Analytics firm AppMagic has published its Casual LiveOps report for the first half of 2025, and its main takeaway is clear: download growth isn't turning into matching revenue growth.
The numbers
- Global casual game downloads: from 28.4 to 30.2 billion, up 6% year on year.
- Global revenue: from $22.9 to $23.8 billion, up 3.6%.
- Over the half-year, downloads rose 5% against the same period a year earlier, while revenue grew by less than 1%.
Which genres make money
Puzzle, casino and simulation games were the most profitable genres. Puzzles stand out: their revenue grew 13.2% between H1 2024 and H1 2025.
Trending mechanics
According to the report, about 70% of the most popular casual games of 2025 include racing or head-to-head competition mechanics. Fishing mechanics, by contrast, failed to take off.
For studios, the message is that acquiring players is getting easier than keeping and monetising them. For players, it means the market will keep filling up with free games competing for their time.
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