（Singapore, 11.11.2026）Chinese game publishers are widening their lead over American rivals in the US$121 billion (S$155 billion) global mobile gaming industry, supported by lower development costs, faster production and games that generate significantly more spending from players.
China accounted for 40% of worldwide revenue from the top 100 mobile games by mid-2026, compared with 16.5% for the United States, according to Sensor Tower data cited by Bloomberg. The two countries had been almost level in early 2024.
The shift is also visible in the American market, where Chinese titles now generate more than 18% of revenue from the top 100 mobile games, up from 8% at the beginning of the decade. Over the same period, American publishers’ share has fallen from 40% to below 30%.
Titles such as Honor of Kings, developed by Tencent, and Whiteout Survival have helped Chinese publishers expand their reach, putting pressure on US studios already facing high staffing costs and intense competition for players.
Yang Liu, co-founder of US game developer End Game Interactive, told Bloomberg that the cost of operating in America had prompted him to expand in Latin America, where his company employs more than 40 people.
His experience highlights the challenge American developers face in competing globally, where success depends on creative talent and the ability to develop and regularly update games while keeping costs under control.
Turning Global Audiences into Revenue
China’s domestic base of about 680 million gamers gives studios a large market in which to refine their games and monetisation strategies before expanding overseas.
By mid-2026, Chinese mobile titles were generating about US$47 (S$60.35) in quarterly revenue per active user in the US, according to the report. American games averaged roughly US$8 (S$10.27), a figure that has changed little over the past decade.
One of the clearest examples of China’s international breakthrough is Genshin Impact, a fantasy role-playing game released by MiHoYo in September 2020 that demonstrated how an ambitious Chinese title could attract a substantial audience across smartphones, computers and consoles.
It has generated US$6.2 billion (S$7.96 billion) from mobile players alone, Bloomberg reported. Its monetisation practices have also attracted scrutiny, with publisher Cognosphere, which operates as HoYoverse, agreeing in 2025 to pay US$20 million (S$25.68 million) to settle US allegations involving children’s privacy and misleading disclosures about in-game purchase costs and prize odds.
Tencent remains a major force, with Honor of Kings generating an estimated US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) in the first half of 2026, Bloomberg reported. Research firm Niko Partners estimates that the game has earned more than US$30 billion (S$38.53 billion) since its launch.
Chinese developers are also tapping into demand among female players through titles such as Love and Deepspace, a romance game launched in 2024 that has generated more than US$60 million (S$77.06 million) in some months by offering paid content and new romantic scenarios.
Competition is also growing beyond China, with publishers from Singapore and Türkiye together accounting for 18% of revenue from the top 100 mobile games in the US in the second quarter of 2026, up from 1.2% in early 2020.
US Studios Look Overseas
The changing market has pushed some American companies to work with Chinese development teams on titles such as Call of Duty: Mobile and Diablo Immortal, both based on franchises now owned by Microsoft.
Meanwhile, expensive acquisitions have not always delivered sustained expansion, with Electronic Arts shutting down seven mobile games developed by Glu Mobile last year, after buying the company for US$2.1 billion in 2021.
Microsoft has released relatively few new mobile titles since completing its US$69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023, despite identifying mobile gaming as a key reason for the deal.
Staffing costs add to the pressure, with a Game Developers Conference survey putting average annual pay for US game developers at about US$142,000 (S$182,403). By comparison, Glassdoor data cited by Bloomberg put the average in Shanghai at around US$50,000 (S$64,226), though the figures come from different sources.
Access to China also remains difficult for overseas studios, with regulators approving 1,110 domestic video games compared with just 37 foreign titles in the first half of 2026, according to the report.
Some US developers are responding by charging upfront for games, while others are moving towards browser-based titles to reduce their exposure to Apple and Google’s payment fees.
Liu’s expansion in Latin America reflects how some American developers are adjusting their operations as they seek to remain competitive in a market increasingly shaped by Asian studios.
