Non-Gaming Apps Lead Mobile In-App Purchase Revenue
Mobile games have not topped in-app purchase revenue since 2016, with TikTok and AI chatbots now leading the market.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Gaming
Live Poll
Do you spend money in apps like TikTok or ChatGPT more than in games?
Non-gaming apps have led mobile in-app purchase revenue since 2016, according to an AppMagic report analysing data from the past decade. TikTok has been the top-grossing app each year since 2020, and ChatGPT was the most downloaded app globally in 2025.
Why it matters
The shift shows mobile spending moving away from games toward social video and AI tools, a change that reshapes how developers and publishers allocate resources. The findings were published to mark AppMagic's 10th anniversary.
Honor of Kings ranked first in in-app purchase revenue in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2026, earning $830 million in 2017 and surpassing $1.1 billion in 2026. Free Fire, which debuted in 2019 with 272 million installs and generated no revenue at launch, has since earned $3.3 billion.
The players
AppMagic
AppMagic is a mobile app analytics firm that tracks app downloads and in-app purchase revenue across markets.
Honor of Kings
Honor of Kings is a mobile multiplayer online battle arena game developed by Tencent that has been among the highest-grossing mobile titles.
TikTok
TikTok is a short-form video platform owned by ByteDance that has become one of the world's most widely downloaded apps.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI that became the most downloaded app globally in 2025.
The details
Mobile games last led in-app purchase revenue in 2016, and TikTok and AI chatbots now lead overall, according to AppMagic's analysis of the past decade. The report was published to mark the company's 10th anniversary.
Timeline
2016: Mobile games last lead in-app purchase revenue.
2017: Honor of Kings debuts and earns $830 million in in-app purchase revenue.
2019: Free Fire debuts with 272 million installs.
2020: TikTok becomes the top-grossing app, a position it has held each year since.
2026: Honor of Kings surpasses $1.1 billion in in-app purchase revenue.
Industry Dynamics
The shift follows AppMagic's decade-long mobile revenue dataset, which shows games leading in-app purchase spending until 2016 and non-gaming apps taking over since. The trend places mobile gaming in a more competitive market where social video and AI apps now draw larger spending.
Players who buy in-game items may find that the biggest mobile spending now flows to social video and AI apps rather than games. Developers building mobile titles face a market where games no longer lead revenue, which may affect the pricing and availability of new releases.
The takeaway
Mobile spending has moved beyond games, so players and developers alike should watch how social video and AI apps shape the next phase of in-app purchases. Tracking these shifts helps explain where mobile money is going.
Further reading
For broader context on how the industry is changing, see Gaming coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by GamesIndustry.
Live Poll
Do you spend money in apps like TikTok or ChatGPT more than in games?
