Korean mobile game downloads fall as revenue per download hits a record

A Sensor Tower report says South Korean mobile game downloads fell 28% from 2021 to 2026, dropping from about 540 million to 390 million.

Yet annual in-app purchase revenue stayed near $5 billion, so revenue per download reached a record high.

The figures suggest games earned more, on average, from each download even as fewer people downloaded them.

The mix of popular games also shifted: puzzle games grew to 32% of downloads, while strategy games’ share of in-app purchase revenue rose to 25% and RPGs’ share fell to 43%.

In the past 12 months, merge games saw downloads rise 21% and in-app purchase revenue rise 94%; idle RPG downloads fell 30% even as their revenue increased 57%.

Overseas markets accounted for 92% of Korean publishers’ downloads in 2026, up from 88% in 2021, and their share of in-app purchase revenue rose from 44% to 49%.

The report also points to strong global sales for Korean PC and console games, but gives no next steps.