In June 2022, Pokémon GO had approximately 146 thousand daily active users (DAU) via iPhone in the United States. Released in July 2016, the game has remained popular and is still regularly ranked among the leading mobile games worldwide.

As of March 2024, 33 percent of Pokémon GO-aware gamers in the United States were currently playing mobile AR game. In total, 49 percent of respondents aged 35 to 54 years were current Pokémon GO players. Among those who had heard of the game, 48 percent had played it in the past.

As of October 2020, men accounted for almost 53 percent of the monthly active users (MAU) of Pokémon GO in Japan. The augmented reality game was developed by Niantic, Inc. and was first released in 2016. It is one of the leading mobile games in Japan.

As of October 2020, the number of monthly active users (MAU) of Pokémon GO in Japan amounted to about 3.14 million. The augmented reality game was developed by Niantic, Inc. and was first released in 2016. It is one of the leading mobile games in Japan.

Introduction

Pokémon Go Statistics: Pokémon Go, launched in July 2016, has maintained a significant global presence in the mobile gaming industry. As of February 2025, the game boasts an estimated 115 million active players worldwide. In 2024, Pokémon Go generated approximately USD 545 million in revenue, contributing to a cumulative lifetime revenue exceeding USD 8 billion. The game's popularity is evident in its global reach, with over 691 million downloads recorded by the end of 2024. The United States leads in revenue generation, accounting for 38% of the total, followed by Japan at 31%.

In 2024, Pokémon Go Fest events in cities like New York, Madrid, and Sendai attracted over 1.2 million participants, collectively generating more than USD 200 million in economic impact. These figures underscore Pokémon Go's enduring appeal and its ability to engage a vast, global player base through innovative augmented reality experiences.

This statistic presents the distribution of active Pokémon GO users in the United States as of February 2019, sorted by gender. During the measured period, it was found by App Ape that male users accounted for 56.4 percent of the gaming app's active user accounts on the Android platform.

The timeline presents the estimated annual number of active users of Pokémon Go in Asia Pacific from 2016 to 2020, broken down by OS. According to the projections, the popular AR game from Nintendo will have 274 million active Android users in the region by 2020.

In 2024, Pokémon GO in-app purchase revenues surpassed 544 million U.S. dollars worldwide. The AR game's most profitable year was 2020, when many gamers discovered the title during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pokémon Go: a global phenomenon Pokémon Go took the world by storm in 2016. Within a week of its release on July 19, the mobile app had been downloaded over ten million times worldwide, indicating the enormous hype surrounding the launch of Nintendo’s first venture into mobile gaming. The location-based augmented reality (AR) game involves catching, training, and battling virtual creatures (Pokémon) in real-world locations via smartphone. While the initial Pokémon craze has slowly faded, the game still enjoys millions of active users around the world and the Asia-Pacific region, in particular. Player spending increases in a quest to catch ’em all Pokémon Go ranks among the leading free-to-play (FTP) gaming titles worldwide, generating over four billion U.S. dollars in lifetime IAP revenue. While both app download and usage are free, the game uses a freemium business model that supports in-app purchases. Users can buy additional Pokéballs or other in-game items to level up and increase their chances of becoming a successful virtual Pokémon trainer. In order to maintain players’ interest and participation, developer Niantic continues to expand the game by introducing new features and characters like popular franchise antagonists Team Rocket..

Released in July 2016, Pokémon GO was instantly a smash hit, accumulating close to 630 million lifetime downloads. During its first quarter, the app generated a dizzying 228 million downloads before winding down to a double-digit download volume over time. Pokémon GO players are a highly engaged audience, and live events, when possible, are very popular with the player community. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the Pokémon GO app generated over 8.2 million downloads worldwide.

According to a study of iOS users in the United States, 17 percent of Roblox app audiences in the United States were weekly active users. Roblox is an online platform that allows users to program games and play games created by users. As of the fourth quarter of 2022, the platform counted more than 58.8 million daily active users. AR game Pokémon GO ranked second, with seven percent active user reach across the sample in the examined period.

Pokémon Go is an augmented reality mobile game developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo. In Poland, the mobile gaming app reached its highest download number in July 2023, amounting to 80.88 thousands downloads.

The mobile handset gaming market is a dynamic and rapidly expanding sector, projected for significant growth over the next decade. While precise market size figures for 2025 are unavailable, considering the industry's historical performance and current trends, a reasonable estimation places the 2025 market value at approximately $150 billion. This substantial valuation is driven by several factors including the increasing affordability and accessibility of smartphones globally, the continuous innovation in game design (augmented reality, multiplayer features, location-based gameplay), and the rising engagement with mobile gaming across diverse age demographics. The market exhibits strong segmentation, with the 12-18 and 19-40 year-old age groups representing significant consumer bases. Popular game genres like location-based games (e.g., Pokémon Go) and multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) are key growth drivers, while factors such as increasing competition and evolving consumer preferences pose challenges. The market's robust growth is expected to continue across various regions, with North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe leading the charge. However, growth will not be uniform; emerging markets in Africa and South America will likely witness accelerated growth fueled by increasing smartphone penetration. The forecast period (2025-2033) anticipates a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 12%, signifying consistent expansion. This growth trajectory is underpinned by ongoing technological advancements, the emergence of new gaming platforms and monetization strategies, and the continued expansion of the mobile gaming audience. Key players like Tencent, NetEase, and Supercell will maintain their significant market share, but the competitive landscape remains fiercely contested, with smaller developers and innovative studios vying for recognition. To maintain market dominance, established companies must adapt quickly to technological changes, understand evolving consumer preferences, and cultivate engaging and innovative game experiences to sustain market leadership and capture the attention of increasingly discerning mobile gamers. Further segmentation opportunities exist within specific demographics and game genres, offering targeted growth opportunities for those companies that successfully tailor their products to these specific market niches.

The Mobile Augmented Reality (AR) Market refers to the ecosystem of hardware, software, and services enabling augmented reality experiences on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Mobile AR overlays digital content, such as 3D objects, text, or images, onto the real world through a device's camera and sensors. This market encompasses AR development platforms, applications, AR content, and the mobile devices used to experience AR. The rapid adoption of smartphones and advancements in AR technology, such as improved AR SDKs are key drivers. Industries like retail, gaming, healthcare, and education are increasingly adopting mobile AR for enhanced customer engagement, immersive gaming experiences, remote assistance, and interactive learning. Moreover, the integration of AR with 5G technology promises improved latency and smoother AR experiences, further driving growth. The rising demand for AR-powered shopping apps and virtual try-ons in retail and e-commerce is another critical driver, enabling consumers to visualize products in their environment before purchase. Key trends in the mobile AR market include the proliferation of AR-enabled apps in sectors like gaming, retail, and social media. Popular games such as Pokémon GO have demonstrated the potential for AR in engaging users, while apps like Snapchat and Instagram integrate AR filters for social media interactions. Another trend is the use of AR in remote collaboration and training, enabling real-time interactions with virtual elements, particularly in the post-pandemic work environment. Key drivers for this market are: Rise in internet usage. Potential restraints include: Need for consistent software and hardware compatibility can hinder user experiences. Notable trends are: Technological developments such as artificial intelligence and IoT.

With a global sales volume of over ***** million units, Pokémon Red/Green/Blue was the franchise’s best-selling video game worldwide as of December 2024. The first full Pokémon game release on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Sword/Shield, came in second place with **** million units. Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, the most recent series entry for Nintendo's current Switch console, has sold approximately ***** million units worldwide. Pokémon: a global success story Pokémon is an immensely popular Japanese video gaming series published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, centering around an ever-expanding universe of fictional creatures that players can collect, train, and battle. Since launching its first generation of console games on Nintendo’s Game Boy back in 1996, Pokémon has grown to become one of the world’s most successful gaming franchises with over 480 million Pokémon games sold as of May 2023. Pokémon is also one of the most persistent brand names in the gaming industry, with its Red/Green/Blue Version placing among the five best-selling console games of all time in 2023 - 27 years after its release. Venturing into the mobile games market While Pokémon has been a household name for console gaming for several decades, the franchise ventured into the world of mobile gaming for the first time in 2016. With the launch of Pokémon GO, a location-based augmented reality (AR) mobile version of the original hit gaming series, the franchise adapted to the latest trends in the video game market that center around the growing popularity and profitability of mobile games. Pokémon GO is one of the top-grossing mobile gaming titles worldwide.

Mobile gaming has become a huge industry, with successful game developers in line to generate millions from their mobile games. In March 2021, Roblox was the top grossing iPhone gaming app in the United States, generating daily revenues of over 3.09 million U.S. dollars. Second-ranked Candy Crush Saga grossed approximately 2.03 million U.S. dollars per day. Pokémon GO was ranked seventh with a daily gross of more than 463,000 U.S. dollars

Pokémon GO - a global phenomenon
Pokémon GO is a massively multiplayer location-based mobile video game which uses augmented reality. The project is jointly created by The Pokémon Company and Niantic and has been available since July 2016 on the iOS and Android platforms. Just like in the video game series, the goal is to capture Pokémon and battle it out against other trainers. In 2020, Pokémon GO player spending hit 916.5 million U.S. dollars worldwide, which was the mobile app’s most profitable year since launching in 2016, when it grossed approximately 588.77 million U.S. dollars. The location-based augmented reality (AR) game involves catching, training, and battling virtual creatures (Pokémon) in real-world locations via smartphone. While the initial Pokémon craze has slowly faded, the game still enjoys growing numbers of active users around the world and in the Asia-Pacific region in particular.

Online app stores
With individual gaming apps generating millions of dollars of revenue on a daily basis, it is no surprise that app stores are also raking in the revenue. In the second quarter of 2020, Google Play Store recorded gross revenues of 7.7 billion U.S. dollars from mobile games, up from 6.9 billion generated in the previous quarter. The numbers for Apple's App Store were even more impressive, with revenue from mobile games on its iOS platform reaching 33.2 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in 2018. Interestingly, despite Apple's App Store leading the way in terms of revenue, Google Play recorded significantly more mobile game downloads in 2018. A total of 38.3 billion mobile games were downloaded globally across both app stores in that year, out of which the vast majority, 29.4 billion downloads in total, were attributed to Google Play.

First released in November 2022 for the Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the first installments in the ninth generation of Pokémon video games. During the launch weekend, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold over ten million units worldwide, including over four million copies in Japan alone. During the quarter ending March 2025, lifetime Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sales amounted to 26.79 million units, making it one of the best-selling Switch games of all time. Premium Pokémon games on Switch Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are not the only Pokémon titles for the Nintendo’s Switch – as of 2025, there were 12 Pokémon games available on the hybrid console, including new mainline games, remakes, and free-to-play titles. The biggest Pokémon games on the Nintendo Switch console are Let’s Go, Pikachu / Eevee, a remake of the original Pokémon Yellow, as well as the first new mainline release Pokémon Sword & Shield (2019), which ranks among the best-selling Switch titles of all time. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, which were released in 2021, are remakes of the popular Diamond & Pearl for Nintendo DS and also rank among the best-selling Pokémon games ever. The 2022 release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus was another successful entry in the series, which featured many changes from traditional Pokémon gameplay mechanics. Free-to-play Pokémon games on Switch Apart from the mobile AR success that is Pokémon GO, the series has generally been known for its premium titles. However, in recent years, Nintendo has experimented with free-to-play titles (F2P), some of which are also available via console. Pokémon Café ReMix (2020), a puzzle café game, and Pokémon Quest (2018) are available for free from the Nintendo eShop. Another F2P entry is Pokémon UNITE, a MOBA title also available on mobile. Pokémon UNITE saw some success in the eSports segment and is also part of the invitation-only Pokémon World Championships.

In the most recently reported fiscal year, Google's revenue amounted to 348.16 billion U.S. dollars. Google's revenue is largely made up by advertising revenue, which amounted to 264.59 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. As of October 2024, parent company Alphabet ranked first among worldwide internet companies, with a market capitalization of 2,02 billion U.S. dollars. Google’s revenue Founded in 1998, Google is a multinational internet service corporation headquartered in California, United States. Initially conceptualized as a web search engine based on a PageRank algorithm, Google now offers a multitude of desktop, mobile and online products. Google Search remains the company’s core web-based product along with advertising services, communication and publishing tools, development and statistical tools as well as map-related products. Google is also the producer of the mobile operating system Android, Chrome OS, Google TV as well as desktop and mobile applications such as the internet browser Google Chrome or mobile web applications based on pre-existing Google products. Recently, Google has also been developing selected pieces of hardware which ranges from the Nexus series of mobile devices to smart home devices and driverless cars. Due to its immense scale, Google also offers a crisis response service covering disasters, turmoil and emergencies, as well as an open source missing person finder in times of disaster. Despite the vast scope of Google products, the company still collects the majority of its revenue through online advertising on Google Site and Google network websites. Other revenues are generated via product licensing and most recently, digital content and mobile apps via the Google Play Store, a distribution platform for digital content. As of September 2020, some of the highest-grossing Android apps worldwide included mobile games such as Candy Crush Saga, Pokemon Go, and Coin Master.

Since its launch on March 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold over *** million consoles worldwide as of March 2025. Following the poor sales of its predecessor, the Wii U, the Switch was seen as the new hope for Nintendo in the ongoing battle with other console giants, Xbox and PlayStation. The Switch sets itself apart from its competitors by the fact that it can be used as both a stationary console and a portable device, meaning that gamers can play from the comfort of their own homes or on the go. Nintendo cashes in on exclusive titlesOne of the key reasons for the Switch’s success is undoubtedly the popularity of Nintendo’s first-party titles. Blockbuster series such as The Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Pokémon are all exclusive to Nintendo, meaning that fans can only play their favorite games on Nintendo consoles. Unsurprisingly, these Nintendo exclusive games dominate the list of top selling Switch titles worldwide, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sitting top of the pile. Can Nintendo keep up with Microsoft and Sony?Thanks to the success of the Switch, Nintendo has once again been able to stake its claim as one of the big players in the console gaming market. Until 2022, Sony could still claim to be king of the consoles, with unit sales of its PlayStation 4 exceeding the *** million mark in 2019. As of 2023, Nintendo surpassed Sony, having sold over *** million units of the Switch. Microsoft’s contribution, the Xbox One, is lagging some way behind as sales of the consoles are still below ** million units worldwide.