Survey on Gaming (2026) - Mobile Games

This survey aims to clarify the actual state of game usage, such as playing situations and spending, across two game categories (console games and smartphone games), and to gain an overall understanding of the game market. The survey also includes a comparison with previous years. This report covers mobile games.

Target: men and women aged 15-69 nationwide who play smartphone games at least once a month, in all 47 prefectures of Japan. Total sample: 1,200 respondents. Fieldwork period: Wednesday, June 24 - Sunday, June 28, 2026.

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https://www.cross-m.co.jp/en/report/20260714game

Survey Result Topics

Frequency of play and occasions for playing

Among people who play mobile games at least once a month, 68.0% play "every day." This has remained consistent over the past five years, with more than half of players playing daily. The share is close to 80% among women in their 30s (79.0%), while more than 70% of men aged 20-69 answered "every day," indicating that mobile gaming has become a habit.

＜Figure 1＞

The most common occasions for playing are "when relaxing at home" (62.4%), "when I have nothing to do" (45.8%), and "whenever I have spare time" (24.0%) overall. Among both men and women aged 15-19, "when I have nothing to do" is around 60%, higher than among other gender/age groups (men 15-19: 64.0%; women 15-19: 59.0%). Men aged 15-19 are more likely than other groups to play during "commuting to work or school" (30.0%), showing a strong tendency to play not only during longer stretches of time but also during spare moments. Among women in their 60s, "while watching TV or videos" reaches 27.0%, higher than among other gender/age groups and ranking third within this age group.

＜Figure 2＞

People they play with and game genres

As for how people play, "play alone" is by far the most common response overall (93.3%). By gender and age, "play with online friends, teams and communities" is particularly high among men aged 15-19, approaching 30%.

＜Figure 3＞

The most played genre is "puzzle" (21.3%), followed by "action RPG" (10.2%) and "turn-based RPG" (9.3%). "Action RPG" and "turn-based RPG" are particularly popular among men in their teens to 30s, ranking as the top two genres among men in their 20s and 30s. Among men aged 15-19, "sports" is the most played genre (27.0%), followed by "puzzle" and "FPS / battle royale" (both 24.0%). Women play "puzzle" most across all age groups; the play rate for "puzzle" among women in their 40s is the highest of any gender/age group (36.0%).

＜Figure 4＞

Spending on mobile games in the past month

21.4% spent money on mobile gaming in the past month, with average spending of JPY 7,396 — slightly down from last year but still at a high level compared with 2024.

＜Figure 5＞

The most common spending category is "in-game item purchases and gacha" (63.4%), followed by "buying game apps (one-time purchase)" (26.1%).

＜Figure 6＞

Reasons for playing and what matters when choosing a game

The most common reason for playing is "it is a good way to kill time" (44.0%), followed by "it is easy and casual to play" (31.7%). While these less active/passive reasons rank highest across all gender/age groups, men in their 30s also cited "there is a title or series I like" (21.0%), indicating that some choose games based on the enjoyment factor.

＜Figure 7＞

When choosing which mobile game to play, "it is free or inexpensive" (33.8%) ranks first overall, more than 10 percent ahead of the second-ranked item, showing that ease and affordability are highly valued. Among women aged 40-59 in particular, "it is free or inexpensive" approaches 50% and is the top reason. By gender and age, "connection" factors such as "I can play it with friends, acquaintances and family" and "it has many players" are more common among both men and women aged 15-19 than among other generations.

＜Figure 8＞

Report Item List

□ Survey design
□ Summary of results
□ Respondent profile

▼ Results (1) Profile of mobile game players
□ Mobile game play frequency
□ Play time on weekdays and days off
□ Change in mobile game play time over the past year
□ Change in mobile game spending over the past year
□ Media used to find information on games
□ Media used to share information about games

▼ Results (2) Mobile gaming behaviour and attitudes
□ Occasions for playing mobile games
□ People they play mobile games with
□ Mobile game titles played in the past year
□ Mobile game titles played in the past year (by gender/age, male)
□ Mobile game titles played in the past year (by gender/age, female)
□ Genres of mobile games played in the past year
□ Spending on mobile games in the past month
□ How mobile game spending in the past month was used [Base: Spenders]
□ Reasons for playing mobile games
□ What matters when choosing a mobile game
□ [Correspondence analysis] Genres played in the past year
□ Importance of mobile game elements
□ Importance of mobile game elements (Top 3 summary)
□ Monthly discretionary spending money

▼ Reference
□ Cross Marketing's game research services
□ About Cross Marketing