How mobile technology has changed the gaming industry

The gaming industry has undergone seismic changes in the past two decades, but very few changes have been as big as the development of mobile technology. Gaming is not limited to static consoles and bulky PCs anymore — and hasn’t been in quite a while. Instead, gaming has now become a dynamic, on-the-go experience that fits right in your pocket.

Mobile technology has obviously changed where and how games are played, but also who plays them and how the games are designed. This ease of access has allowed mobile games to grow at an exponential rate. In fact, it’s hard to remember the time when you couldn’t access games on your phone.

From console games to in-your-pocket gaming

Some older people, like millennials, remember the fun of playing Nintendo and PlayStation games in the late 90s and early 2000s. These platforms catered to a dedicated gaming audience and often required a significant investment in hardware and software, so starting your gaming career was not easy or cheap.

When smartphones came onto the market in 2007, the gaming industry began to shift. It was the beginning of something unstoppable.

If you had a smartphone in early 2010, you had access to games. You could start playing wherever, whenever. You could download apps from the App Store or Google Play and start playing on the go.

This was the best possible news for developers as they no longer needed to distribute physical copies. Instead, they could reach people directly with virtually no upfront investment to the player.

Improved accessibility and democratization of gaming

One of the biggest pros of mobile gaming has always been accessibility. You don’t need to buy a console or expensive hardware to play good games anymore. All you need is a smartphone and an app.

This democratization has broadened the gaming audience immensely. As the accessibility has improved, underserved demographics, like women and even kids, are able to play games.

According to recent studies, over 50% of mobile gamers are female, and many games are designed with casual gameplay in mind. This makes the games easy and inviting to play.

Even games like Candy Crush Saga, Among Us, Toon Blast, and Gardenscapes have captured audiences who might never have considered themselves gamers. Interestingly, even the percentage of females who play online casino games has been on the rise. While the iGaming world has previously been male-dominant, now more and more women are venturing into online casino gaming. This includes the rise in popularity of slot games, sportsbooks and table games. It can be hard to find the right sportsbook for you, however WSN.com lists and reviews the best sportsbooks on the market

No upfront investment to players: Free to start

The freemium model — where games are free to download but include optional in-app purchases, has become the dominant revenue strategy in mobile gaming. This way, players can get started for free and only make in-app purchases if they want to.

This is a huge change from the traditional upfront, pay-once investment that you see in PC and PlayStation gaming, for instance.

Many games like Clash of Clans, Genshin Impact and Roblox have earned billions by offering in-game cosmetics, power-ups, currencies and season passes. The core game is free, but players often pay to enhance their experience. They can personalize avatars or speed up progress by making in-app purchases.

Developers don’t get the short end of the stick either, because they can also monetize mobile games through ads. Reward-based video ads, banner ads and interstitial ads have become common monetization tools.

Gaming has become a more social experience

Mobile devices are inherently social. They’re connected to the internet 24/7 and loaded with apps for messaging and social media. This also makes mobile gaming more social than ever.

Multiplayer mobile games like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile and Mobile Legends have capitalized on this. They even offer real-time online gameplay with voice and text chat. Other games encourage social sharing, clan-based gameplay and community events.

For instance, games like Among Us exploded in popularity because they were so easily shareable and accessible. This is making them ideal for streaming and social media virality.

AR, AI and cloud gaming create a more dynamic gaming experience

Mobile games aren’t just copying what consoles did. They’re innovating in ways traditional platforms can’t. Mobile devices come equipped with cameras, GPS, accelerometers and augmented reality (AR) capabilities. This allows developers to explore entirely new forms of gameplay.

For instance, AR is hugely popular and a great example of that is Pokémon GO. It was a landmark game that blended the physical and digital worlds. This encouraged players to explore real locations to find virtual creatures.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also huge. It allows for personalized content and adaptive difficulty levels. AI helps tailor gaming experiences to individual users, which can improve retention and satisfaction.

Services like Xbox Cloud Gaming, NVIDIA GeForce Now and even Netflix’s mobile game expansion are leveraging high-speed networks, such as 5G, to stream games directly to mobile devices. This removes the need for powerful local hardware and provides console-quality games to mobile players.

Mobile gaming is a multibillion-dollar industry

Mobile gaming is no longer the underdog. It’s the dominant force in the industry. According to market research, mobile games accounted for more than 50% of global gaming revenue in 2024. This hugely outpaces consoles and PC combined. In-app purchases, ads and subscription services have turned mobile gaming into a highly profitable sector — and there’s no stopping it.

The accessibility of mobile games has also made it possible for developers to expand their markets around the world. Obviously, this increases their revenue stream, so it’s no wonder the mobile gaming industry is a multibillion-dollar industry.

What’s the future of mobile gaming?

The future of mobile gaming is tied closely to technological progress. Devices become more powerful and 5G networks become widespread, so we can expect even more seamless, console-quality experiences on mobile.

Also, wearable integration, cross-platform play, improved AI and sustainable monetization models can only improve the gaming experience and provide developers with more ways to offer games and features.

In the end, mobile gaming is more than a trend now. It’s the future of the industry — and it’s already here.