Chinese Mobile Games Overseas Landscape Shifts, Diverse Genres and Content Updates Drive New Growth Wave at End of 2025

According to the latest overseas revenue rankings for December 2025 released by the globally renowned market research firm Sensor Tower, DotC United’s survival strategy mobile game Whiteout Survival (overseas version of Endless Winter) secured the top spot in the monthly revenue chart, thanks to the successful operation of its Christmas-themed event. To date, the game’s global cumulative revenue has surpassed the $4 billion mark, continuously setting new records for the commercial value of overseas mobile games. Concurrently, the ranking reveals significant structural changes: content-driven titles, represented by Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero, and Love and Deepspace, saw substantial revenue and ranking surges through major version updates and new character releases. Several new titles, particularly open-world games, MMORPGs, and IP adaptations, forcefully entered the chart, signaling that the overseas expansion of Chinese mobile games has entered a new phase characterized by richer genres and more diverse competition.

Leading Titles Continue to Set the Pace, Long-Term Operations Build Commercial Milestones

As an evergreen title in the overseas market, Whiteout Survival, through sustained content updates like the “Christmas-themed event” and refined operations, successfully ignited global player participation and spending, once again demonstrating the robust long-term viability of high-quality SLG products. Its cumulative revenue exceeding $4 billion not only consolidates its position but also sets a benchmark for long-term operations and global distribution in the industry.

Another notable performer is Lemon Microfun’s merge game Gossip Harbor. The game seamlessly transitioned between “Christmas” and “New Year” events, continuously engaging users with innovative gameplay and generous rewards. Its monthly revenue increased by 7% month-over-month, reaching a new historical high and securing the runner-up position in the overseas revenue chart, proving that mid-core casual genres also possess high user stickiness and commercial potential in overseas markets.

Content Updates Become Growth Engine, Anime-Style and Classic IP Products Collectively Surge

In December, core titles from several major publishers achieved significant revenue leaps through major content updates:

HoYoverse’s Dual Stars Shine: Following the release of Genshin Impact’s new version “Intermezzo of a Moonlit String,” it topped the Japanese iOS bestseller chart on the same day, driving overseas revenue up by 47% month-over-month and jumping five places to 9th in the revenue ranking. After launching version 2.5 and new characters, Zenless Zone Zero saw its global daily revenue peak since launch, with overseas revenue surging 56%, demonstrating strong momentum.

Papergames’ Love and Deepspace, leveraging its second-anniversary celebration and new card pools, saw its daily revenue peak twice. Its monthly overseas revenue increased by 38% month-over-month, firmly staying within the top ten of the revenue chart. Overseas revenue now accounts for 45% of its global total, highlighting significant international success.

Tencent’s Call of Duty: Mobile stimulated player engagement through its sixth-anniversary celebration, new seasons, and a crossover with Street Fighter 6, achieving 36% month-over-month growth in overseas revenue and securing the top spot on the monthly growth chart.

New Forces Make Strong Entry, Diverse Genres Broaden Overseas Frontiers

A notable feature of this month’s chart is the first-time entry or sharp rise of several new titles, showcasing the vitality and diversity of the overseas sector:

Nuverse’s 3D ARPG BLEACH: Soul Resonance, leveraging its classic IP adaptation and popular characters, repeatedly set new daily revenue highs. Its overseas revenue doubled month-over-month, entering the revenue chart for the first time at 26th place.

NetEase’s Chinese martial arts open-world title Where Winds Meet (international version of Yanyun Shiliu Sheng) officially launched overseas. With its unique theme and high-quality content, it forcefully entered the revenue chart at 27th place and the growth chart top three within its first month, becoming a new force in the open-world genre’s overseas expansion.

Lingxi Games’ strategy title Nobunaga’s Ambition: Real Fight saw its revenue skyrocket by 207% month-over-month after launching in Japan, successfully entering the growth chart due to its IP appeal and deep gameplay.

Furthermore, new MMORPGs like Wenjian Changsheng and Jianghu Yougui also entered the growth chart for the first time, indicating that this traditionally strong genre continues to attract new competitors.

Market Observation: From “Traffic Dividend” to “Content and Operations Dividend”

The landscape of the overseas charts at the end of 2025 clearly indicates that the overseas expansion of Chinese mobile games has evolved from being driven by early traffic and models to a comprehensive contest of content quality, long-term operational capability, and localization refinement. Whether it’s Whiteout Survival maintaining user enthusiasm through holiday events or Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero driving growth through high-quality version updates, the core value of the “content-as-a-service” model is highlighted. Simultaneously, the successful breakthroughs across diverse genres foreshadow a more vibrant and varied overseas market in the future, presenting higher demands on developers’ product innovation capabilities and differentiated positioning. Chinese mobile game publishers are consolidating their leading advantages and exploring new growth trajectories on the global stage with a more mature and diversified approach.