Last Updated on August 10, 2020 by Larious

Mobile games seem to exist primarily to delay – you can spend a lunch break or a whole evening with them without notice. Shooters and races, top gacha games, etc. are able to immerse the player in a world of adventure and fantasy.

The number of active users of games on smartphones is growing. Let’s consider the most popular genres of mobile games of this year, which are unlikely to leave the position in 2021.

The most popular genres of mobile games

The top five genres of mobile games are distributed among:

• MOBA;
• MMORPG;
• Battle Royale;
• card games;
• puzzles.

This list is based on the number of people who downloaded the game and how much money has been spent in each genre of games. In addition to them there are several popular genres of mobile games:

• races;
• RPG;
• FPS;
• sports.

Mobile game genres: details

Multiplayer Battle Arenas

MOBAs are a mixture of RTS and action. In multiplayer combat arenas, the player controls one character. A hero or champion from the available roster, selecting a unique set of skills and abilities. It can be a magician, warrior, knight, or representative of another “profession”. The Mobile version of the genre is different from the computer (DOTA 2 or League of Legends). After all, it does not display the same depth of mechanics and strategy. Mobile devices are limited in processing power, display size, and input parameters.

The most popular MOBAs for smartphones and tablets are Mobile Legends, Vainglory, and Arena of Valor. These three games somehow copy the insanely popular MOBA League of Legends for PC. LoL, which in turn was copied from Warcraft III.

MMORPG

It’s one of the oldest game genres. In general, it is an online role-playing game in which the player pumps the hero and gains new strength in battles with non-game characters or other real players. Over time, MMORPGs have evolved. The definition has changed and the genre itself has come to life and is no longer limited to Warcraft.

In MMORPG, there are huge worlds that are divided into zones, which makes them similar to other fantasy worlds, as in the Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones.

The genre of MMORPG games for mobile devices was less popular than for PC. Because not every phone could pull such games, but with the development of smartphones, it comes back. Among the most popular mobile MMORPG games were Dungeon Hunter 5, Arcane Legends, and Adventure Quest.

Battle Royale

At the end of 2019, PUBG mobile (a creation of China’s Tencent) broke records with 400 million players. A good indicator of how widespread the Battle Royale mobile game genre has become. This is the most popular genre of 2020. But among the 50 million some players use not only mobile phones but also PCs with consoles.

The essence of the Battle Royale genre is that the user is fighting against 99% of players on a huge map with resources, among them:

weapons;
armor;
ammunition.

Resources are scattered in different places, and the player must collect them to fight off enemies. The main purpose of the mobile game royal battle is to stay alive.

The game seems simple, but giant cards, plenty of combinations of weapons and armor distinguish the genre, especially when compared to traditional FPS like Battlefield or Call of Duty. The player has a huge playground with endless tactical possibilities. The only way to stay on top is to properly allocate resources.

A popular mobile game in the genre of royal battle is Fortnite. The creators of this game managed to interest users not only in the artistic style and clear images but also in a system that allows you to create towers, barriers, defensive walls, and other objects directly on the battlefield.

Digital card games

Also known as card exchange games. A player has to fight with his deck against an opponent’s deck. Cards are divided into levels of strength. Earn top-level cards during the game or spend real money to open a new deck.

The most popular representative of this genre is the Hearthstone game, which has collected about 100 million players on PC, iOS, and Android platforms.

Among the popular games of this genre for mobile devices are:

• Elder Scrolls: Legends;
• Hearthstone;
• HEX: Shards of Fate;
• Eternal;
• Shadowverse.

The main advantage of digital card games is their duration because even a MOBA match can take half an hour. Here the player chooses his cards, puts them in the desired order, and the game will do the rest. The process uses a lot of mechanics that are based on luck, which supports the desire of gamers to continue playing, feeding their excitement.

Games of this genre are free. However, gamers often pay extra for premium deck or quick unlock of a new one. But it is only an option that you don’t have to choose. No one took away the opportunity to make their way to the top, becoming a master of the deck.

Puzzles

More than half of smartphone users have at least one puzzle on their devices, especially women. Tetris, Angry Birds, variations on the theme of “three in a row” – these mobile games are even on the smartphones of users who do not consider themselves to be gamers. People from different age and social groups love puzzles.

The goal of puzzles is clear, but it is not so easy to achieve it, you have to use logic and ingenuity to win. Also, this genre of mobile games does not injure your fingers as much as shooters or races, because playing puzzles you just need to periodically drive on the screen.

The puzzles are considered a subgenre of casual games, cover a wide audience, hold a strong position. This genre brings the most revenue in the mobile gaming market. The most popular puzzles are considered:

• Cut the rope;
• The Room;
• Roll the ball;
• Love Poly;
• Rusty Lake.