Mobile Is Quickly Becoming 4X or Puzzle

May 1, 2026

Line chart showing 4X and puzzle subgenres rising to 43% of U.S. iOS game revenue while other iOS games fall to 57%.

On U.S. iOS, 4X plus puzzle may well pass 50% of revenue this year, while year-on-year growth shows it as one of the few bright spots amid the fall-off in other genres. RPG has been hit hard, and Casino is hurting too. Remember Eric Seufert's move to the middle thesis?

Line chart showing year-over-year U.S. iOS revenue growth for 4X and puzzle subgenres staying positive while other iOS games decline.

The thesis is looking better now, but there was also an organism-level adaptation or a Kuhnian crisis: 4X not only casualized onboarding, but also casualized art, through games like Tiles Survive and Kingshot. RPG, in the meantime, has been hit hard.

I'm unsure what the sportsbook effect will be, but so far there does not appear to be any obvious decline in disposable income for games.