What changed in the Japanese and Korean mobile game markets in August 2026?
For this month’s analysis, we looked at daily iOS and Android Top Free and Top Grossing game rankings in Japan and Korea from August 1 to 31.
Instead of focusing only on which game ranked #1 on a specific day, we wanted to answer a few broader questions:
Which games kept appearing in the Top 10?
Did games that performed well in Top Free also reach Top Grossing?
Were there differences between Japan and Korea?
And what were some of the games doing around the time they moved up the rankings?
Ranking Data Source: Apptica, Japan & Korea iOS / Android, Aug. 1–31, 2026
Contents
Top Free and Top Grossing Had Very Different Games
First, we counted how many unique games appeared at least once in the Top 10 during August.
| Market | Top Free | Top Grossing | Appeared in Both |
| Korea iOS | 44 | 30 | 4 |
| Korea Android | 32 | 18 | 4 |
| Japan iOS | 30 | 42 | 3 |
| Japan Android | 29 | 27 | 4 |
The most interesting number is the last column.
Although dozens of games entered both rankings during the month, very few appeared in both Top Free and Top Grossing.
For example, Korea iOS had 44 unique Top Free titles and 30 Top Grossing titles.
But only four games appeared in both.
This suggests a simple but important point:
Getting strong visibility and downloads does not automatically mean becoming a top-grossing game.
For game marketers, acquisition and monetization still need to be looked at separately.
Korea: Many Games Reached Top Free, but Fewer Reached Top Grossing
Korea showed particularly active movement in the Top Free rankings.
On iOS, 44 different games entered the Top 10 during August.
By comparison, 30 titles entered the Top Grossing Top 10.
But only four games appeared in both:
- CookieRun: Crumble
- Pokémon GO
- Whiteout Survival
- ZEUS: The God of Arrogance
Android showed an even bigger difference.
32 games entered the Top Free Top 10.
Only 18 entered the Top Grossing Top 10.
Again, only four titles appeared in both rankings.
The data shows plenty of movement at the acquisition and discovery stage.
But reaching the revenue Top 10 was a much smaller club.
Two new Korean games make this difference especially clear.
◼︎ Case 1: ZEUS — From Popularity to Revenue in Days
One of the clearest breakout stories in Korea was Com2uS’ new MMORPG, ZEUS: The God of Arrogance.
Pre-downloads started on August 24, after which the game reached #1 in the popularity rankings of Korea’s major app stores.
The full service launched at noon on August 26.
According to Com2uS, ZEUS reached #1 in both the Apple App Store and Google Play revenue rankings within about 18 hours of launch.（LINK）
The Apptica data also shows a sharp rise in estimated downloads around launch, followed by strong revenue growth.
Looking at this sequence, ZEUS appears to have built momentum before launch and carried that attention directly into its first days of service.
The short gap between pre-downloads, the official launch, and the rise in the grossing rankings makes this an interesting example when thinking about how to structure a mobile game launch.
It does not prove that the pre-download campaign directly caused the revenue growth, but the timing is worth watching.
◼︎ Case 2: Teenieping Magic Match
Another game worth watching is Teenieping Magic Match, based on the popular Catch! Teenieping IP.
It entered Korea’s iOS Top Free Top 10 during August, but did not enter the Top Grossing Top 10.
That makes it an interesting contrast with ZEUS.
During August, the game continued to add new features. Its August 27 update included Friend Invitation Missions, Diamond League, improvements to the Heart system, and new stages up to Level 750.
From these updates, it looks like the team was not only focused on bringing in new users, but also on giving them more reasons to keep playing after download.
To me, this suggests a stronger focus on retention and engagement after the initial acquisition phase.
Compared with ZEUS, Teenieping Magic Match may represent a different growth path: first building visibility in the Free ranking, then strengthening the experience for users who have already joined.
Japan: Top-Grossing Games Were Much More Similar Across iOS and Android
Japan showed a different pattern.
On iOS, 30 unique games entered the Top Free Top 10.
Meanwhile, 42 games entered the iOS Top Grossing Top 10.
Only three games appeared in both:
- Whiteout Survival
- hololive Dreams
- GENSO SUIKODEN – STAR LEAP
On Android, 29 titles reached the Top Free Top 10.
27 titles entered the Top Grossing Top 10.
Four appeared in both:
- eFootball
- Gossip Harbor
- hololive Dreams
- GENSO SUIKODEN – STAR LEAP
But the most interesting finding came when we compared iOS and Android Top Grossing.
Every one of the 27 games that entered the Android Top Grossing Top 10 also appeared in the iOS Top Grossing Top 10.
So while Japan’s Top Free rankings differed more by OS, the games at the top of the revenue rankings were much more consistent.
For marketers, this suggests that the titles performing strongly on both platforms may be especially useful competitors to track when studying monetization in Japan.
◼︎Case 3: GENSO SUIKODEN – STAR LEAP
KONAMI released GENSO SUIKODEN – STAR LEAP in Japan on August 7.
It was the first new entry in the series in 14 years and the first Suikoden title designed for mobile.
During August, it appeared in all four Japanese ranking groups we analyzed:
iOS Top Free
iOS Top Grossing
Android Top Free
Android Top Grossing
Around the launch, KONAMI ran several marketing activities, including a special livestream, voice-actor autograph campaigns, and the user-participation campaign ” #私が幻想水滸伝を好きな理由 （Why I Love Suikoden.）”
What stood out to me was that the launch did not seem to rely only on the name recognition of the Suikoden series.
By combining livestreams, giveaways, and a campaign that encouraged fans to share why they love the franchise, KONAMI created several opportunities for users to talk about the game themselves.
This may have helped generate UGC and build excitement around the release, while also giving long-time fans another reason to reconnect with the series.
So rather than simply using a well-known IP, the launch appears to have actively turned existing fan interest into conversation around the new game.
◼︎Case 4: hololive Dreams
Hololive Dreams also appeared in both Top Free and Top Grossing in Japan.
From August 7 to 15, the game ran the summer event “Synchro Summer Sparkle,” featuring new high-rarity characters in summer outfits and new music.
What I Want to Watch Next
Another pattern caught my attention: global titles such as Whiteout Survival and Gossip Harbor appeared in the grossing rankings across both Japan and Korea.
That made me wonder: why are the same global titles able to perform in two markets with different user preferences and competitive environments?
In future articles, I would like to look more closely at how these games approach localization, ad creatives, in-game events, and LiveOps in Japan and Korea. Rather than only asking which games are ranking, I think it will be even more useful to understand what they are doing differently—or similarly—to succeed across both markets.
Conclusion
Looking at August as a full month made the rankings feel much more useful than checking a single day. The more interesting questions were not only “Who is #1?” but “Which games keep entering the rankings?”, “Which ones move from Free to Grossing?”, and “What was happening around the game when its position changed?”
In Korea, many titles entered Top Free, while fewer moved into the top revenue group. In Japan, the Top Grossing leaders looked much more consistent across iOS and Android. And the individual cases—ZEUS, Teenieping Magic Match, GENSO SUIKODEN – STAR LEAP, and hololive Dreams—showed very different ways to build momentum through launch timing, IP, seasonal events, and LiveOps.
Rankings show what happened. Looking at the product and marketing activity around those rankings may help us understand why it happened—and what game marketers should watch next.
