Contents
Introduction
September 2026 saw notable shifts in mobile game rankings across Japan and South Korea. Established titles strengthened or lost their positions, while new entries emerged with different performance patterns across Free and Grossing charts.
This analysis compares daily Top 50 rankings from August 1–31 and September 1–30, 2026, across Android and iOS in both markets.
We focus on two metrics:
- Monthly median rank: A game’s typical ranking during its ranked days.
- Top 10 appearance rate: The percentage of calendar days a game appeared in the Top 10.
Together, these indicators distinguish sustained performance from short-term ranking spikes.
1. Biggest Ranking Improvements
Uma Musume Pretty Derby — Japan, Android Grossing
Median rank: #17 → #2 (+15 positions)
Top 10 rate: 29.0% → 100%
Uma Musume rose from 9 Top 10 days in August to all 30 days in September. Its improved median rank and continuous Top 10 presence demonstrate sustained Grossing chart strength.
탑 로드 (Top Road) — Korea, iOS Free
Median rank: #23 → #5 (+18 positions)
Top 10 rate: 0% → 83.3%
Despite remaining within the Top 50 throughout August, Top Road never entered the Top 10. In September, it reached the Top 10 on 25 of 30 days, showing substantial improvement in both position and consistency.
총잡이 고양이 : 방치형 키우기 RPG — Korea, Android Free
Median rank: #15.5 → #8.5 (+7 positions)
Top 10 rate: 3.2% → 90.0%
This idle RPG increased its Top 10 presence from just one day in August to 27 days in September. Its stronger ranking persistence was more significant than the seven-position median improvement alone.
Royal Kingdom — Japan, Android Free
Median rank: #36 → #19.5 (+16.5 positions)
Top 10 rate: 0% → 10.0%
Royal Kingdom remained within the Top 50 throughout both months, improving its median rank and entering the Top 10 on three September days.
Rather than establishing a consistent Top 10 position, it moved into stronger Top 20 territory, with a late-month rise.
Pokémon GO — Japan, iOS Grossing
Median rank: #13 → #5.5 (+7.5 positions)
Top 10 rate: 41.9% → 90.0%
Pokémon GO increased its Top 10 appearances from 13 days in August to 27 in September, demonstrating renewed ranking strength among established titles.
2. Notable New Chart Entries
Several games absent from their corresponding August Top 50 charts gained visibility in September, although their ranking patterns differed significantly.
Eclipse: The Awakening (이클립스: 더 어웨이크닝) — Korea
- Android Grossing: Median #2 | Top 10 rate 63.3%
- iOS Grossing: Median #5 | Top 10 rate 50.0%
Eclipse entered the Android Grossing Top 50 on September 12 and remained in the Top 10 for all 19 remaining days. On iOS Grossing, it recorded 15 Top 10 days.
Its Free chart medians were lower: #15 on Android and #14 on iOS. This illustrates stronger Grossing than Free chart positioning.
Aqualand: Crazy Survival (아쿠아랜드: 크레이지 서바이벌) — Korea
- iOS Free: Median #4 | Top 10 rate 96.7%
- Android Free: Median #6 | Top 10 rate 63.3%
Aqualand first appeared in the iOS Free chart on September 2 and remained in the Top 10 for the next 29 days. It also achieved 19 Top 10 days on Android.
However, it did not enter either Grossing Top 10, contrasting with Eclipse’s ranking profile.
Fish Sort Puzzle — Japan, Android Free
Median rank: #5 | Top 10 rate: 66.7%
Entering the Top 50 on September 9, Fish Sort Puzzle achieved 20 Top 10 days and a median rank of #5 across 22 ranked days, establishing a sustained presence in Japan’s Free chart.
波乱水世界 — Japan, iOS Free
Median rank: #6 | Top 10 rate: 76.7%
First appearing on September 2, 波乱水世界 recorded 23 Top 10 days on iOS Free but only one on Android Free, highlighting significant platform-level differences.
후더덕 서바이벌 — Korea, Android and iOS Free
- Android Free: Median #1 | Top 10 rate 33.3%
- iOS Free: Median #3.5 | Top 10 rate 40.0%
후더덕 서바이벌 entered Android Free on September 21 and stayed in the Top 10 for all 10 remaining days. On iOS, it recorded 12 Top 10 days after appearing on September 19.
Despite its exceptional median ranks, its full-month Top 10 rates were lower than Aqualand’s because it entered later.
Key insight: Median rank must be interpreted alongside the number of ranked days and full-month Top 10 coverage.
3. Three Key Ranking Trends
Trend 1: Free Top 10 charts became more varied, while Grossing became more concentrated
The number of distinct displayed titles appearing at least once in the Top 10 changed as follows:
| Market / Platform | Free: Aug → Sep | Grossing: Aug → Sep |
|---|---|---|
| Japan / Android | 28 → 32 | 26 → 25 |
| Japan / iOS | 32 → 42 | 43 → 41 |
| Korea / Android | 32 → 35 | 18 → 16 |
| Korea / iOS | 43 → 44 | 31 → 24 |
Counts reflect displayed listing names and may be affected by title or subtitle changes.
Across all four market-platform combinations, Free charts featured more distinct Top 10 listing names in September, while Grossing charts featured fewer.
This suggests broader turnover among Free chart leaders and greater concentration among Grossing leaders.
Trend 2: Free and Grossing performance differed
Eclipse achieved a 63.3% Top 10 rate in Korea’s Android Grossing, while 후더덕 서바이벌 reached a median rank of #1 in Android Free across its 10 ranked days without entering the Android Grossing Top 10.
These differences highlight distinct ranking profiles but do not establish actual download volumes, revenue, or monetization efficiency.
Trend 3: Month-end rankings can misrepresent monthly performance
Pocket Sort illustrates the limitation of single-day comparisons in Japan’s Android Free chart:
- Month-end rank: #2 (August 31) → #44 (September 30)
- Monthly median: #26.5 → #10
- Top 10 rate: 32.3% → 50.0%
Although its month-end position declined sharply, its September median and Top 10 consistency improved.
Full-month metrics therefore provide essential context for interpreting daily ranking movements.
4. Japan vs Korea: Market Differences
Japan: Stronger established Grossing titles and new Free contenders
Uma Musume maintained a Top 10 Android Grossing position throughout September, while Pokémon GO strengthened its iOS Grossing consistency.
New Free chart entries, including Fish Sort Puzzle and 波乱水世界, also gained substantial visibility.
Meanwhile, established Grossing titles such as Fate/Grand Order and Blue Archive lost ground.
Korea: New Grossing competitors and changing Free leaders
Eclipse emerged as a strong new Grossing contender, while Aqualand and 후더덕 서바이벌 gained prominence in Free rankings.
Established titles also retained strong positions. Lineage M remained competitive in Grossing, and 제우스: 오만의 신 stayed in Korea’s Android Grossing Top 10 for all 30 September days.
Conversely, CookieRun: Crumble declined significantly in both iOS Free and Grossing rankings.
Cross-market comparison: Block Blast
Block Blast’s Top 10 appearance rates changed differently across markets and platforms:
| Platform | Japan: Aug → Sep | Korea: Aug → Sep |
|---|---|---|
| iOS Free | 71.0% → 96.7% | 16.1% → 80.0% |
| Android Free | 93.5% → 100% | 67.7% → 66.7% |
Both markets saw improvement on iOS, while Android results diverged slightly.
This reinforces the importance of evaluating country- and platform-specific rankings rather than assuming consistent regional performance.
5. Key Takeaways for App Marketers
- Measure ranking persistence. Consistent Top 10 presence provides stronger evidence of sustained ranking strength than isolated peaks.
- Analyze Free and Grossing separately. Strong rankings in one category do not necessarily translate into the other.
- Account for chart coverage. Median ranks based on limited ranked days require additional context.
- Segment by market and OS. Japan/Korea and Android/iOS trends can differ considerably.
- Track full-month movements. Median rank, Top 10 frequency, and Top 50 coverage reveal changes that month-end snapshots may miss.
Conclusion: What to Watch in October
September’s rankings revealed stronger positions for established titles such as Uma Musume, Pokémon GO, and Top Road, alongside notable new entries including Eclipse, Aqualand, and 후더덕 서바이벌.
Meanwhile, Fate/Grand Order, Blue Archive, and CookieRun: Crumble demonstrated that established ranking strength can weaken.
The central trend was consistent across both countries: Free Top 10 rankings included more distinct titles, while Grossing Top 10 rankings included fewer.
October will reveal whether September’s new contenders can sustain their positions and whether declining established titles recover.
For app marketers, monthly median rank and Top 10 appearance rate, interpreted together with chart coverage, offer a more reliable foundation for competitive analysis than isolated ranking snapshots.
Data sources: August 2026 and September 2026 Japan/Korea ranking （Data Collection from the ASO Index）
Methodology: Monthly median rank is calculated from days when a title appeared in the Top 50. Top 10 appearance rate is calculated using all calendar days in the month (31 in August, 30 in September). Days outside the Top 50 count as zero Top 10 appearances but are not assigned an assumed rank. A new chart entry means absent from the corresponding August Top 50 under the matching listing name, not necessarily a newly released app. Download volumes, actual revenue, campaigns, and causal explanations are outside the scope of this dataset.
