RESEARCH BY APP CATEGORY
What we found
Thanks to the ever-present smartphone and a thirst for increasingly interactive and immersive gaming experiences, the mobile gaming business is booming. In 2024, the mobile gaming market generated a worldwide estimated revenue of US$98.74bn – an increase of nearly $10bn from 2023. Mobile gaming continues to dominate the app market too, with games contributing to over 40% of all app downloads worldwide.
2024 saw the continued rise of open-world games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft reflecting the expansion of the metaverse: immersive, interconnected virtual spaces where users can engage with each other and the digital environment. We also saw the growth of casual games – titles that take up little storage space and are designed to be played in short, exciting bursts. Titles like Subway Surfers and Brawl Stars helped rocket the genre’s popularity.
Kids’ time on their favorite mobile games continued to rise in 2024. For the 5th year in a row, Roblox was the most popular game globally, where kids spent an average of 139 minutes per day playing – an increase of 7% since 2023. Next up was Brawl Stars where kids globally spent 29 minutes daily in fast-paced, multiplayer battles.
RESEARCH BY APP CATEGORY
Gaming
What we found
Thanks to the ever-present smartphone and a thirst for increasingly interactive and immersive gaming experiences, the mobile gaming business is booming. In 2024, the mobile gaming market generated a worldwide estimated revenue of US$98.74bn – an increase of nearly $10bn from 2023. Mobile gaming continues to dominate the app market too, with games contributing to over 40% of all app downloads worldwide.
2024 saw the continued rise of open-world games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft reflecting the expansion of the metaverse: immersive, interconnected virtual spaces where users can engage with each other and the digital environment. We also saw the growth of casual games – titles that take up little storage space and are designed to be played in short, exciting bursts. Titles like Subway Surfers and Brawl Stars helped rocket the genre’s popularity.
Kids’ time on their favorite mobile games continued to rise in 2024. For the 5th year in a row, Roblox was the most popular game globally, where kids spent an average of 139 minutes per day playing – an increase of 7% since 2023. Next up was Brawl Stars where kids globally spent 29 minutes daily in fast-paced, multiplayer battles.
Most popular apps in 2024* vs average daily time spent
*Ranked 1-6 from most-least popular, based on total % of children opening app for at least 5 minutes across the year
Most popular apps in 2024* vs average daily time spent
*Ranked 1-6 from most-least popular, based on total % of children opening app for at least 5 minutes across the year
children and gaming apps in 2024
Roblox might be available on pretty much every gaming platform you can think of, but it’s on mobile devices where 4 out of 5 users enjoy playing, creating, and interacting in the vast Roblox universe. So it should be no surprise that Roblox remained the top gaming app and the one where children spent the most time in 2024 – across all categories analyzed in our report. Kids spent a global average of 139 minutes per day playing, creating, and interacting on Roblox’s platform, 9 minutes more than in 2023: though still far from the highs of 2021 and 2022, when children spent an average of 173 and 180 minutes per day on the platform. The US retained the crown for Roblox play time with kids spending over 2.5 hours daily on the game (152 mins/day), representing a 9% increase on the previous year. Australian kids were next with a daily 137 minutes spent on the gaming platform – an increase of 5 minutes from 2023.
Brawl Stars took 2nd place for most popular gaming app globally with kids devoting 4% more playtime in 2024 than in 2023. The mid-core game’s global popularity was boosted by its growing appeal in France and Spain, where kids played Brawl Stars the most. Kids in Spain spent 31 minutes per day on Brawl Stars, while their French counterparts spent 30 – representing a 3% and 7% increase, respectively.
With 100 minutes less playing time than Roblox, kids worldwide spent an average 39 minutes per day on Minecraft – a decrease of 17% on 2023’s play time. Minecraft is still the best-selling game of all time, but as it ranks 4th in our global popularity chart, and doesn’t rank at all in France and Spain, this suggests that kids prefer the experience on PC or games consoles, rather than their mobile devices.
Our 14-year-old was browsing YouTube and random sites during class, and during homework time. It was a huge distraction so we had to put up guardrails.
– Parent of 2, 50.
Time spent on top 6 most popular mobile gaming apps, from 2020-2024
children and gaming apps in 2024
Roblox might be available on pretty much every gaming platform you can think of, but it’s on mobile devices where 4 out of 5 users enjoy playing, creating, and interacting in the vast Roblox universe. So it should be no surprise that Roblox remained the top gaming app and the one where children spent the most time in 2024 – across all categories analyzed in our report. Kids spent a global average of 139 minutes per day playing, creating, and interacting on Roblox’s platform, 9 minutes more than in 2023: though still far from the highs of 2021 and 2022, when children spent an average of 173 and 180 minutes per day on the platform. The US retained the crown for Roblox play time with kids spending over 2.5 hours daily on the game (152 mins/day), representing a 9% increase on the previous year. Australian kids were next with a daily 137 minutes spent on the gaming platform – an increase of 5 minutes from 2023.
Brawl Stars took 2nd place for most popular gaming app globally with kids devoting 4% more playtime in 2024 than in 2023. The mid-core game’s global popularity was boosted by its growing appeal in France and Spain, where kids played Brawl Stars the most. Kids in Spain spent 31 minutes per day on Brawl Stars, while their French counterparts spent 30 – representing a 3% and 7% increase, respectively.
With 100 minutes less playing time than Roblox, kids worldwide spent an average 39 minutes per day on Minecraft – a decrease of 17% on 2023’s play time. Minecraft is still the best-selling game of all time, but as it ranks 4th in our global popularity chart, and doesn’t rank at all in France and Spain, this suggests that kids prefer the experience on PC or games consoles, rather than their mobile devices.
Time spent on top 6 most popular mobile gaming apps, from 2020-2024
I review all apps before they are added to devices, and no purchases
or apps can be added without us doing it.
I review all apps before they are added to devices, and no purchases
or apps can be added without us doing it.
– Parent of 1, 45
how long did children spend on gaming apps over 2024?
The amount of time kids use gaming apps overall has fluctuated little in the previous 3 years. In 2024, kids spent an average of 37 minutes playing their favorite mobile games, up from 35 in 2023 and edging closer to the high of 38 minutes in 2022. The biggest mobile gamers were Australian kids, who spent an average of 43 minutes per day playing their favorite gaming apps, followed by kids in the US (39 minutes) and UK (37 minutes).
When broken down monthly, it’s school breaks when kids are more likely to reach for their devices to play their favorite games. This is especially true in Australia where young gamers clocked up their highest number of minutes (46) during their summer and winter breaks, and in the US, where the record for most minutes spent over the year was set at 47 mins/day in July.
How long did children spend on gaming apps over 2024
The amount of time kids use gaming apps overall has fluctuated little in the previous 3 years. In 2024, kids spent an average of 37 minutes playing their favorite mobile games, up from 35 in 2023 and edging closer to the high of 38 minutes in 2022. The biggest mobile gamers were Australian kids, who spent an average of 43 minutes per day playing their favorite gaming apps, followed by kids in the US (39 minutes) and UK (37 minutes).
When broken down monthly, it’s school breaks when kids are more likely to reach for their devices to play their favorite games. This is especially true in Australia where young gamers clocked up their highest number of minutes (46) during their summer and winter breaks, and in the US, where the record for most minutes spent over the year was set at 47 mins/day in July.
Average time spent on mobile gaming apps, month by month (avg. mins/day)
Average time spent on mobile gaming apps, month by month (avg. mins/day)
The most blocked gaming apps in 2024
It’s easy to lose track of time when playing fast, action-packed, arcade-style games, and this might explain why parents worldwide made Brawl Stars the 2nd most-blocked game of 2024.
Any online use is risky, period. I monitor and talk to her about what is and is not appropriate and dangerous. She reports things to me on her own willingly.
– Parent of 1, 63
The most blocked gaming apps in 2024
It’s easy to lose track of time when playing fast, action-packed, arcade-style games, and this might explain why parents worldwide made Brawl Stars the 2nd most-blocked game of 2024.
Any online use is risky, period. I monitor and talk to her about what is and is not appropriate and dangerous. She reports things to me on her own willingly.
– Parent of 4, 46.
Most blocked mobile gaming apps (% of parents)
(% of parents)
The widespread availability and affordability of smartphones combined with improving 4G and 5G technologies have helped make mobile gaming the largest and fastest – growing segment in the gaming market.
And with growth, comes change. In 2025 and beyond, we can expect more immersive augmented and virtual reality, more artificial intelligence integration, better opportunities for cross-platform playing, and a rise in cloud-based games thanks to the rollout of 5G.
When it comes to risks, mobile gaming has different safety concerns from social media: for example, kids aren’t as likely to be exposed to pornography on mobile gaming apps – although it can and does happen. The technological developments of mobile games can bring about other issues, like increased screen time and in-app spending.
The growing interest in hyper-casual and mid-core mobile games like Brawl Stars and Subway Surfers confirms the belief that mobile gamers favor fast and fun titles over their complex, narrative-driven equivalents on console and PC. While the mobile gamer is less likely to sit for hours immersed in virtual worlds, increasingly fast-paced, dopamine-spiking mobile games are engineered to keep users reaching for their phone and racking up screen time.
Kids’ screen time aside, advancements in mobile gaming might hit wallets too. Although Roblox, Brawl Stars, and Subway Surfers are free to download and play, games like these make money from in-app purchases, such as avatar accessories, upgrades and player skins. With the mobile gaming market expected to be worth US$118.90bn by 2027, you can be sure companies will be devising clever new ways to persuade children to part with their (parents’) cash.
The widespread availability and affordability of smartphones combined with improving 4G and 5G technologies have helped make mobile gaming the largest and fastest – growing segment in the gaming market.
And with growth, comes change. In 2025 and beyond, we can expect more immersive augmented and virtual reality, more artificial intelligence integration, better opportunities for cross-platform playing, and a rise in cloud-based games thanks to the rollout of 5G.
When it comes to risks, mobile gaming has different safety concerns from social media: for example, kids aren’t as likely to be exposed to pornography on mobile gaming apps – although it can and does happen. The technological developments of mobile games can bring about other issues, like increased screen time and in-app spending.
The growing interest in hyper-casual and mid-core mobile games like Brawl Stars and Subway Surfers confirms the belief that mobile gamers favor fast and fun titles over their complex, narrative-driven equivalents on console and PC. While the mobile gamer is less likely to sit for hours immersed in virtual worlds, increasingly fast-paced, dopamine-spiking mobile games are engineered to keep users reaching for their phone and racking up screen time.
Kids’ screen time aside, advancements in mobile gaming might hit wallets too. Although Roblox, Brawl Stars, and Subway Surfers are free to download and play, games like these make money from in-app purchases, such as avatar accessories, upgrades and player skins. With the mobile gaming market expected to be worth US$118.90bn by 2027, you can be sure companies will be devising clever new ways to persuade children to part with their (parents’) cash.
What we recommend
Co-playing your child’s favorite games strenghtens bonds and encourages open conversations
Be aware of the example you set with your own technology use
Help your child communicate mindfully and respectfully online
Director of Wellbeing, Qoria
Make sure your child knows how to report hurtful and mean behavior
What we
recommend
Co-playing your child’s favorite games strengthens bonds and encourages open conversations
Playing the same game as your child, or even better, playing alongside them, allows you to see and experience the content your child is exposed to when they play their favorite game. You can then decide if the game is age-appropriate and identify other safety risks, such as interactions with strangers. Co-playing your child’s favorite games also strengthens bonds and encourages open conversations, which means they might be more comfortable coming to you if they encounter something troubling in games or elsewhere online. If co-playing is not an option, we recommend that parents talk to their children about the games they are playing and research their age-appropriateness. If the game has parental controls, parents can adjust the settings to reduce the risk of them being exposed to inappropriate content.
Be aware of the example you set with your own technology use
Help your child communicate mindfully and respectfully online
Director of Wellbeing, Qoria
Make sure your child knows how to report hurtful and mean behavior