Categories: Entertainment

Can Mobile Gaming Ever Supplant Console-Based Gaming?

Millions of people use smartphones for a variety of entertainment. Social media, taking and editing photos, and watching movies are three examples. However, perhaps the most popular form of entertainment using mobile phones is gaming. The question is, can mobile gaming ever replace consoles?

The Growth of Mobile Gaming

The statistics do not lie, and we have seen huge growth in the mobile gaming industry. According to the stats, in 2017, mobile games were downloaded 36.2 billion times across Android and iOS devices. Fast forward to 2024 and that number was at 49.3 billion. In-app purchase revenue has grown even further over the same period. In 2017, in-app purchase revenue on mobile games was $47.2 billion and that rose significantly to over $81 billion in 2024. In 2025, revenue from mobile gaming is predicted to reach a total of $150 billion, which is incredible. In fact, that figure is almost twice as much as console gaming, which gives you an idea of how far mobile gaming has come in recent years.

Why are Gamers Turning to Mobile?

With so much money being spent on mobile gaming, what is it about mobile games that attracts so many people? Mobile phones are more readily available than consoles. If someone out of the house, they can play a game using a smartphone, but you do not have access to a console. If a person is at home relaxing and does not want to turn on the console and load a game, they can simply pick up their phone and begin playing. So, convenience is a leading factor in more people turning to mobile games.

Mobile games are often free or come with a small cost when compared to console games, which can cost up to $100 for a single game. With the overall cost of living continuing to rise in many countries, it is little wonder gamers are choosing to play cheaper mobile games. The games maybe cheaper on smartphones but thanks to the technology advancements in mobile technology, games look fantastic and powerful processes mean phones can run bigger and better games.

What is the Future of Mobile and Console-Based Gaming?

We are witnessing many changes in gaming. From simple turn based games to highly detailed adventure games and classic poker games to no kyc casinos in 2025, the way we are playing games is much different to a decade ago. Cloud gaming is making it easier for gamers to play the latest games on mobile devices without the need to have a powerful console. Previous hardware restrictions that stopped the latest games from being playable on mobile phones have disappeared thanks to the cloud. The mobile device is acting like a screen and the work to power the game is being done elsewhere.

There are still some things consoles do better, including guaranteed performance levels thanks to powerful hardware, not having to worry about battery life, and the opportunity to purchase and own physical copies of games. Consoles are unlikely to disappear anytime soon, but mobile gaming is moving ahead in terms of revenue and is fast becoming the more popular way to play.

Sameer
Sameer is a writer, entrepreneur and investor. He is passionate about inspiring entrepreneurs and women in business, telling great startup stories, providing readers with actionable insights on startup fundraising, startup marketing and startup non-obviousnesses and generally ranting on things that he thinks should be ranting about all while hoping to impress upon them to bet on themselves (as entrepreneurs) and bet on others (as investors or potential board members or executives or managers) who are really betting on themselves but need the motivation of someone else’s endorsement to get there.

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