TikTok, PUBG Mobile Top-Earning, Most Downloaded Apps Worldwide in Q3 2021: Sensor Tower

While TikTok was the top-grossing app worldwide, PUBG reigned supreme in the global gaming category.

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 2 October 2021 14:42 IST

TikTok, PUBG Mobile Top-Earning, Most Downloaded Apps Worldwide in Q3 2021: Sensor Tower

Sensor Tower says consumer spending in TikTok app saw a 41 percent YoY growth

Highlights

Consumer spending in PUBG Mobile climbed 11 percent YoY
Google One, Disney+ are among the highest-earning apps of Q3
Sensor Tower says TikTok was also the most downloaded app

TikTok and PUBG Mobile are the highest-earning apps across both App Store and Google Play store in the third quarter of 2021, according to Sensor Tower's latest report. While TikTok was the top-grossing app worldwide, PUBG reigned supreme in the worldwide gaming category. Both apps also reportedly saw the most downloads in their categories. The report says that consumer spending in the TikTok app experienced a 41 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth. TikTok revenue figures by Sensor Tower also include Douyin on iOS in China. In the third quarter, consumer spending in PUBG Mobile reportedly climbed 11 percent YoY.

Sensor Tower's latest report on app spending in Q3 2021 reveals that overall consumer spending on in-app purchases, premium apps, and subscriptions grew 15.1 percent YoY to $33.6 billion (roughly Rs. 2,49,013 crores) across Apple's App Store and the Google Play store. The growth was driven by Google Play, which saw consumer spending grow 18.6 percent YoY to $12.1 billion (roughly Rs. 89,674 crores). While growth on the App Store was modest, it saw higher consumer spending at $21.5 billion (roughly Rs. 1,59,382 crores) with growing at 13.2 percent YoY.

As mentioned, TikTok was the highest-earning app overall in Q3 according to Sensor Tower data. Overall, Manga reader Piccoma came in second with its revenue reportedly growing 130 percent YoY, followed by YouTube, which saw consumer spending climb 17 percent YoY. Google One and Disney+ rounded out the top highest-earning apps at number four and five, respectively. Although TikTok was the top-grossing app overall as well as on the App Store, Google One was the highest earner on the Google Play store.

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Sensor Tower reports that TikTok was also the most downloaded app worldwide in Q3 2021, followed by Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. TikTok recently crossed 3 billion installs globally, becoming the first non-Facebook app to do so.

Consumer spending on mobile games continued to climb and Sensor Tower says that PUBG Mobile (including Chinese localisation Game for Peace) took the top spot in the category. In the third quarter, consumer spending in PUBG Mobile reportedly climbed 11 percent YoY. Tencent's Honor of Kings and miHoYo's smash hit Genshin Impact followed PUBG Mobile in the top-grossing games for Q3 2021. Sensor Tower says Niantic's Pokémon Go and Roblox Corp's Roblox rounded out the top five, with Pokémon Go seeing consumer spending declined by 8 percent YoY and Roblox experiencing a 9 percent growth compared to Q3 2020.

The report says that first-time installs of mobile games were down compared to the year-ago period, declining 3.5 percent to 13.6 billion across both stores from 14.1 billion in Q3 2020. In addition to being the top-grossing mobile game worldwide, PUBG Mobile also saw the most downloads, followed by Outfit7's newly launched My Talking Angela 2. Sybo Games' Subway Surfers, Tap2Play's Count Masters, and Garena's battle royale Garena Free Fire rounded up the top five most-installed games worldwide.

We discuss the return of PUBG Mobile, sorry, Battlegrounds Mobile India on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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