Non-game apps earned $85.6 billion in global in-app purchase revenue in 2025 versus $81.8 billion for mobile games — the first crossover in the metric Sensor Tower tracks. Sensor Tower published the figure in its State of Mobile 2026 report.

A decade earlier, games held a $26.5 billion-to-$4.4 billion lead over non-games. The reversal traces to generative AI apps, which Sensor Tower named the largest source of year-over-year non-game revenue growth, followed by movies and TV, then social media.

ChatGPT and Claude anchored the AI category, with streaming services and short-form dramas filling out the non-game revenue mix behind them.

"Games now compete for attention against social media, short-form drama, and AI apps—not just other games," Sensor Tower director of market insights Jonathan Briskman said.

"To stay competitive, games should take notes from categories that took market share this year, as the lines between games, entertainment and other engagement categories continue to blur," Briskman added.

What does the IAP crossover mean for monetization teams?

Across categories, apps are "increasingly shifting their focus to monetization" as "growth plateaus," Sensor Tower wrote. Developers are targeting "strong gains in in-app purchase revenue across one-time purchases, subscriptions, and paid apps and games."

That pressure runs straight into player resistance. Aggressive microtransaction strategies have produced measurable playtime declines on titles such as Madden NFL, leaving publishers without a clean lever to lift per-user spend.

Mobile remains the dominant player destination and outpaces console usage by a wide margin. Consoles still generate more than a quarter of sector revenue. They should see an engagement lift once Rockstar Games — a Take-Two Interactive subsidiary — ships Grand Theft Auto VI in 2026, after the title slipped from its 2025 window.

Take-Two pushed the title back for "extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve." The delay has not dented investor confidence: shares closed at $240.61 on Tuesday, up 29% over the trailing year.

How are public game stocks positioned for the next earnings cycle?

Publicly traded game companies have run ahead of the broader market over the trailing year, even as engagement signals soften at the consumer level. As of Tuesday's close:

• Take-Two Interactive: +29% to $240.61
• Tencent: +54%
• NetEase: +39%
• Roblox: +20% trailing 12 months, off 10% on Tuesday's broad market pullback

Gaming ETFs HERO and ESPO have outpaced the Nasdaq's 17% trailing-year gain, though both have retreated from September peaks.

The laggards remain European publisher Ubisoft, down 44%, and PC accessory maker Corsair, down 35%. Ubisoft's slide extends a multi-quarter stretch of restructuring headlines from the French studio group.

What changes once the PIF–EA deal closes?

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund agreed to take Electronic Arts private in a leveraged buyout struck at a meaningful premium over share price. Once the deal closes, EA Sports FC, EA Sports College Football and Madden NFL fall outside mandatory public revenue reporting.

That matters because EA and Take-Two together publish the vast majority of licensed sports console games. The next month of quarterly filings is one of the last opportunities investors get comparable sub-segment data.

Watch the upcoming earnings slate and GTA VI's release cadence for the read-through on whether mobile's IAP slide is structural or a single-year air pocket.