Chinese mobile games continued their strong overseas expansion in January 2026, with Lemon Micro Fun's merge game Gossip Harbor capturing the top revenue position while Moonton's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang surged 122% to claim the growth chart crown, according to data released by Sensor Tower on Thursday.

The performance underscores the sustained momentum of Chinese game developers in international markets, driven by sophisticated live operations, esports integration, and innovative genre experimentation. Multiple new titles from established publishers achieved strong debuts, demonstrating the industry's capacity to diversify beyond blockbuster franchises.

Gossip Harbor secured the overseas revenue championship through a densely packed content calendar featuring winter-themed events, the "Snowcap Season" battle pass, and the "Snow to Spring" card album. The strategic release cadence drove overseas revenue up 4% month-over-month while downloads surged 136%, reflecting sustained player engagement in the competitive merge game category.

Moonton's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang delivered explosive growth, with overseas revenue jumping 122% to claim eighth place on the revenue chart and first on the growth rankings. The surge was fueled by the ongoing M7 World Championship finals that began in late December and the January launch of the "2025 Starlight Festival" featuring the premium "Sun-Queller of Chaos" skin, which intensified player spending. The title has now generated nearly $2.4 billion in global revenue since launch nearly a decade ago.

Merge Game Category Shows Sustained Strength

ClickClick Games' Tasty Travels: Merge Game broke into the top ten revenue rankings for the first time, climbing to third place among global merge games. The "travel plus cooking" themed title achieved 33% month-over-month revenue growth through mid-January's "Coral Isles" themed event, which integrated core merge mechanics with island construction gameplay, and the late-month "Echoes of Vitality" spring card collection activity that drove daily revenue to record highs.

WhaleJoy Game's Haunted Merge: Horror Story, launched overseas in late October 2025, experienced breakout growth in early 2026. The title's differentiated Chinese horror theme and immersive narrative drove January overseas revenue up 285%, securing 17th place on the growth chart and tenth position on the global merge game revenue rankings. The performance demonstrates successful genre innovation within the crowded merge category.

Major IP Expansions Drive Market Entry

HyperGryph's Arknights: Endfield, a 3D real-time strategy RPG spin-off of the Arknights franchise, launched globally across mobile, PC and PlayStation 5 platforms in mid-to-late January. The title topped iOS download charts in China, the United States, Japan and South Korea on launch day, while claiming the top revenue spot on Japan's iOS game chart. Within two weeks, global revenue exceeded $30 million, securing 17th place on the overseas revenue chart and second on the growth rankings in its debut month.

Zilong Game's idle RPG Dragon Traveler launched internationally in early-to-mid January, differentiating itself from traditional hardcore anime-style RPGs through cute Japanese art direction and relaxed auto-battle mechanics. The title reached second place on iOS download charts in Japan and South Korea on launch day, maintaining strong revenue positions across the US, South Korea and Japan to secure 26th place on the revenue chart and fourth on the growth rankings in its first month.

X.D. Network's slow-paced life simulation game Heartopia launched overseas in early January, rapidly topping iOS download charts in Japan, the US, South Korea and Indonesia. The title's high-degree-of-freedom lifestyle simulation experience and lightweight social mechanics enabled differentiation within the casual category, achieving fifth place on the global simulation game revenue chart while debuting at 28th on the overseas revenue chart and fifth on the growth rankings.

Established Titles Leverage Version Updates

miHoYo's Genshin Impact secured third place on the growth chart following its January 14 "Moon's Fourth" version update titled "Song of the Empty Moon - Finale." The update unlocked the "Song of the Empty Moon" concluding storyline, the new "Nordkalai" region, fresh characters including "Colombia," and the Lantern Rite themed event. The multi-dimensional content drove the game to the top of the global mobile game revenue chart on launch day, with overseas revenue reaching a one-year high. Japan demonstrated particularly strong performance, with January 14 revenue surging 867% to capture the daily revenue crown.

Arknights celebrated its sixth anniversary in the Japanese market on January 16 with the special "Ruins" event, featuring new operators and substantial rewards that drove daily revenue up 15-fold in Japan. Leveraging this core market explosion, overseas revenue jumped 81% for the month, returning the title to 24th on the revenue chart and seventh on the growth rankings. After six years overseas, the game has generated over $1.1 billion in cumulative revenue, representing 70% of global total and demonstrating sustained IP appeal in the Japanese market.

Hybrid Casual and Niche Genres Gain Traction

Shooting defense game Cell Survivor extended its growth trajectory, rising 50% in January following December 2025's 173% surge to claim 14th on the growth chart. The title's innovative theme of defending cells against viral invasion, combined with gameplay fusing Roguelike shooting, tower defense and RPG progression, has driven sustained growth in Japan where it ranks as the highest-earning hybrid casual game with a 4.8 App Store rating.

Leniu Technology's MMORPG Eternal Sword Pact and Joy Net Games' tower defense title Gwipan Obunjeonmade their debut appearances on the growth chart, reflecting continued experimentation across diverse genres by Chinese developers.

Download Rankings Dominated by Casual Titles

Hungry Studio's puzzle game Block Blast! maintained its position atop the overseas download chart in January. Vita Studio's mahjong-themed match game Vita Mahjong held second place with downloads rising 31% month-over-month, while Oakever Game's 3D stacking puzzle Tile Explorer - Triple Matchclimbed to third with 46% download growth. X.D. Network's Heartopia secured fifth place in its launch month and topped the download growth chart.

The data reflects in-app purchase revenue only and excludes advertising monetization and third-party Android channel revenue in China.