Mobile Game Market Review May 2024

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• Published Friday, July 26
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May was another bustling month for the mobile market, marked by a wave of blockbuster new titles that shot up the ranks worldwide. One of the biggest launches to make a splash was Kuro Games’ Wuthering Waves, which sailed to the top 10 download ranks in the US and Japan. It didn’t quite have what it takes to break into the top spot, though, which instead went to Supercell’s highly-anticipated Squad Busters. Meanwhile, in China, attention was focused on Dungeon Mobile, a pocket-sized take on one of the highest-grossing online games ever made.

But it wasn’t just game launches that impressed last month; there were also some significant updates to existing titles. Both AFK Journey and Last War: Survival debuted their inaugural Season, with the latter’s Crimson Plague sparking a gradual surge in downloads that peaked at an astonishing increase of over 400%. Over in the world of royale, Free Fire pitted gangsters against agents in a new Outlaw mode that appeared to take heavy inspiration from Roblox’s Jailbreak.

There were some notable collaboration events, too. LEGO Fortnite celebrated Star Day by launching an expansive new map area for players to explore, complete with its first-ever pass. Clash of Clans meanwhile joined forces with the Norwegian football star Erling Haaland, kicking off its latest season with a range of football-themed challenges, rewards, and other exciting additions.

Keep reading to learn more about the biggest updates, developments, and hottest new titles that were launched across the mobile market last month.

May’s casual mobile game updates Matchington Mansion looked to Playrix’s Scapes series for its next match-up, introducing a merge2 minigame called Picnic Potluck that works almost exactly the same as a similar event type added to Homescapes in late 2022.



Picnic Potluck revolves around a closed, merge2 board where players must strategically combine different items to fulfill food orders and collect Merge Tokens – which move the player through a reward ladder that unlocks various goodies, including exclusive Delicious Dessert furniture decorations.

The mode features several mechanics that will be familiar to most merge game fans, such as the ability to use Merge Energy (which replenishes over time but can also be earned through regular gameplay or acquired through IAP) to generate more merge pieces for the board by tapping on Item Generators. There are also different merge chains, bubble piece offers, skipping timers, and a dedicated shop offering a variety of useful merge items.

Meanwhile, Triple Match 3D added a new permanent win-streak system. Beating five main levels one after the other now activates a Meteor Strike that automatically destroys 21 junk items at the start of each new level. Once activated, the strikes continue until the player fails a level, encouraging them to invest in IAP – which includes continues and extra moves that help to ensure a streak lasts for as long as possible.



This loss aversion-based win streak system bears a similar logic to Royal Match’s Super Lightball, which resulted in a moderate uptick in revenues. Matchington Mansion Picnic Potluck Event

Merge Mansion’s Secret Supply minigame event swapped out the game’s usual merge grid for an arcade machine that combines elements of the casino and merge genres. Pulling the arcade machine causes one of several items to drop: when two or more matching items align, they merge and reward the player with points. Some items are worth more than others, so players must hope they’ll be lucky enough to get a valuable match.

Players are limited as to how much they can use the arcade machine. After so much use, the machine “overheats” and requires a Mystery Token to be reactivated. These tokens regenerate automatically after a certain period, although players can speed up the process through IAP.