in 2023, Q1 2024 reversed this trend with a 3% increase compared to Q4 2023. This upward trajectory extends to consumer spending, which remained relatively stable last year despite fluctuations in the Japanese yen’s value. However, Q1 2024 has already witnessed a 3.5% increase in spending over the previous quarter.
The gaming sector, in particular, has shown remarkable performance. Game installs surged by 18% in Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023, and consumer spending on games rose by 2.23%. This growth is accompanied by increased engagement, with the average mobile gaming session lengthening from 26.37 minutes in 2022 to 27.37 minutes in Q1 2024.
In terms of popularity, only two games—Hortor Games’ “Fatgoose Gym” and Joy Nice Games’ “Legend of Mushroom”—made it into the Top Ten most downloaded apps. Despite this, games overwhelmingly dominate consumer spending charts, with eight titles among the top ten highest-grossing apps. The leading game is “Monster Strike,” ranking second only to the digital comics app Piccoma. Other top-grossing games include “Uma Musume Pretty Derby,” “Fate/Grand Order,” “Professional Baseball Spirits A,” “Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle,” “Puzzle & Dragons,” “Dragon Quest Walk,” and “Honkai Star Rail,” most of which are developed in Japan.
In 2023, Japan’s total mobile consumer spending reached $17.9 billion, positioning the country third globally, behind China and the US. The report also provides valuable insights into the Japanese mobile gaming audience. Approximately 73% of the population regularly uses a smartphone, and the gaming audience is predominantly male, accounting for 63.6% of players. Gender distribution varies by genre, with 58.9% of arcade game players being women.
The age demographics reveal that more than a third (35.5%) of players are aged between 25 and 34, making this both the largest group and the segment with the highest engagement across most genres. There is also a relatively balanced split between operating systems, with 55% of players on iOS and 45% on Android.
The early signs in 2024 suggest a robust recovery and continued growth for Japan’s mobile gaming market, driven by increased installs, higher consumer spending, and greater engagement among users.
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