The Hypercasual Games That Have Reigned Supreme in 2021 (and Why)

In the past five years, hypercasual mobile games – AKA games that are usually free to download, easy to use and extremely satisfying (if not a little addictive) to play – have dominated top charts in multiple mobile game stores. In 2020, hypercasual games were responsible for a whopping 6.3billion, that’s a third, of all global downloads, and that number is on track to significantly increase by the end of 2021.

Mobile app intelligence firm, Airnow, which tracks and analyses all global app downloads and usage for advertisers and developers, has published its ultimate guide to hypercasual games in 2021. The report not only lists the most popular downloads and the ‘stickiest’ games, those that retain players with an irresistible interface and addictive gameplay mechanics, of 2021, it also provides some fascinating insights behind the results.

The report reveals that the most downloaded hypercasual app on Google Play in 2021 (to date) is Bridge Race, a hugely gratifying multiplayer integration game by Super Sonic Studios Ltd, whereas, on iOS download, it’s the exciting ‘clash game’ Count Masters: Crowd Runner by Tap2Play LLC.

When it comes to the ‘stickiest’ games, the ones that retain the most loyal user bases, according to active daily and monthly user figures, it’s a different story, with the iconic Candy Crush Saga continuing to dominate on Google Play, and Two Dots, the sequel to Dots, holding its own on iOS in 2021.

Airnow has discovered that the secret to creating a ‘sticky’ game is the ability for developers to cleverly combine more than one of the popular mechanics often used in hypercasual games with a super simple theme. Mechanics are usually those based around timing, such as tapping the screen at the optimum moment, puzzle-based, swerving, using rhythms, resizing, clashing, stacking and multiplayer integration.

The top five hypercasual games downloaded on Google Play in 2021 (to date) are:

1: Bridge Race

2. Subway Surfers

3. Hair Challenge

4. Join Clash 3D

5. Count Masters: Crowd Clash & Stickman Running Game

The top five hypercasual games downloaded on iOS in 2021 (to date) are:

1. Count Masters: Crowd Clash & Stickman Running Game

2. High Heels

3. Subway Surfers

4. Hair Challenge

5. Bridge Race

The top five stickiest hypercasual games on Google Play in 2021 (to date) are:

1. Candy Crush Saga

2. Bubble Witch 3 Saga

3. Find Emoji: Free Puzzle Game

4. Candy Crush Soda Saga

5. Coin Master

The top five stickiest hypercasual games on iOS in 2021 (to date) are:

1. Two Dots

2. Happy Glass

3. Candy Crush Friends Saga

4. Temple Run

5. Candy Crush Saga