Kiwi’s Guide to Mobile Gaming Stats in 2025

Written by Mark Dash | Last updated: April 8, 2025

Under a Creative Commons license (sharable with link attribution)

The mobile gaming scene continues to grow in New Zealand, and now, there’s a LOT of data coming in to back it up. If you’re looking for a comprehensive Kiwi’s guide to mobile gaming stats in 2025 (or, mainly, 2023 and 2024, as this year’s stats aren’t out yet), check out this page in full, as we’ll dive into looking at what made the mobile gaming scene experience so much growth in 2023/2024.

Mobile Gaming Stats Overview

Before we look into detailed insights, here’s a few key points to be aware of behind the growth of mobile gaming in NZ:

AI Everywhere. From generating images to crafting content and even acting as assistants, AI has become a ubiquitous presence in the mobile gaming world. It’s pretty much everywhere you look, mate.
Screen Time’s Through the Roof. Kiwi gamers are spending an average of 5 hours a day on their devices. That’s a fair chunk of time, eh?
Spending Slump. Consumer spending took a bit of a nosedive in 2023. Blame it on economic uncertainties, market maturity, and the general “what’s next?” vibe hanging over everyone.
Downloads Down. With users becoming more picky, developers can’t just rely on the “wow” factor of a new release anymore.
Old Faves Still on Top. The big-name games are still raking in the dough.
Age and Gender Preferences. Youngsters are into racing games and RPGs, while older players are all about solitaire, match-3, and puzzles.
New Genres Shaking Things Up. Hyper-casual games are giving strategies and RPGs a run for their money. And innovative genres like Avatar Life are catching gamers’ eyes.

Mobile Gaming Stats in New Zealand – infographic free to use with link attribution

Where the Downloads Are Happening

Given the scale of the growth of mobile gaming in New Zealand, you may be wondering where these downloads are actually taking place. Well, if you’re already familiar with us here at DashTickets, you’ll know we like our deep dives. We don’t only provide Kiwis with help finding the best online casino, but we also cover a lot of non-gambling topics related to NZ! Below, we’ll explore the two core places where these game downloads are happening:

Google Play

Google Play is seeing a surge in game downloads in India and Brazil, with Indonesia snagging the fourth spot. These emerging markets are fertile ground for new hit projects. Users here, riding the smartphone wave, aren’t as jaded or demanding as those in the US. And there’s a strong Android preference in these countries, whereas the US is still iOS territory.

App Store

The App Store continues to be led by the US, with Brazil and Indonesia following but with a significant gap. Again, we’re talking about mobile game downloads here. When I download apps from the App Store, I’m seeing an increasing number of social casino apps taking number one spots on the daily and weekly rankings – and this seems to indicate a shift in consumer behaviour, one that will be interesting to follow as time moves on.

What Games Are People Playing?

If you’re interested in the types of games that people are playing, then make sure you check out the table below – where we break down the genre, and percentage of players playing each:

Genre	Percentage of Players
Puzzle	27%
Action/Adventure	22%
Casino	18%
Strategy	15%
RPG	12%
Others	6%

Puzzle games are leading the pack, with over a quarter of gamers enjoying a good brain teaser.

Here’s a quick look at the most popular mobile games by download:

PUBG Mobile
Clash of Clans
Candy Crush Saga
Genshin Impact
Among Us

Each of these games has millions of active players and generates millions in revenue. They’re not just games; they’re social platforms where people connect, compete, and collaborate.

Local Esports Scene in New Zealand

Like in most countries, New Zealand has been seeing a surge of eSports popularity, and this isn’t just confined to players: it’s also growing in popularity with bettors. Below, you can see some of the local events that took place last year in New Zealand – along with the number of participants and the prize pool that was on offer!

Event	Game	Prize Pool (NZD)	Participants
Auckland Armageddon Expo	Mobile Legends	50,000	500+
Wellington Gaming Fest	Free Fire	30,000	300+
NZESF National Championship	Clash Royale	20,000	200+

Spending Habits

In 2023, mobile games are raking in a staggering 77.7% of the total gaming industry revenue. Yep, you heard that right—more than three-quarters of all gaming cash is coming from mobile games.

Here’s a quick look at the regional revenue split:

Region	Revenue (in billions)
North America	$22.33
Europe	$19.45
Asia	$37.12
Rest of World	$11.1

Asia is the big kahuna here, making up nearly half of the total revenue. No surprise there, with mobile gaming being massive in countries like China and India.

Profit from Google Play & App Store Apps

In 2023, Google Play showed a +4.6% growth, while the App Store, as usual, outpaced its competitor with a +6.9% increase.

Who’s Driving the Positive Trend?

Subscriptions to Google One remain not only popular but also the most profitable, topping the Google Play revenue charts for the second year in a row, having dethroned Coin Master in 2022. If you’re an Android user, chances are you have a Google One storage expansion subscription.

For the App Store, the top earner (for both the store and developers) is YouTube. There’s no surprise here – it has held the top revenue spot since 2020, unaffected by crises, pandemics, or conflicts.

TikTok climbed to second place in revenue, holding this spot in both markets simultaneously. Meanwhile, Tinder, traditionally more popular among iOS users, unexpectedly made it into the top 10 on Google Play.

Top Games and New Entrants

The top games shuffled their positions a bit. Pokemon Go dropped out of the top ranks on Android but held onto the last spot in the App Store. Roblox and Candy Crush Saga continue to captivate users and generate solid revenue for developers.

In an interesting twist, the manga comics app Piccoma burst into the App Store’s top 10, landing at 7th place.

Top Categories by Downloads on Google Play & App Store in 2023

Casual and Action games hold the top spots on Google Play and the App Store, respectively. In the Android market, Simulation has been bumped down to third place, overtaken by the Entertainment segment (though, how can you possibly move Goat Simulator? Seems impossible!). The App Store confirms this – Simulation rose to third place, pushing Arcade down. Photo & Video humbly holds the second place among iOS apps by download numbers.

Conclusion

The mobile gaming industry is a powerhouse that just keeps on growing. Despite a slight dip in revenue this year, the market is thriving with billions of players and dollars involved.

If you want to dive deeper into the stats and figures, here are some of the sources we pulled our data from:

Author Mark Dash

Chief Editor at DashTickets, is a seasoned journalist with a keen eye for detail and a passion for uncovering insights in the world of entertainment and travel. With a background in journalism from Massey University and prestigious accreditations in the field, including the PGDipJ from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Mark brings a wealth of expertise to his role. He also write about New Zealand and tourism. He's a big fan of research and analytical approach in preparing publications. Twitter | Facebook