Homegrown games, whose presence had shrunk in the upper ranks of mobile game revenue under pressure from Chinese titles, are climbing back up the chart. Korean games have held the top spots from Nos. 1–4 in Google Play's daily game revenue ranking for three straight days, and the number of Korean games in the top 10 rose from four three months ago to seven. The surge came as the new massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) "Zeus: God of Arrogance" became a hit, "Sol: Enchant" held its top-tier position, and even idle games like "Maple Idle" joined the mix.
However, some say it is too soon to see this rise as a full rebound for Korean games, given that competition was relatively light with fewer major new releases from Chinese publishers. It is positive that the hit genres have broadened from MMORPGs to idle RPGs, but there are calls to continue diversifying into genres such as strategy and casual.
According to Mobile Index on the 8th, on the 6th Korean games occupied all of the Nos. 1–4 spots in Google Play's game revenue ranking. Zeus, developed by Aiverton and serviced by Com2uS, held No. 1, followed by NC's "Lineage M," Nexon's Maple Idle, and Netmarble's Sol: Enchant, in that order. Since the 4th, these games have steadily kept the Nos. 1–4 spots.
Expanding the scope to the top 10 also highlights the strong showing of Korean games. Adding No. 7 "Hangame Poker Classic," No. 8 "Odin: Valhalla Rising," and No. 10 "Hangame Poker," seven Korean titles made the top 10.
On June 6, three months ago, only four Korean games were in the top 10. At the time, Lineage M ranked No. 1 and Maple Idle ranked No. 3, but Century Games' "WOS: Whiteout Survival" took No. 2, FirstFun's "Last War: Survival" took No. 4, and Century Games' "King Shot" ranked No. 5. Among the top five, three were Chinese games and only two were Korean.
◇ Upper ranks yielded to China… Zeus and Sol won them back
In recent years, foreign titles, led by Chinese games, have rapidly grown their presence in Korea's mobile game market. Century Games followed WOS in 2023 with King Shot last year, and both games settled into the top tier of domestic revenue. FirstFun's "Last War" has also enjoyed long-term success, and overseas casual games such as Turkey-based Dream Games' "Royal Match" have consistently ranked high.
Meanwhile, MMORPGs—long the focus of domestic publishers—have drawn criticism for similar growth structures, repetitive content, and heavy monetization burdens that have increased user fatigue. As major new releases failed to achieve sustained success at the level expected, some assessed that MMORPGs, the core genre of Korean publishers, no longer have the competitiveness they once did.
However, new MMORPGs with higher polish have defied those assessments and led a rebound. Zeus, released on the 26th of last month, reached No. 1 in revenue across both major domestic app markets within 18 hours of launch and has since maintained the top spot on Google Play's game revenue chart. Sol: Enchant, launched on June 18, also hit No. 1 in revenue within 22 hours and has stayed in the top tier for more than two months. In addition, Lineage M, now in its ninth year, ranked No. 2, and Odin ranked No. 8, with established MMORPGs also supporting the upper ranks.
Idle games using existing popular intellectual property (IP) have also taken root as a new pillar of success. Maple Idle surged from No. 8 a month ago to No. 3, and recently "Cookie Run Idle" entered the top 10.
◇ Gap from lack of new Chinese releases too… "Need to diversify genres"
Still, there are voices saying it is hard to conclude that Korean games have fully regained leadership in the mobile market. Existing Chinese hits like WOS and King Shot remain strong, and the recent relative lull in major Chinese releases in Korea should also be considered. Starting with Pawprint Studios' "Animo" on the 23rd of this month, and followed in January by NetEase, Inc.'s role-playing game (RPG) "Infinity," a slate of Chinese titles are set to launch, and competition is expected to intensify again.
Amid this situation, some say domestic firms need to both strengthen the competitiveness of their existing main genres and broaden the range of hit genres.
A game industry official said, "If a major new Chinese title comes out, the landscape could shift again," and noted, "There is a need to bolster long-term live-ops capabilities for existing MMORPGs while diversifying into genres such as strategy and casual to secure new user segments."