Puzzles top the list of most popular mobile games while 43% of mobile gamers made in-app purchases, doing it almost twice a week on average throughout 2020. That’s according to a new mobile gaming study from market research firm Toluna.
Gaming has increased significantly:
53% of respondents are spending more time playing video games on their smartphone vs. 12 months ago
52% of people are playing more games on their video consoles and 50% more on their handheld game consoles
45% of people are using their tablets more to play mobile games
The highest increase is in smartphone and video game consoles users and mobile gamers now spend 80 minutes a day playing games via mobile devices.
The most popular mobile games to play in the UK are:
Puzzles (49%)
Trivia and word-based games (35%)
Action games (35%)
Simulation and management games (31%)
Strategy games (31%)
Gaming Monetisation
65% of respondents believe their perception of how fair a mobile publisher is on monetization has a major impact on their purchase decision. While users agree there is a place for companies to make money from mobile gaming through in-app purchases and adverts, they aren’t completely happy with how they go about this.
Over a quarter (27%) are unhappy with the transparency of gaming costs
48% dislike the use of screen takeover adverts
20% are not pleased with the value of money mobile games offer
15% find it difficult to find the kind of mobile games they want to play and 13% are dissatisfied with the quality of games on offer
Despite this, 64% of respondents agreed that monetizing mobile games that are free to download with ads and without in-app purchases is acceptable and fair. 56% agreed that it’s acceptable to use traditional pay-to-download (without in-app purchases) while 41% said that it’s fair to use games that combine in-app purchases with pay-to-download as a model.
With subscription games, 45% agree that a subscription model that allows you to download games is acceptable, similar to the percentage of people who agreed that it is fair to use a subscription-based model that allows you to stream games (46%).
Paying to Win vs. Playing to Win
Nearly half (43%) of respondents made in-app mobile gaming purchases in the last year, and made these purchases, on average, around twice a week.
Nearly half (49%) spent money on buying extra currency within games
41% of gamers spent money on purchasing extra lives or health-related offerings
34% of users paid to customize their game whether that was to personalize characters or surroundings
Nearly a third (32%) spent money on buying extra equipment, resources, or enhancements to make their game strategy stronger
30% of people spent money to buy themselves into the next level of a game or unlock a map, for example
Downloaded Games vs. Streaming Games
There are signs that mobile streaming could impact current monetization models, while it is currently fairly niche with only 19% of mobile gamers having claimed to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (the service with the highest user base according to our survey), a further 18% stated they intend to subscribe.
Of those aware of services that offer streaming, such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Google Stadia, GeForce Now, etc. 35% stated they prefer streaming to downloaded games, while 29% stated they prefer using downloaded games and 37% stated they thought both were equally appealing.
Of those that preferred streaming, when asked why, 42% thought streaming services had better quality games, 40% thought streaming was better value for money, and 36% thought it was the future of gaming.
However there are currently barriers to the widespread uptake of streaming, 41% of our respondents stated they tend to avoid subscription-based models that allow streaming, and of those that preferred downloaded games, when asked why, 56% stated it was because they don’t like paying subscriptions for games. Quality is also a concern, 35% stated they worry about streaming quality as a reason they prefer downloaded games.
Mobile gaming has exploded in the last 12 months as people across the UK have spent more time at home, and more time on mobile technology especially smartphones and video consoles. It’s clear that people are prepared to pay to win when it comes to in-app mobile games, and also feel there’s a place for monetisation by game publishers – but only to a certain extent. We still don’t seem sold on subscription-based mobile gaming models, and downloaded games over streamed games are much preferred as some admit that they would rather pay to win a game than use their skill to win one.
Jonathan Shingler, Research Director at Harris Interactive, a Toluna company
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