Sensor Tower's store intelligence platform reveals that 38 Chinese mobile game publishers were ranked in the global top 100 for revenue in May 2026. Collectively, they generated $2.29 billion, accounting for 42.8% of the total revenue from the top 100 publishers worldwide.

TENCENT (HKG: 00700), Diandian Interactive Entertainment, Lemon Microfun, NetEase (HKG: 09999), and miHoYo continued to hold the top five positions on the list of Chinese publishers by global revenue. Top-performing games from TENCENT, such as "Honor of Kings," "Game for Peace," and "Delta Action," maintained robust and high-level growth, securing the company's position as the world's top-grossing mobile game publisher. The launch of a special "520" event for "Honor of Kings" drove a 9% month-over-month increase in the game's revenue, allowing it to retain its spot as the highest-earning mobile game globally.

The national shooting hit "Game for Peace" celebrated its seventh anniversary in May with a carnival event, featuring free outfits, popular collaboration skins, and a massive distribution of in-game rewards, alongside engaging online and offline interactive activities. As a classic title with enduring market appeal, "Game for Peace" surpassed a lifetime global revenue milestone of $7.8 billion by the end of May, demonstrating its strong market appeal and long-term vitality.

Diandian Interactive Entertainment achieved a new monthly global revenue record this month, firmly holding the second position on the revenue chart. Its strategy game "Kingshot" and merge game "Tasty Travels: Merge Game" both set new monthly revenue records. "Kingshot" launched a series of events including "Treasure Cove" and "Happy Children's Day," leading to consistently strong market performance. Its revenue in May increased by 11% month-over-month, marking its best performance since launch, with overseas revenue even surpassing its flagship product "Whiteout Survival." "Tasty Travels: Merge Game" maintained steady growth momentum through frequent and efficient regular operational activities, achieving a further 12% increase in monthly revenue.

In May, miHoYo completed version updates for both "Genshin Impact" and "Zenless Zone Zero," helping the publisher secure the fifth spot on the revenue chart. On May 20th, the release of version 6.6 "Ballad of Goblets: Moonchase" for "Genshin Impact" propelled the game to the second position on the global mobile game bestseller list, just behind "Honor of Kings." Following the update to version 2.8 "New Eridu: Sunset" for "Zenless Zone Zero" on May 6th, its daily revenue on the Japanese iOS platform surged by 514%, driving a 27% increase in the game's global monthly revenue.

Coinciding with its second anniversary, Kuro Game's "Wuthering Waves" launched a major version 3.3 update titled "Echoes from the Stellar Sea." The new version drove a massive 138% month-over-month surge in the publisher's revenue for that month, propelling its ranking up by 18 places to enter the revenue chart at the 8th position.

Several products from Lingxi Interactive performed exceptionally well in the market during May, successfully returning the company to the top ten of the revenue chart. Its Warring States-themed strategy game "Nobunaga's Ambition: True Battle" launched a new S3 season "United We Stand" in the Japanese server on May 16th. The introduction of new generals reignited player enthusiasm, setting a new single-day revenue record since the game's launch and driving a 43% increase in the product's global monthly revenue. In mid-to-late May, the company released a new light Chinese-style idle cultivation RPG "Above the Grandmaster," which, thanks to its innovative theme and gameplay experience, held the top spot on the Chinese iOS mobile game download chart for a consecutive week.

Driven by the major launch and phenomenal market performance of its new supernatural urban open-world RPG "Different Ring," Perfect World Co.,Ltd. (SHE: 002624) saw its revenue skyrocket by 233%, making a strong return to the 12th position on the revenue chart and reaching its highest revenue level since 2023. As a strategic flagship title, "Different Ring" contributed 87% of Perfect World Co.,Ltd.'s total global revenue in May 2026, demonstrating strong long-term potential. It is poised to become another globally successful, enduring benchmark product for the publisher, following "Tower of Fantasy."

Beyond the main chart, other Chinese mobile game publishers that entered the global top 100 revenue ranking include Giant Network, Yishijie, Tap4Fun, HaoPlay, Leiting Network, SparkGame, BeHeFun Games, and Blue Planet Joy, making a total of 38 companies.

Top 20 Chinese App Store Mobile Game Revenue

TENCENT's "Honor of Kings," "Game for Peace," and "Delta Action" continued to dominate the top three positions on the Chinese App Store mobile game revenue chart for the period. On May 20th, "Dungeon & Fighter: Origin" officially commenced its second-anniversary celebration event. The launch of new gameplay and top-tier rewards caused the game's single-day revenue to surge by 554%, propelling it to the second position on the Chinese iOS mobile game bestseller list. The game's revenue for the month increased by 141% month-over-month, and its ranking improved by 11 places to reach the 8th position on the revenue chart. Two years after its launch, the game has accumulated over $1.6 billion in revenue from the Chinese iOS market.

At the end of April, the Chinese server version of "Arknights" celebrated its 7th anniversary and simultaneously launched a new theme song "Phase Transition Critical Point." On May 1st, the game's daily revenue soared 18-fold, securing it the 3rd position on the Chinese iOS mobile game bestseller list. This drove a 196% month-over-month surge in revenue for the period, allowing the game to re-enter the revenue chart at the 13th position. Seven years after its launch, "Arknights" has surpassed $700 million in cumulative revenue from the Chinese iOS market, accounting for 42.3% of its global total revenue.