Produced by: FoxData Global Mobile Data Research Center

Data Period: July 1, 2025, to July 31, 2025

Data Sources: App Store and Google Play dual platforms

As the global digital consumption cycle enters its summer peak, the revenue changes in the global mobile app market in July 2025 have sent a clear signal: strong content platforms are showing steady growth, while the continued penetration of AI and social media is gradually forming a second growth curve. Meanwhile, mid-to-hardcore mobile games continue to gain momentum across multiple markets, solidifying their position in the core “stable revenue-generating” segment.

In this edition, FoxData presents the Top 10 global revenue rankings for the App Store and Google Play in July 2025, along with an in-depth analysis of the underlying structural changes, platform characteristics, and promising growth areas.

Top 10 Best-Selling Apps on the App Store (July 2025)

FoxData Insights:

The top three content platforms maintain their leading positions, with ARPU reaching new highs

YouTube, TikTok, and Honor of Kings continue to dominate the top three in revenue, collectively surpassing $395 million, clearly demonstrating the strong monetization capabilities of content platforms and mid-to-hardcore competitive games. Notably, YouTube saw a 14.8% month-over-month increase in revenue this month, making it the only content-based app in the Top 10 to achieve positive growth exceeding $10 million, attributed to its North American subscription price hike strategy and the release of high-value ad inventory.

📈Click to view the June revenue rankings

ChatGPT remains stable at fourth place, with AI subscription value continuing to rise

OpenAI's ChatGPT continues to maintain monthly revenue exceeding $100 million, driven by multi-modal upgrades and expansion into commercial office scenarios, creating a dual-track model of “enterprise use + lightweight productivity.” This makes it the largest long-term subscription revenue source after content platforms.

SLG titles break into the top eight, reaffirming the global earning power of mid-to-hardcore strategy games

Last War: Survival and Whiteout Survival (Frost Apocalypse) rank fifth and eighth, respectively, with combined revenue exceeding $120 million. Both titles leverage long-term event cycles, tactical gameplay, and refined overseas operations to maintain a strong foothold in the paid user base across the US, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong/Taiwan markets.

 

Social dating apps still have stable consumption levels.

Tinder ranks sixth, despite a slight decline this month, but in-app purchase incentives such as “super likes” and “daily unlocks” remain stable. It maintains a high paid activity rate among its core user group of 25-35 year olds in North America.

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Tracking results: “Love and Deep Space” failed to make it into the TOP 10

Although its popularity remained volatile and rose in the female-oriented interactive market, its overall revenue in July still ranked outside the Top 20, and its growth momentum has not yet formed a stable trajectory. The primary reason may be that the update pace during the summer vacation period was too slow, and the release schedule for the core high-paying gacha pool failed to achieve the brand's transition to a peak operational phase.

Verification Results: “Shadowverse: Super World” Fails to Sustain High Revenue Growth Momentum

Following its high-heat launch in June, the game failed to maintain its ranking in July, reflecting that while the product boasts a strong IP and immersive strategic gameplay experience, it still has shortcomings in content-driven sustainability. Particularly in terms of the control of limited-time PVP event cycles and the frequency of main storyline chapter progression, updates have been somewhat lackluster, leading to an increase in user churn during the mid-to-late stages.

Google Play Revenue Ranking Top 10 (July 2025)

FoxData Insights:

Utility tools remain the most stable, with “basic subscription + practicality” forming a golden moat.

Google One leads the long-term race, with monthly revenue surging to $2.4 billion. Its bundled package strategy (VPN + cloud storage + photo AI optimization) remains stable, establishing a high retention and high renewal model paradigm within the Android ecosystem.

ChatGPT continues to strengthen global subscription momentum.

Among Android users, ChatGPT remains the second-highest revenue generator, offering insights for mature subscription products: under the unified framework of multilingual support, content generation, and immersive experiences, AI is gradually evolving into a platform-based lifestyle tool.

Content platform competition intensifies; localization and exclusive content are key to success

Video platforms like TikTok (including Lite), HBO Max, Disney+, and Peacock are engaged in intense cooperation or competition. Notably, HBO Max saw a short-term surge in revenue with the launch of new shows like The Last of Us,validating the strong conversion power of “premiere blockbusters” and other series strategies in driving subscriptions.

Case Study: Royal Match's Steady Rise Reflects a “Leap in Rhythmic Awareness”

In the current landscape where the casual gaming category is increasingly characterized by intense competition for traffic and accelerated cycle aging, Royal Match managed to climb one spot in the rankings in July 2025 with monthly revenue of $58 million. This achievement was not driven by a single gacha event or visual overhaul, but rather by a mature transformation in operational philosophy centered on “user rhythm understanding” and “interaction fatigue management.”

From eliminating “operational fatigue” to building “operational rhythm”: it has identified the foundational capabilities of a long-lasting game

Just as Supercell did with Clash Royale, Royal Match did not rely on gameplay restructuring to boost metrics. It avoided the inertia of repeatedly patching existing systems and instead delved into the user's mental landscape, reshaping the cognitive experience of “gameplay rhythm”:

• They de-emphasized stimulus-driven KPI triggers, such as strongly guided payment buttons or high-frequency pop-ups, instead emphasizing “comfortable level progression” and “immersive story accompaniment in a natural state,” transforming game behavior from task-driven to a daily, lightweight experience.

• Weekly events and decoration tasks are no longer forcefully pushed, but instead use “reward packages + community leaderboards” to create a “low-pressure, controllable sense of motivation.” FoxData behavioral trajectory data shows that this strategy has driven the highest peak in daily active users over the past two months.

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