At Uptodown, we’ve conducted a study based on our traffic data to discover which Android games have been the most downloaded titles worldwide during each year of the last decade.
While looking over this list, we’re filled with memories of playing the mega-popular Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies, Pou, My Talking Tom Cat and Pokémon GO, which just goes to show how tastes in mobile games have changed and evolved over these last ten years.
Over the course of a decade, smartphones have become an indispensable part of everyday life. Although what we do with them the least is probably their initial function: talking on the phone. We use them to communicate via instant messaging, search online, watch videos, listen to podcasts… and of course, for playing games.
Uptodown has 130 million users
Uptodown started distributing Android apps in 2011 and today has 130 million unique users every month worldwide who use our store to download apps and games for this platform. Ten years ago, Uptodown’s traffic from mobile devices didn’t exceed even 2% of all downloads. That’s from iOS, Android, Blackberry and Symbian all put together.
However, today, 85% of users access Uptodown from an Android device, which has become the dominant mobile operating system (according to data from the technology consulting firm IDC, Android devices accounted for more than 84% of all units shipped worldwide in 2020, the remaining 16% belonging to iOS).
From multi-themed to Battle Royale, MOBA and puzzles
In terms of games throughout the past decade, Android has brought us great titles that have laid the foundations of many genres that wouldn’t make sense on other platforms. Currently, mobile platforms are the most widespread and widely used gaming systems in the world, surpassing even traditional consoles.
While at the beginning of the decade, the most played titles came from a variety of genres (from driving to soccer, strategy and skill-based puzzles), in recent years we’ve seen a huge shift towards battle royale games. However, we’ve also seen a resurgence of other genres that originated on PC and consoles, including real-time strategy, MOBA, and puzzle games.
Most downloaded Android games by year
How many of these games have you had installed on your phone over the years?
2011
1- Need for Speed Shift
2- PES 2011
3- My Talking Tom Cat
2012
1- Plants vs Zombies
2- Need for Speed Shift
3- Angry Birds
2013
1- Candy Crush Saga
2- Pou
3- Angry Birds
2014
1- Candy Crush Saga
2- Subway Surfers
3- Pou
2015
1- Plants vs Zombies 2
2- Subway Surfers
3- Geometry Dash
2016
1- Clash of Clans
2- Pokemon GO
3- Subway Surfers
2017
1- Clash of Clans
2- Clash Royale
3- Subway Surfers
2018
1- Free Fire
2- Fortnite
3- PUBG Mobile
2019
1- PUBG Mobile
2- Free Fire
3- Clash of Clans
2020
1- PUBG Mobile
2- PUBG Mobille Lite
3- Fortnite
2021
1- PUBG Mobile Lite
2- PUBG Mobile
3- PUBG Mobile (Korean version)
