PUBG Mobile becomes highest-earning game of 2020 so far, generating $2 billion in revenue; Free Fire top of most-downloaded games list

The coronavirus pandemic has narrowed down the possible ways to stay busy. While sitting at home, the internet is one of the only mediums of entertainment for most people worldwide. Many are also turning to multiplayer mobile games like PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, and COD Mobile to keep themselves engaged.

Speaking of PUBG Mobile, from Tencent Games, it is now the highest-grossing game during the first nine months of 2020, generating more than $2 billion in revenues, according to a report by Sensor Tower.

PUBG Mobile has become an absolute favorite in markets like China, SEA, USA, Middle East, and South Asia. PUBG Mobile is also the second-most downloaded game during this period.

The most-downloaded game is another battle royale offering, Free Fire, by Garena, which racked up more than 220 million installs. It is an absolute favorite in markets like LATAM, SEA, and SA.

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PUBG Mobile, Free Fire soar amid rise in worldwide consumer spending on mobile games

Global player spending on mobile games increased by 25.7 percent year-over-year over Q1 to Q3 2020 to approximately $58.7 billion, the report added.

Image via Sensor Tower

App Store leads in player spending in mobile games, growing by 25.3 percent year-on-year during Q1 to Q3 2020 to approximately $35.2 billion.

On Google Play, player spending saw a rise by 26.3 percent year-on-year to $23.5 billion.

During this period, the United States ranked No 1 for revenue, generating $16.5 billion in player spending across both the App Store and Google Play Store. Japan came in second with more than $13 billion in spending, while China ranked third, accumulating $10.6 billion from the App Store alone.

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Downloads up by 37% year-on-year

Downloads from Q1 to Q3 were at an estimated 42.7 billion, up 36.9 percent year-on-year. During the first nine months of this year, Google Play downloads rose 42.8 percent year-on-year to an estimated 34.7 billion.

Image via Sensor Tower

On the App Store, downloads grew 15.9 percent year-on-year during this period to about 8 billion, Sensor Tower reported.

India leads overall game downloads with 7.3 billion installs, around 17.2 percent of total downloads. The US ranked No 2 with about 4.2 billion installs, or 9.8 percent, while Brazil came in third with about 3.5 billion downloads, about 8 percent of total installs.