Q3 2021: Store Intelligence Data Digest

Q3 2021: Store Intelligence Data Digest— Explore the Quarter’s Top Apps, Games, Publishers, and More

© 2021 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved

Executive Summary: Highlights

Worldwide app downloads totaled 35.7B in 3Q21, a 1.9 percent year-over-year decrease from the 36.4B in 3Q20 driven by high download totals during the COVID-19 pandemic. App Store downloads fell 1.4 percent to 8.1B, while Google Play downloads dropped 2 percent to 27.6B.

Q3 2021 was an interesting quarter for Shooter games in the U.S., as it marked a year since Fortnite was removed from the app stores and two years since Call of Duty: Mobile’s launch. Garena Free Fire had the best quarter of any game in the genre, ranking No. 3 overall by U.S. revenue.

TikTok became the fifth app ever to reach 3 billion downloads across the App Store and Google Play. It was the first app not owned by Facebook to reach this threshold.

Sportsbook apps had a huge September, fueled by the start of the NFL season and Google Play updating its policies to allow sports gambling earlier this year. U.S. downloads for the top five apps combined for 177 percent Y/Y growth in 3Q21.

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Sensor Tower’s Mobile Insights team compiled the download estimates

provided in this report using the Sensor Tower Store Intelligence platform.

● Figures cited in this report reflect App Store and Google Play download estimates for January 1, 2014 through September 30, 2021.

● Download estimates presented are on a per-user basis, meaning that only one download per Apple or Google account is counted towards the total.

● Downloads of the same app by the same user to multiple devices, updates, or re-installs of the same app by the same user are not counted towards the total.

● Android app install estimates represent downloads from the Google Play Store only. Sensor Tower does not provide download estimates for third-party Android stores.

About This Data: Methodology

Store Intelligence

Could your business benefit from access to Store Intelligence insights and the highly accurate data used to build this report? See the fastest growing apps and publishers by downloads or revenue.

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Market Overview: Q3 2021 Worldwide Download Growth

35.7 Billion App Store + Google Play Downloads

8.1 Billion App Store Downloads

27.6 Billion Google Play Downloads

Worldwide App Store and Google Play Downloads

0

5B

10B

15B

20B

25B

30B

35B

40B

Q3 2020 Q3 2021

35.7B36.4B

-1.9%

Worldwide App Store Downloads

0

5B

10B

15B

20B

25B

30B

35B

40B

Q3 2020 Q3 2021

8.1B8.2B

-1.4%

Worldwide Google Play Downloads

0

5B

10B

15B

20B

25B

30B

35B

40B

Q3 2020 Q3 2021

27.6B28.2B

-2.0%

4

— Top Apps by Downloads in Q3 2021

Top Apps


TikTok .

Facebook .

Instagram .

WhatsApp .

Messenger .

Snapchat .

Telegram .

Zoom .

CapCut .

Google Meet .

Spotify .

WhatsApp Business .

Netflix .

Meesho .

YouTube .

Shopee .

Twitter .

Pinterest .

PicsArt .

Shein .

0 25M 50M 75M 100M 125M 150M 175M 200M

App Store Google Play TikTok from ByteDance was once again the top app by worldwide downloads, marking the fifth quarter in a row it held the top spot. TikTok’s top market in the quarter was China, where the app is known as Douyin, followed by the U.S. and Indonesia.

Facebook had the next four apps, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. August 2021 was the first month where Instagram had more downloads than Facebook since at least 2014.

Overall - Worldwide

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jul. 1 through Sep. 30, 2021. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores. Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.

Q3 Apps by Worldwide Downloads 6


TikTok .

YouTube .

WhatsApp .

Instagram .

Facebook .

Google Maps .

National Anti-Fraud Center .

Taobao .

CapCut .

Messenger .

Gmail .

Zoom .

Netflix .

Google Chrome .

WeChat .

Telegram .

Google .

Snapchat .

Spotify .

Microsoft Teams .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M 80M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Worldwide

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide daily download totals for iPhone and iPad for Jul. 1 through Sep. 30, 2021. Apple apps are excluded. We report unique installs only (one download per user). Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.


TikTok had its best ever quarter on the App Store with nearly 74 million installs. Installs in China were boosted by the rising popularity of a “lite” version of its app for the country known as Douyin. TikTok’s total was approximately 90 percent higher than the No. 2 app, YouTube.

Zoom dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Q1 2020. It still ranked at No. 12 in Q3 2021, and Microsoft Teams joined it as another business app among the top 20.


Facebook .

Instagram .

TikTok .

Messenger .

WhatsApp .

Snapchat .

Telegram .

Zoom .

WhatsApp Business .

Google Meet .

Meesho .

CapCut .

Spotify .

PLAYit .

Shopee .

Truecaller .

NightOwl VPN .

PicsArt .

Share VPN .

Twitter .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M

Google Play - Worldwide

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide daily download totals for Google Play for Jul. 1 through Sep. 30, 2021. We report unique installs only (one download per User). Google preinstalled apps are excluded. Android download estimates do not include third-party stores. Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.


The top 10 apps on Google Play were the same as in Q2 2021, although their order shifted. Facebook passed TikTok to rank as the No. 1 app in Q3 with around 129 million installs each of the past two quarters.

Meesho, a shopping app popular in India, saw explosive growth in Q3 2021, with installs doubling quarter-over-quarter. Shopee was another shopping app with a strong Q3, with most of its growth in Southeast Asia.


TikTok .

YouTube .

Facebook .

Messenger .

Instagram .

Netflix .

Cash App .

HBO Max .

Zoom .

WhatsApp .

Snapchat .

Disney+ .

Amazon .

Google Maps .

Spotify .

Peacock TV .

Gmail .

Hulu .

DoorDash .

Twitter .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M

App Store Google Play

Overall - United States

Q3 Apps by U.S. Downloads


9

TikTok was the only app to reach 20 million U.S. installs in Q3 2021. This was only the third time TikTok reached this threshold in a quarter, and its first since Q2 2020.

The subscription video on demand (SVOD) space remained competitive in the U.S., with six streaming apps among the top 20 overall. YouTube led the group, followed by Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock TV, and Hulu.


TikTok .

YouTube .

Facebook .

Google Maps .

Instagram .

Netflix .

Gmail .

Messenger .

Amazon .

HBO Max .

Google .

Disney+ .

Spotify .

Zoom .

Snapchat .

Google Chrome .

WhatsApp .

Twitter .

Hulu .

Cash App .

0 2M 4M 6M 8M 10M 12M 14M 16M

iPhone iPad

App Store - United States



10

TikTok and YouTube were the only apps to reach 10 million downloads on the U.S. App Store. These apps have held the top two spots each quarter so far in 2021.

Google Maps reached the No. 4 spot, indicating that travel has started to bounce back in 2021. After its worst third quarter in five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Google Maps downloads increased 17 percent year-over-year to reach 6.5 million, within half a million of the total from Q3 2019.


TikTok .

Facebook .

Messenger .

Google Pay .

Cash App .

Instagram .

WhatsApp .

Snapchat .

Zoom .

HBO Max .

Peacock TV .

Tubi .

Disney+ .

PayPal .

Pluto TV .

DoorDash .

McDonald's .

One Booster .

Venmo .

Discord .

0 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M

Google Play - United States



11

Mobile payment remained popular on Google Play in the U.S. Google Pay and Cash App both ranked among the top five apps in Q3 2021, and PayPal and Venmo were also among the top 20.

Several ad-supported streaming services were among the top apps on Google Play, including Tubi and Pluto TV. These apps had similar installs totals to top SVOD apps like HBO Max, Peacock TV, Disney+, and Netflix.


TikTok .

WhatsApp .

Instagram .

Telegram .

Facebook .

Messenger .

Shein .

Spotify .

Snapchat .

Google Maps .

McDonald's .

YouTube .

Pinterest .

QR & Barcode Scanner .

Netflix .

Getcontact .

Government Services .

CapCut .

Microsoft Teams .

Shazam .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M


Overall - Europe

Q3 Apps by European Downloads


12

TikTok was the top app by downloads in Europe for the fifth straight quarter, just ahead of Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Instagram. Russia accounted for 27 percent of TikTok’s installs in the region, followed by Turkey and the U.K.

Snapchat reached the top 10 for the first time since Q3 2020, with downloads up 14 percent quarter-over-quarter. The last time Snapchat had positive Q/Q growth was in Q1 2020.


WhatsApp .

Google Maps .

Instagram .

TikTok .

YouTube .

Telegram .

Facebook .

Spotify .

Gmail .

Netflix .

Messenger .

Snapchat .

Google .

McDonald's .

Microsoft Teams .

Shein .

Government Services .

Pinterest .

Google Chrome .

NHS App .

0 5M 10M 15M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Europe



13

The loosening of restrictions as vaccinations rolled out in Europe helped Google Maps surpass 10 million App Store downloads for the first time, and it ranked No. 2 overall behind WhatsApp. Installs were up 20 percent compared to its pre-pandemic total from 3Q19.

NHS App was the No. 1 app in the U.K. and ranked No. 20 overall in Europe. The app enables users to get their NHS COVID pass.


TikTok .

Instagram .

QR & Barcode Scanner .

Telegram .

Facebook .

WhatsApp .

Messenger .

Shein .

Getcontact .

Snapchat .

QR & Barcode Reader .

Spotify .

McDonald's .

Pinterest .

CapCut .

Zenly .

AliExpress .

Shazam .

Booking.com .

Discord .

0 5M 10M 15M

Google Play - Europe



14

The only new entrants to the top 10 apps in Q3 2021 versus the previous quarter were Getcontact and Snapchat. It was Snapchat’s first time in the top 10 since Q2 2020.

Booking.com benefitted from the return of travel in Europe, reaching the top 20 apps on Google Play. Its 4.1 million downloads in Q3 2021 was a 45 percent increase year-over-year.


Instagram .

Facebook .

TikTok .

Snapchat .

Messenger .

Meesho .

Zoom .

WhatsApp .

Google Meet .

CapCut .

Telegram .

PLAYit .

WhatsApp Business .

PhonePe .

Flipkart .

Truecaller .

Shopee .


Taobao .

Tencent Video .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M 80M 90M


Overall - Asia

Q3 Apps by Asia Downloads


15

Instagram was the top app in Asia for the first time since at least Q1 2014. It was also the first time that Instagram was Facebook’s top app in the region over that same period.

Indian ecommerce app Meesho ranked No. 6 overall in Asia, with its downloads in the region climbing 101 percent quarter-over-qurter. Nearly all of its installs were from India.


TikTok .


Taobao .

WeChat .

CapCut .

Tencent Video .

Alipay .

QQ .

PinDuoDuo .

iQIYI .

YouTube .

Zoom .

Instagram .

Baidu .

Facebook .

DingTalk .

Traffic Management 12123 .

Kuaishou .

bilibili .

Little Red Book .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Asia



16

TikTok had its best quarter on the App Store in Asia since Q1 2018, driven by the success of ByteDance’s lite version of Douyin for China. The lite app contributed 15.7 million downloads in Q3 2021, while Douyin added another 14 million installs.

The same apps reached the top five for back-to-back quarters. ByteDance had two of the top five apps, with CapCut joining TikTok.


Facebook .

Instagram .

Meesho .

Snapchat .

Messenger .

TikTok .

WhatsApp .

Google Meet .

Zoom .

PLAYit .

Telegram .

WhatsApp Business .

PhonePe .

Flipkart .

Truecaller .

CapCut .

Resso Music .

Shopee .

PeduliLindungi .

Moj .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M 80M

Google Play - Asia



17

Meesho flew up the charts in Q3 2021 to rank third on Google Play, behind only Facebook and Instagram. It had never ranked in the top 20 before this quarter.

PeduliLindungi, the official COVID-19 contract tracing app for Indonesia, ranked No. 19 in Q3 2021. Its more than 22 million downloads in 3Q21 dwarfed its previous high of 4 million from Q2 2020.

— Top Games by Downloads in Q3 2021

Top Games


PUBG Mobile .

My Talking Angela 2 .

Garena Free Fire .

Count Masters .

Subway Surfers .

Bridge Race .

Fidget Toys Trading .

Roblox .

Ludo King .

Hair Challenge .

Candy Crush Saga .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Pokémon Unite .

My Talking Tom 2 .

My Talking Tom Friends .

Trading Master 3D .

Among Us .

Going Balls .

Tiles Hop .

Run Rich 3D .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M 80M


Overall - Worldwide

Q3 Games by Worldwide Downloads


19

Tencent’s PUBG Mobile was the top mobile game in Q3 2021, propelled by the launch of Battlegrounds Mobile India, published by Krafton for that market. Installs had dipped between Q3 2020 and Q2 2021 following the removal of PUBG Mobile in India. The last quarter PUBG Mobile was the top game globally was Q4 2018.

Garena Free Fire was among the top five apps for the sixth straight quarter in Q3 2021, ranking at No. 3 last quarter. India was also its top market.


Pokémon Unite .

Count Masters .

Roblox .

PUBG Mobile .

Subway Surfers .

Call of Duty: Mobile .

Project Makeover .

Honor of Kings .

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened .

Teamfight Tactics .


Arrow Fest .

Run Rich 3D .

Among Us .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Bridge Race .

Garena Free Fire .

Genshin Impact .

Trading Master 3D .

Fidget Trading 3D .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M

iPhone iPad




20

Pokémon Unite ranked as the top app on the App Store in Q3 2021 despite not being released globally until the end of the quarter. The game added more than 18 million downloads in just nine days since it was released on September 22, 2021.

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened was another launch this quarter that relied on a huge IP. The game, released on September 9 in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, ranked among the top 10 this quarter.


PUBG Mobile .


Garena Free Fire .


Bridge Race .

Ludo King .

Subway Surfers .

Count Masters .

Hair Challenge .

Roblox .

Candy Crush Saga .

My Talking Tom 2 .


Worms Zone.io .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Carrom Pool .

Tiles Hop .

Hill Climb Racing .

Destiny Run .

Going Balls .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M




21

On Google Play, the top game released this quarter was My Talking Angela 2 from Outfit7. Outfit7’s games were very popular on the platform, with My Talking Tom 2 and My Talking Tom Friends also ranking among the top 20.

The hypercasual games publisher Tap2Play had two games among the top 10 in Q3 2021, including Fidget Toys Trading at No. 4 and Count Masters at No. 8. Those two games accounted for nearly all of the publisher’s installs this quarter.


Pokémon Unite .

Roblox .

Fidget Trading 3D .

Arrow Fest .

Count Masters .


Subway Surfers .

Run Rich 3D .

Bridge Race .

Among Us .

Paper Fold .


Project Makeover .

Trading Master 3D .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Toca Life World .


Pull the Pin .

Pokémon GO .

Hair Challenge .

0 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M 7M 8M



Q3 Games by U.S. Downloads


22

Pokémon Unite was the top game by U.S. installs even though it was only available for the final nine days of the quarter. Pokémon GO also ranked among the top 20 with its best quarter in a year.

Roblox has ranked among the top five games in the U.S. each quarter since Q2 2020 at the start of the pandemic. It matched its best ever position in Q3 2021 at No. 2.


Pokémon Unite .

Roblox .

Fidget Trading 3D .

Subway Surfers .

Count Masters .

Run Rich 3D .


Arrow Fest .

Project Makeover .


Trading Master 3D .

Among Us .

Bridge Race .

Paper Fold .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Pokémon GO .

Toca Life World .

Water Sort Puzzle .

Streamer Life .

Makeup Artist .

0 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M 7M

iPhone iPad




23

Pokémon Unite from The Pokémon Company surpassed 6 million U.S. downloads on the App Store in Q3 2021. 85 percent of its downloads were from the App Store, with the other 15 percent from Google Play.

Call of Duty: Mobile from Activision has been a frequent top 10 performer on the App Store. It has ranked among the top 10 every quarter except one since it launched back in Q4 2019.


Arrow Fest .


Count Masters .


Roblox .

Fidget Trading 3D .

Pull the Pin .

Bridge Race .

Castle Raid .

Hair Challenge .

Evony: The King's Return .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Among Us .

Run Rich 3D .

Paper Fold .

Queen Bee .

Destiny Run .

Woodoku .

Ball Run 2048 .

Fat 2 Fit .

0 500K 1.0M 1.5M 2.0M 2.5M




24

Hypercasual games remained popular on Google Play, with eight hypercasual titles among the top 10 in Q3 2021. Arrow Fest from Zynga-owned Rollic Games was the No. 1 game this quarter, and Zynga also had Hair Challenge and Queen Bee among the top 20.

My Talking Angela 2 was the No. 2 game, reaching nearly 2 million U.S. Google Play downloads since its launch in July 2021. This was the best quarter for an Outfit7 game since My Talking Tom Friends approached 2.2 million downloads in Q3 2020.


Count Masters .



Judgment Day .

Roblox .

Run Rich 3D .

Hair Challenge .

Subway Surfers .

Pokémon Unite .

Bridge Race .

Trading Master 3D .

Brawl Stars .

Among Us .

Destiny Run .

Fidget Trading 3D .

Fidget Toys 3D .

Race Master 3D .

Arrow Fest .

Going Balls .

PUBG Mobile .

0 2M 4M 6M 8M 10M 12M 14M 16M


Overall - Europe

Q3 Games by European Downloads


25

Count Masters from Tap2Play had unusually long-lasting success for a hypercasual game. Its 13 million European downloads in Q2 2021 ranked No. 3 that quarter, and it was the top app in Europe in 3Q21 with nearly 16 million installs.

Pokémon Unite was the No. 9 game in Europe in Q3 2021 with 8 million downloads in the region following its release in late September. Europe accounted for nearly a quarter of the game’s installs.


Count Masters .

Pokémon Unite .

Subway Surfers .

Roblox .

Project Makeover .

Run Rich 3D .

Water Sort Puzzle .

Trading Master 3D .

Brawl Stars .


Clash Royale .

Pokémon GO .


Judgment Day .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Among Us .

Fidget Trading 3D .

Homescapes .

Bridge Race .

Geometry Dash .

0 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Europe



26

Pokémon Unite was the only game among the top 20 overall by downloads in Europe to have more installs from the eApp Store than Google Play. Italy was its top European country on the App Store with 23 percent of installs, followed closely by France (23 percent), German (22 percent), and the U.K. (22 percent).

Clash Royale has seen a resurgence in Europe, reaching 2 million App Store installs for the first time in four years. Italy was its top European market, seeing downloads climb 110 percent quarter-over-quarter.



Count Masters .


Judgment Day .

Hair Challenge .

Roblox .

Bridge Race .

Run Rich 3D .

Race Master 3D .

Fidget Toys 3D .

Destiny Run .

Trading Master 3D .

Brawl Stars .

Subway Surfers .

Among Us .

Going Balls .

Ball Run 2048 .

Arrow Fest .

Fat 2 Fit .

Fidget Trading 3D .

0 2M 4M 6M 8M 10M 12M 14M




27

Tap2Play made a big push in Europe in Q3 2021. It had the top two games on Google Play, helping it rank as the No. 13 overall publisher by Google Play downloads in Europe last quarter.

Hypercasual games dominated the top charts in Europe. Out of the top 20 titles, 14 (70 percent) were hypercasual games. Top games in other genres included My Talking Angela 2 (Lifestyle), Roblox (Simulation), Race Master 3D (Racing), Brawl Stars (Strategy), and Subway Surfers (Arcade).


PUBG Mobile .

Ludo King .

Garena Free Fire .


Bridge Race .

Subway Surfers .

Carrom Pool .

Candy Crush Saga .

Hill Climb Racing .

Worms Zone.io .

Hair Challenge .

My Talking Tom 2 .

Subway Princess Runner .


Temple Run 2 .

Fortune Cat .

Count Masters .

Bubble Shooter .

Join Clash 3D .

Roblox .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M


Overall - Asia

Q3 Games by Asia Downloads


28

PUBG Mobile’s return to India with the release of Battlegrounds Mobile India helped it achieve more than 200 percent growth quarter-over-quarter in Asia. Excluding India, its installs climbed 2 percent Q/Q.

Ludo King and Garena Free Fire rounded out the top three. These games were consistently among the most installed in Asia, with both ranking among the top five games each of the past six quarters.


Honor of Kings .

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened .

Teamfight Tactics .

PUBG Mobile .

Pokémon Unite .

Douluo Dalu .

Genshin Impact .

Roblox .

Subway Surfers .

Play Together .


Count Masters .

Plants vs Zombies 2 .

Garena Free Fire .

Mini World: CREATA .

Homescapes .

Minecraft .

Happy Landlords .

Ace Racer .

QQ Speed .

0 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M 7M 8M 9M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Asia



29

Four games separated themselves from the pack on the App Store. Harry Potter: Magic Awakened and Teamfight Tactics joined Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile as top games. Note that PUBG Mobile also includes the version localized for China, known as Game for Peace.

Some new releases in China performed very well in Q3 2021, including the aforementioned Harry Potter: Magic Awakened and Teamfight Tactics, as well as Douluo Dalu. Japan and South Korea accounted for most of Pokémon Unite’s downloads in Asia.


PUBG Mobile .

Ludo King .

Garena Free Fire .

Carrom Pool .


Bridge Race .

Subway Surfers .

Hill Climb Racing .

Candy Crush Saga .

Worms Zone.io .

Subway Princess Runner .

Hair Challenge .

My Talking Tom 2 .

Fortune Cat .


Bubble Shooter .

Temple Run 2 .

Real Bike Racing .

Join Clash 3D .

Temple Run .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M

Google Play - Asia



30

More than 36 million of PUBG Mobile’s 45 million Google Play installs in Asia came from its version for India. Prior to its removal from Google Play in India, PUBG Mobile’s best quarter in the country was nearly 41 million installs back in Q3 2019.

While 70 percent of the top 20 Google Play games in Europe were hypercasual games, only 20 percent of the top games in Asia were hypercasual. Arcade was the top genre in Asia with five of the top 20 titles.

— Top Publishers by Downloads in Q3 2021

Top Publishers


Google .

Facebook .

AppLovin .

Voodoo .

ByteDance .

Outfit7 Limited .

Embracer Group .

Azur Interactive .

Say Games .

Supersonic Studios .

Tencent .

Zynga .

Microsoft .

BabyBus .

Miniclip .

Alibaba Group .

Amazon .

Abishkking .

OneSoft .

InShot .

0 100M 200M 300M 400M 500M 600M 700M


Overall - Worldwide

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jul. 1 through Sep. 30, 2021. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores.

Q3 Publishers by Worldwide Downloads 32

Google was the top publisher worldwide for the sixth straight quarter. While its installs have declined each quarter since its peak at the start of the pandemic in Q2 2020, the decrease appeared to be leveling off in Q3 2021.

Embracer Group ranked No. 7 by worldwide installs in Q3 2021. The Sweden-based company acquired CrazyLabs, an Israeli game developer, in August 2021.


Google .

Tencent .

Facebook .

ByteDance .

Alibaba Group .

Voodoo .

Microsoft .

AppLovin .

Zynga .

Amazon .

NetEase .

Embracer Group .


Outfit7 Limited .

Say Games .

Ministry of Public Security .

Baidu .

Electronic Arts .

Zoom .

Snap .

0 50M 100M 150M 200M 250M 300M

iPhone iPad


Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide daily download totals for iPhone and iPad for Jul. 1 through Sep. 30, 2021. Apple apps are excluded. We report unique installs only (one download per User).


Google, Tencent, and Facebook have maintained the top three spots each quarter since Q2 2020. Alibaba Group passed Voodoo to rank in the top five last quarter.

Most top publishers were based in the U.S. or China. Nine U.S.-based publishers ranked among the top 20, and another six were from China. These two markets were also the largest for App Store installs in Q3 2021, with China accounting for 24 percent and the U.S. adding another 23 percent.


Facebook .

Google .

AppLovin .

Voodoo .

Outfit7 Limited .

Embracer Group .

Azur Interactive .

Say Games .


ByteDance .

BabyBus .

Zynga .

Miniclip .

Microsoft .

Abishkking .

InShot .

OneSoft .

Amazon .

Tap2Play .

Playgendary .

0 100M 200M 300M 400M 500M


Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide daily download totals for Google Play for Jul. 1 through Sep. 30, 2021. We report unique installs only (one download per User). Google preinstalled apps are excluded. Android download estimates do not include third-party stores.


Facebook and Google were well ahead of any other publishers in Q3 2021 on Google Play, with 475 million and 436 million installs, respectively. AppLovin was third with 269 million downloads.

Many game developers ranked among the top 10. The vast majority of installs for AppLovin, Voodoo, Outfit7, Embracer Group, Azur Interactive, Say Games, and Supersonic Studios were from games.


Google .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Facebook .

Zynga .

Amazon .

Microsoft .

Embracer Group .

ByteDance .


Say Games .

Azur Interactive .

Disney .

Outfit7 Limited .

PayPal .

Uber .

Good Job Games .

AT&T .

Electronic Arts .

Homa Games .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M



Q3 Publishers by U.S. Downloads


35

Google surpassed 100 million U.S. downloads in Q3 2021. Its current best quarter to date was when it reached 138 million installs in Q2 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Voodoo, headquartered in Paris, was the only top five publisher not based in the U.S. The hypercasual gaming giant has frequently been one of the top publishers by U.S. installs.


Google .

Voodoo .

Facebook .

AppLovin .

Zynga .

Amazon .

Microsoft .

ByteDance .

Embracer Group .


Disney .

AT&T .

Say Games .

Uber .

Good Job Games .

PayPal .

Electronic Arts .

Outfit7 Limited .

Azur Interactive .

The Pokemon Company .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M 80M

iPhone iPad




36

Google remained the dominant publisher on the U.S. App Store. Installs increased 6.3 percent quarter-over-quarter.

The Pokémon Company entered the top 20 in Q3 2021 following its launch of Pokémon Unite. Pokémon Unite accounted for 90 percent of its App Store downloads this quarter.


Google .

AppLovin .

Voodoo .

Facebook .

Zynga .

Embracer Group .

Azur Interactive .

Amazon .

Say Games .


Microsoft .

ByteDance .

Outfit7 Limited .

Disney .

Homa Games .

Miniclip .

PayPal .

Amanotes .

Good Job Games .

Electronic Arts .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M




37

Google was also the top publisher on Google Play, although with a much smaller lead than on the App Store. AppLovin ranked second, accumulating 22 million downloads across its many game studios such as Lion Studios, PeopleFun, and Magic Tavern.

Seven of the top 10 publishers in Q3 2021 focused primarily on games. The only non-game publishers among the top 10 were Google, Facebook, and Amazon.


Google .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Facebook .

Embracer Group .

Say Games .

Azur Interactive .

Zynga .


Outfit7 Limited .

Microsoft .

Yandex .

ByteDance .

Tap2Play .

Amazon .

Miniclip .

Abishkking .

Mail.Ru .

BabyBus .

Playgendary .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M


Overall - Europe

Q3 Publishers by European Downloads


38

Many of the top publishers in Europe are based in the region. Voodoo (based in France) ranked No. 2, with Embracer Group (Sweden), Say Games (Belarus), and Outfit7 (the U.K.) also among the top 10.

Embracer Group entered the top five publishers in Europe in Q3 2021 following its acquisition of Crazy Labs. Azur Interactive fell two spots to No. 7.


Google .

Facebook .

Microsoft .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Zynga .

ByteDance .

Embracer Group .

Amazon .

Yandex .


Say Games .

Tap2Play .

Telegram .

Mail.Ru .

Snap .

Miniclip .

Supercell .

Electronic Arts .

Outfit7 Limited .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Europe



39

The top three App Store publishers in Europe were non-gaming companies headquartered in the United States. Microsoft, the No. 3 publisher on the App Store, ranked outside the top 10 across the App Store and Google Play.

ByteDance was among the top 10 publishers for the third straight quarter. TikTok accounted for 78 percent of its downloads in the region, with CapCut taking 21 percent.


Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Google .

Say Games .

Embracer Group .

Azur Interactive .

Facebook .

Zynga .


Outfit7 Limited .

Yandex .

ByteDance .

Tap2Play .

Abishkking .

BabyBus .

Microsoft .

Miniclip .

My Town Games .

Playgendary .

Homa Games .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M




40

Voodoo moved up two spots to rank as the top publisher on Google Play, making it the third different publisher to take the top position in a quarter this year. The last time Voodoo held the top spot was in Q3 2020.

SayGames also had a strong quarter, with installs climbing 20 percent Q/Q to rank No. 4 in Q3 2021.


Google .

Facebook .

Tencent .

ByteDance .

Outfit7 Limited .

BabyBus .

AppLovin .

Alibaba Group .

Voodoo .

Azur Interactive .


Say Games .

Embracer Group .

Miniclip .

Microsoft .

Reliance Jio .

Zynga .

NetEase .

Snap .

Garena Games .

0 50M 100M 150M 200M 250M 300M 350M


Overall - Asia

Q3 Publishers by Asia Downloads


41

The battle for the top spot in Asia remained tight. Google and Facebook were separated by less than 2 million downloads in Q3 2021, or less than 1 percent of their more than 300 million installs apiece.

Tencent and ByteDance once again ranked at No. 3 and 4, with Outfit7 moving up four spots to round out the top five. Outfit7 benefited from the successful launch of My Talking Angela 2, which was the No. 4 game in Asia last quarter.


Tencent .

Alibaba Group .

ByteDance .

Google .

NetEase .

Facebook .

Ministry of Public Security .

Baidu .

Microsoft .

Voodoo .

NAVER .

AppLovin .

Sankuai Technology .

Pinduoduo .

Kuaishou .

Outfit7 Limited .

Zoom .

Zynga .

iQIYI .

bilibili .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M 160M 180M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Asia



42

China was by far the largest market on the App Store in Asia, accounting for 57 percent of downloads in the region in Q3 2021. As a result, more than half of the top 20 publishers are based in China.

Tencent was the only publisher to surpass 100 million installs in Q3 2021, reaching nearly 165 million this quarter. This was a 15 percent increase quarter-over-quarter and Tencent’s best quarter since Q2 2020.


Facebook .

Google .

Outfit7 Limited .

BabyBus .

Azur Interactive .

AppLovin .


Voodoo .

Say Games .

Embracer Group .

ByteDance .

Miniclip .

Reliance Jio .

Microsoft .

MX Media .

Zynga .

Mohalla Tech .

Snap .

InShot .

Meesho .

0 50M 100M 150M 200M 250M 300M

Google Play - Asia



43

Google surpassed 200 million installs for the eighth straight quarter. Facebook has reached this total every quarter since Q3 2015.

India was by far the largest market in Asia on Google Play with 52 percent of installs in the region. Four publishers based in India ranked among the top 20, including Reliance Jio, MX Media, and Mohalla Tech.

— Top Categories by Downloads in Q3 2021

Top Categories


0

500M

1.0B

1.5B

2.0B

2.5B

Games Utilities Photo & Video Entertainment Shopping

460M550M552M581M

2.14B

458M538M596M530M

2.32B

Q3 2020 Q3 2021

App Store


Q3 Categories by Worldwide Downloads

-8.0%

+9.7% -7.4% +2.3%+0.4%

45

While the Games category has seen downloads decline from their peak at nearly 3 billion at the start of the pandemic, they have remained consistently between 2 and 2.3 billion each of the past four quarters. Game installs in the U.S. fell 14 percent year-over-year, while in China they actually increased 2 percent Y/Y.

Utilities passed Photo & Video to rank as the No. 2 category for the first time in Q3 2021. Entertainment and Shopping also saw small Y/Y increases last quarter.


0

2B

4B

6B

8B

10B

12B

Game Tools Entertainment Social Finance

1.10B1.21B1.48B2.25B

11.52B

903M1.27B1.56B1.83B

11.84B

Q3 2020 Q3 2021

Google Play


Q3 Categories by Worldwide Downloads

-2.6%

+23.0%

-5.3%-4.8% +22.2%

46

Although Game installs also declined on Google Play, they remained well above pre-pandemic levels. Entering 2020, the best quarter for games was 8.8 billion in Q4 2019. The category has surpassed 11.5 billion downloads for the past six quarters.

Tools (23 percent year-over-year growth) and Finance (22 percent) remained two of the fastest growing categories on Google Play. Finance, the No. 5 category last quarter, ranked No. 10 two years ago in Q3 2019.

— Top Countries by Downloads in Q3 2021

Top Countries


India .

U.S. .

Brazil .

Indonesia .

Russia .

Mexico .

Vietnam .

Pakistan .

Turkey .

Philippines .

0 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B


Overall


As Google Play is not available in China, we have excluded the country from this chart.

Q3 Countries by Downloads 48

India reached 7 billion downloads for the fourth time in the past five quarters. Its installs jumped from 5.2 billion in Q1 2020 and have remained elevated during the pandemic.

The top five countries remained the same as last quarter. The rest of the top 10 were also the same, although the order of the No. 6 to 10 countries changed, with Vietnam and Pakistan both passing Turkey in Q3 2021.


App Store


Q3 Countries by Downloads

0

500M

1.0B

1.5B

2.0B

2.5B

China

U.S

Japan

U.K.

Russia

271M313M406M

1.86B1.93B

254M331M424M

2.05B1.83B

Q3 2020 Q3 2021

+5.3%-9.4%

-4.4%-5.6%

+6.8%

49

China had been the top market for the App Store each quarter between Q4 2014 and Q1 2020, before the U.S. overtook China for five straight quarters. China regained the top spot in Q3 2021 off of 5.3 percent year-over-year growth, while U.S. downloads fell 9.4 percent Y/Y.

Japan, the U.K., and Russia were the No. 3 to No. 5 markets in Q3 2021. Both Japan and the U.K. saw downloads drop Y/Y, while Russia’s installs grew 6.8 percent.


0

1B

2B

3B

4B

5B

6B

7B

8B

India

Brazil

Indonesia

U.S.

Russia

1.12B1.35B1.77B

2.45B

6.86B

1.15B1.38B1.81B

2.63B

7.69B

Q3 2020 Q3 2021

Google Play


Q3 Countries by Downloads

-10.8%

-6.9%

-2.0%

-2.1%-2.9%

50

Each of the top five markets saw downloads decline year-over-year in Q3 2021. However, most of this decline was due to high totals in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and all of these countries except the U.S. saw growth versus Q3 2019 (with the U.S. seeing relatively equal downloads compared to two years prior).

The largest markets with positive year-over-year growth ranked just outside the top five, including Pakistan at No. 7)and the Philippines at No. 8.

— Key Trends in Mobile

Stories of the Quarter



Stories of the Quarter: Introduction

Stories of the Quarter 52

1. TikTok Surpasses 3 Billion Downloads TikTok became the fifth app (and the first app not owned by Facebook) to ever reach this milestone.

2. U.S. Shooter Game Market After Fortnite Fortnite’s removal from the apps stores in 2020 allowed other titles like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire to gain market share.

3. Sports Betting Adoption Accelerated Sportsbook app downloads skyrocketed to a new high in Q3 2021 at the start of the NFL season.

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Stories of the Quarter: 1. TikTok Surpasses 3 Billion Downloads

TikTok Surpasses 3B Downloads 53

In July 2021, TikTok became the fifth app to reach 3 billion downloads worldwide, joining Facebook-owned WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram.

● TikTok’s download growth took off after its original U.S. version (known as Musical.ly) was acquired by ByteDance in Q4 2017.

● It took more than four years for TikTok to reach its first billion downloads after it launched in early 2015. It was only five more quarters before TikTok reached 2 billion downloads, and another five quarters to reach 3 billion.

● It might be a while before we see another 3 billion download app. At current growth rates, Snapchat would be the next reach the milestone in 2024. However, TikTok has revealed how quickly an app can shift its growth trajectory and climb to 3 billion. REQUEST DEMO












WhatsApp

Messenger

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

Snapchat

Subway Surfers

YouTube

UC Browser

SHAREit

0 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B

1.4B

1.5B

1.6B

1.6B

2.0B

3.2B

3.4B

5.3B

5.4B

6.0B

Facebook TikTok Other

Worldwide Downloads Since 2014 54

TikTok became the fifth app to reach 3 billion downloads in July 2021, joining four Facebook-owned apps to have achieved this milestone. No app has had more installs than TikTok’s 2.9 billion since the start of 2018, with WhatsApp at No. 2 with 2.8 billion and Facebook at No. 3 with 2.6 billion.

No other app is particularly close to hitting 3 billion. Including downloads prior to 2014, Snapchat has already hit the 2 billion mark but is still several years away from reaching 3 billion at its current trajectory.

WhatsApp Facebook

Messenger Facebook

Facebook Facebook

Instagram Facebook

TikTok ByteDance

Snapchat Snap

Subway Surfers Sybo Games

YouTube Google

UC Browser Alibaba

SHAREit SHAREit

TikTok Became the Fifth App to Reach 3 Billion DownloadsTop apps by worldwide downloads between Q1 2014 to Q3 2021, App Store and Google Play

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2014 through Sep. 30, 2021. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores.


55

By the end of 2017, Musical.ly and Douyin had combined for less than 240 million downloads. Install growth rapidly accelerated after ByteDance’s acquisition of Musical.ly and the merger of the two apps.

TikTok reached its first billion downloads in Q1 2019, just five quarters after the acquisition. It took only five more quarters to reach the 2 billion mark, and another five quarters to hit 3 billion.

0

500M

1.0B

1.5B

2.0B

2.5B

3.0B

3.5B

Q1 2015

Q2 2015

Q3 2015

Q4 2015

Q1 2016

Q2 2016

Q3 2016

Q4 2016

Q1 2017

Q2 2017

Q3 2017

Q4 2017

Q1 2018

Q2 2018

Q3 2018

Q4 2018

Q1 2019

Q2 2019

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

Q1 2021

Q2 2021

Q3 2021

Cumulative Downloads Since Launch

TikTok Adoption Took Off After ByteDance AcquisitionTikTok’s cumulative worldwide downloads since launch

Q1 2015 Musical.ly launches on the App Store.

Q3 2015 Musical.ly launches on Google Play.

Q4 2016 Musical.ly reaches 100M downloads less than two years after launch.

Douyin (TikTok) launched in China.

Q4 2017 ByteDance acquired Musical.ly and merged the app with TikTok.

Q1 2019 TikTok reached 1 billion downloads, less than 1.5 years after ByteDance acquired Musical.ly.

Q2 2020 TikTok reached 2 billion downloads.

TikTok was removed from the app stores in India along with some other apps from Chinese publishers .

Q3 2021 TikTok became the first app not owned by Facebook to reach 3 billion downloads.



0

500M

1.0B

1.5B

2.0B

2.5B

3.0B

20142015

20162017

20182019

20202021

20222023

20242025

20262027

20282029

TikTok Snapchat Telegram Zoom Subway Surfers Spotify YouTube

56

Assuming Q3 2021 download totals continue into the future, no app is particularly close to reaching 3 billion installs. Besides Snapchat, no app is projected to reach this total until late 2027. However, TikTok demonstrated how quickly these growth trends can change.

Snapchat is the closest to hitting 3 billion downloads since the start of 2014, with it reaching the total in 2024 at its current growth pace. However, it’s worth noting that Snapchat launched in mid-2011, so it is likely already a bit closer to the milestone.

Cumulative Downloads Since 2014

The Next 3 Billion Download App Is Probably a Ways OffCumulative worldwide downloads since 2014 and projected growth at Q3 2021 pace




U.S. Shooter Games 57

Fortnite’s removal from the app stores in August 2020 left a void for other top Shooter games to fill, and Garena Free Fire has since taken the lead in the space.

● Garena Free Fire has seen rapid growth in the past year, ranking as the No. 3 overall game by U.S. revenue in Q3 2021. Three quarters into 2021, it has already had the best year ever by U.S. revenue for a Shooter game.

● While Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, and Call of Duty: Mobile all had huge U.S. launches and exceeded 30 million downloads in a year, Garena Free Fire has had relatively low adoption rates in the U.S. Garena Free Fire overcame this download gap with much higher revenue per download than its competitors.

● Call of Duty: Mobile has also performed well in its first two years. Its followed a similar path to that of PUBG Mobile, and is well on pace to set a new U.S. revenue high in 2021.

Stories of the Quarter: 2. Garena Free Fire Tops U.S. Shooter Genre

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58

The Shooter genre had three games among the top 15 by U.S. revenue in Q3 2021, second only to the Puzzle genre with four games. Garena Free Fire had a huge quarter, ranking No. 3 behind Candy Crush Saga and Roblox and ahead of Genshin Impact, Coin Master, and Pokemon GO.

Call of Duty: Mobile from Activision and PUBG Mobile from Tencent ranked at No. 12 and 13, respectively. Revenue for each of these games has hovered between $50 million and $90 million each of the past six quarters.

Note Regarding Revenue Estimates Our estimates include worldwide revenue for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2014 through Sep. 30, 2021. We report gross revenue (including the cut for Apple or Google). Android estimates do not include third-party stores. PUBG Mobile revenue includes China, where the game is called Game for Peace.

Three Shooter Games Among the Top 15 by U.S. RevenueTop games by U.S. revenue in Q3 2021

Top 15 Games by U.S. Revenue Q3 2021

1

2

3

4

5

Candy Crush Saga King

Roblox Roblox

Garena Free Fire Garena

Genshin Impact miHoYo

Coin Master Moon Active

6

7

8

9

10

Pokémon GO Niantic

Homescapes Playrix

Clash of Clans Supercell

Bingo Blitz Playtika

State of Survival FunPlus

11

12

13

14

15

Candy Crush Soda Saga King

Call of Duty: Mobile Activision

PUBG Mobile Tencent

Toon Blast Peak Games

Raid: Shadow Legends Aristocrat

Top Games by U.S. Revenue

Shooter Game


59

As of mid-2020, four titles controlled more than 75 percent of the U.S. Shooter game market. Fortnite’s removal from the app stores provided an opportunity for the other top titles to claim this market share.

So far, Garena Free Fire has been the real winner in the Shooter space. However, its rapid revenue growth in the U.S. started even before Fortnite’s removal and it has continued to outpace Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile ever since.

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Q1 2019

Q2 2019

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

Q1 2021

Q2 2021

Q3 2021

U.S. Revenue Market Share

Fortnite’s Removal Made an Opening for Rival Shooter GamesU.S. revenue market share among the top 25 Shooter games

Note Regarding Revenue Estimates Our estimates include worldwide revenue for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2014 through Jun. 30, 2021. We report gross revenue (including the cut for Apple or Google). Android estimates do not include third-party stores.

Fortnite

PUBG Mobile

Garena Free Fire

Call of Duty: Mobile

Other


U.S.

Gro

ss R

even

ue

$0

$50M

$100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

$300M

$350M

$400M

U.S. Downloads

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M 35M 40M

Yearly U.S. Downloads and Revenue 60

Garena Free Fire’s U.S. revenue lagged behind PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile in 2020, and was only slightly ahead of Fortnite despite Fortnite being removed from the app stores mid-year. In the first three quarters of 2021, Garena Free Fire has already had the best year by U.S. revenue for a Shooter game.

Interestingly, Garena Free Fire also found this success despite not having a huge launch year in terms of downloads.

Garena Free Fire Q1-Q3 2021

Note Regarding Download and Revenue Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads and revenue for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2018 through Sep. 30, 2021. Revenue figures are gross revenue (including the cut taken by Apple or Google).

Garena Free Fire Surpassed Other Shooter Revenue PeaksU.S. downloads and revenue in 2018, 2019, 2020, and Q1 2021

PUBG Mobile 2019

Call of Duty Q1-Q3 2021

Fortnite 2020

Garena Free Fire 2020



Fortnite 2019

PUBG Mobile 2020

PUBG Mobile Q1-Q3 2021

Call of Duty 2020

Call of Duty 2019

PUBG Mobile 2018

Fortnite 2018


$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

Q1 2018

Q2 2018

Q3 2018

Q4 2018

Q1 2019

Q2 2019

Q3 2019

Q4 2019

Q1 2020

Q2 2020

Q3 2020

Q4 2020

Q1 2021

Q2 2021

Q3 2021

Garena Free Fire Fortnite PUBG Mobile Call of Duty: Mobile

61

Garena Free Fire had a similar U.S. RPD trajectory to PUBG Mobile into early 2020, although with a much smaller install base. Garena Free Fire overcame this gap in installs by greatly improving monetization, and its RPD dwarfed that of other top Shooter games by Q3 2021.

In Q3 2021, PUBG Mobile’s RPD finally passed that Fortnite had back in Q3 2020. Call of Duty: Mobile has the lowest RPD, but it did not launch globally until October 2019.

Cumulative U.S. RPD

Garena Free Fire a Standout in Revenue per DownloadCumulative U.S. revenue per download (RPD)

Fortnite PUBG Mobile

Garena Free Fire

Call of Duty: Mobile

Note Regarding Download and Revenue Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads and revenue for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Oct. 1, 2017 through Sep. 30, 2021. Revenue figures are gross revenue (including the cut taken by Apple or Google).



Sports Betting 62

Sportsbook apps continued to gain traction as states passed legislation allowing sports betting. Installs spiked in September 2021 at the start of the NFL season.

● Top apps like DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and BetMGM Sportsbook all saw downloads more than double year-over-year in Q3 2021. The top five apps combined for 177 percent Y/Y growth in Q3 2021

● Google Play updated its policies to allow sports gambling starting March 1, 2021. Top sportsbook apps have made a push onto Google’s platform, further accelerating the growth already seen on the App Store.

● DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook continue to battle for the lead position by U.S. downloads. Each app has led the sportsbook group in three out of the past six quarters.

Stories of the Quarter: 3. Mobile Sports Betting Spiked in Q3 2021

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0

1M

2M

3M

Jan-19

Mar-19

May-19Jul-1

9

Sep-19

Nov-19

Jan-20

Mar-20

May-20Jul-2

0

Sep-20

Nov-20

Jan-21

Mar-21

May-21Jul-2

1

Sep-21

Fantasy Sports Sportsbook Daily Fantasy Sports

63

As more states of have allowed mobile sports betting, top sportsbook apps have continued to gain traction in the U.S. September 2021 was the best month for sportsbook apps yet, seeing increased demand at the start of the NFL season.

Sportsbook app adoption has already surpassed daily fantasy sports (DFS) and has narrowed the gap on traditional fantasy sports apps. Sportsbook app growth accelerated after Google Play updated policies to allow gambling apps in the U.S. in March 2021.

Monthly U.S. Downloads

Sports Betting Exploded at the Start of the NFL SeasonMonthly U.S. downloads for a cohort of top apps

Sportsbook

Fantasy Sports

DFSNote Regarding Download Estimates Downloads are aggregated for a cohort of top apps: Fantasy Sports: ESPN Fantasy, Yahoo Fantasy, NFL Fantasy Football, Sleeper, and CBS Sports Fantasy Sportsbook: FanDuel Sportsbook & Casino, DraftKings Sportsbook & Casino, BetMGM Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, Barstool Sportsbook & Casino Daily Fantasy Sports: DraftKings Fantasy, FanDuel Fantasy

Start of NFL season


0

1M

2M

3M

4M

5M

Q3 2019

Q3 2020

Q3 2021

Sportsbook

64

Sportsbook apps have maintained huge year-over-year growth at the start of the football season each of the past two years. Meanwhile, the top two DFS apps actually saw a Y/Y decline.

Top fantasy sports apps were not able to quite make up the losses seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Q3 2021 installs were still in the 4.4 million to 5 million range that has been seen every third quarter since 2017 (apart from Q3 2020).

Quarterly U.S. Downloads

Sportsbook Apps Display Strong Year-Over-Year GrowthThird quarter U.S. downloads for a cohort of top apps, 2019 to 2021

0

1M

2M

3M

4M

5M

Q3 2019

Q3 2020

Q3 2021

DFS

0

1M

2M

3M

4M

5M

Q3 2019

Q3 2020

Q3 2021

Fantasy Sports

+247%

+177%

+82%-16%

-38%

+49%

Note Regarding Download Estimates Downloads are aggregated for a cohort of top apps: Fantasy Sports: ESPN Fantasy, Yahoo Fantasy, NFL Fantasy Football, Sleeper, and CBS Sports Fantasy Sportsbook: FanDuel Sportsbook & Casino, DraftKings Sportsbook & Casino, BetMGM Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, Barstool Sportsbook & Casino Daily Fantasy Sports: DraftKings Fantasy, FanDuel Fantasy


65

DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook have consistently been the top two apps of this type in the U.S. These apps have remained competitive, each leading the group in three out of the past six quarters.

While the order among the top sportsbook apps has shifted over the past year, each of the top five apps in Q3 2021 saw substantial year-over-year install growth. The lowest Y/Y growth rate among the group was 93 percent.

Top Apps by U.S. Downloads

DraftKings and FanDuel Battle for the Top SpotTop sportsbook apps by U.S. downloads

H1 2021 Q3 2021

1

2

3

4

5

H2 2020

DraftKings Sportsbook DraftKings

FanDuel Sportsbook FanDuel

BetMGM Sportsbook ROAR Digital

Barstool Sportsbook Penn Sports

FOX Bet Sportsbook Pokerstars

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

+1

-1

-

-

NEW

+1

-1

-

+1

-1





Caesars Sportsbook William Hill




Caesars Sportsbook William Hill


Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jul. 1, 2020 through Sep. 30, 2021. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores.


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Documents

Q3 2021: Store Intelligence Data Digest