According to data from the Sensor Tower store intelligence platform, a total of 33 Chinese publishers were ranked among the top 100 global mobile game publishers by revenue in December 2025. These companies collectively generated $1.95 billion in revenue, accounting for 34.6% of the total revenue of the global top 100 publishers during the period. Tencent (00700) strongly defended its title as the world's top-grossing mobile game publisher in December 2025. Its ace product portfolio saw multiple points of success, maintaining full revenue momentum. The national-level MOBA benchmark title, "Honor of Kings," continued to lead China's iOS game revenue chart, with its full-year 2025 revenue (excluding third-party Android channels in China) exceeding $2 billion. The auto-battler "JCC Battles" reignited its popularity; the new "League of Legends Legends" season and the "Immortal Legend Summon" event in December ignited player enthusiasm, driving a robust 50% revenue increase for the period. The hit FPS title "Delta Action" became the strongest growth engine, with its 2025 revenue skyrocketing 29 times year-over-year and cumulative revenue surpassing $500 million.

Thanks to the stable market performance of "Whiteout Survival," combined with the genre-complementary effect and outstanding growth momentum of "Tasty Travels: Merge Game," DDM Interactive successfully secured the position of runner-up in the global mobile game publisher revenue rankings. Sensor Tower data shows that as of December 2025, the global cumulative revenue of "Whiteout Survival" had surpassed $4 billion, highlighting its long-term operational value. Meanwhile, "Tasty Travels: Merge Game" rapidly entered a high-growth trajectory after initiating intensive operational activities in May of the year, with its December revenue increasing by 30% month-over-month, becoming a new engine driving DDM Interactive's revenue growth.

The leading player in the merge genre, Lemon Microfun, saw steady revenue growth of 10%, retaining its position in third place on the publisher revenue chart. The launch of Christmas and New Year themed events allowed flagship titles such as "Gossip Harbor," "Seaside Escape," and "Flambé: Merge & Cook" to maintain strong growth momentum, with their revenues increasing again by 11%, 6%, and 18% respectively during the period. This pushed Lemon Microfun's revenue to a new high, propelling it into the top 10 of the global mobile game publisher revenue ranking for December. The company's full-year 2025 revenue surged by 165% year-over-year. Data from Sensor Tower's Live Ops Insights platform showed that in early December, "Gossip Harbor," "Seaside Escape," and "Flambé: Merge & Cook" all updated their icons and page designs with Christmas themes. They launched a series of holiday events like "Once Upon a Snowglobe," "Winter Glow Village," and "Christmas Card Collection," alongside Christmas offers, battle passes, and album collection activities. These interlinked, high-density operational activities further boosted player activity, engagement, retention, and in-app purchase revenue.

In December, NetEase's (09999) martial arts open-world masterpiece "Where Winds Meet" swept across global markets with its robust quality. The overseas mobile version, launched on December 12th, immediately topped the iOS game download charts in multiple regions including Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), Macao (China), Japan, and Thailand. The international PC/console version had previously launched early on Steam and PlayStation on November 15th, demonstrating strong initial performance by not only claiming the top spot on Steam's Free-to-Play revenue chart for December but also achieving an exceptionally high user review score of 88.5%, with a highly international player base. On December 27th, the first anniversary update, "Watering the Steed at the River," made a grand debut, causing global gross revenue to surge in response. The game surpassed "Honor of Kings" to top China's iOS game revenue chart and jumped to second place globally on the iOS game revenue chart. This phenomenal martial arts title captivated domestic and international audiences with its immersive story, exquisite Chinese aesthetic, and high degree of freedom in gameplay, achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success. It also drove a 16% month-over-month increase in NetEase's mobile game revenue for December, solidifying its fourth-place position on the revenue chart.

Driven by the early-December launch of the Qin Che card pool "Silverwing Requiem" and the heavyweight launch of the 5.0 version anniversary celebration at the end of the month, Papergames' "Love and Deepspace" once again claimed the top spot on the global mobile game revenue chart. Its December revenue surged by 122% month-over-month, setting a new historical record. Sensor Tower data indicates that as of the end of December, the global revenue for "Love and Deepspace" reached $930 million and is expected to soon break the $1 billion milestone. The game's strong performance drove a 90% surge in Papergames' revenue for the period, propelling it to 7th place on the revenue chart.

On December 6th, Youka Network's national-level card game "Three Kingdoms Kill" mobile version launched its "Year-End福利 Season" update. New generals debuted with stunning limited-edition Chinese-style skins, and multiple福利 events were unlocked simultaneously. The game's daily gross revenue surged powerfully by 154% on launch day, setting a new historical peak. It claimed the runner-up position on China's iOS game revenue chart, second only to "Honor of Kings." The game's revenue for the period surged by 77%, driving the publisher's revenue up significantly by 65% and successfully returning it to the revenue chart at 29th place.

Beyond the listed rankings, other Chinese mobile game publishers that entered the global top 100 by revenue included BeHeFun Games, Giant Network, and XD Inc., making a total of 33 companies. Tencent's "Honor of Kings," "JCC Battles," "Delta Action," and "Game for Peace" occupied the top four spots on the China App Store mobile game revenue chart for the period. The launch of the Qin Che card pool "Silverwing Requiem" on December 2nd powerfully stimulated a wave of player spending. The daily gross revenue for "Love and Deepspace" skyrocketed, immediately propelling it to the top of the global mobile game revenue chart. From December 30th to 31st, the game celebrated its 2nd anniversary since launch and simultaneously released the 5.0 version "Love, Cosmos, Poetic Throne." The introduction of a new home system and a massive amount of福利 once again pushed player enthusiasm to a climax. The game's China iOS revenue surged by 161% in December, jumping to 6th place on the chart.

Coinciding with its 1st anniversary, the launch of the first anniversary update "Watering the Steed at the River" for "Where Winds Meet" was highly popular among players. Its daily gross revenue climbed rapidly, allowing it to top China's iOS game revenue chart for the first time. The game's revenue in the China iOS market for the period surged by 95% month-over-month, enabling it to enter the top 10 of the revenue chart for the first time, securing the 9th position.