Not Just the Giants: Where to Publish a Mobile GamePart 1

As we saw in the previous article, alternative platforms often offer developers what the giants cannot: more lenient starting terms, testing assistance, and promotional support. This principle holds true not only for PC games, but also for mobile game development.

In our new study, we will explore which platforms are worth checking out when you’re looking to publish a mobile game. In the first part, we’ll look at why mobile developers shouldn’t rely solely on Google Play and App Store, and we’ll examine Android stores. In the second part, we’ll cover iOS alternatives and discuss browser games as another lucrative avenue for developers.

Downsides to the Leading Stores

Google Play and the App Store are the undisputed leaders of the mobile gaming market. Their monthly audience is measured in billions, and their download numbers are equally impressive: in 2024 alone, the App Store reached 41.3 billion downloads, while Google Play exceeded 107 billion installations. At first glance, with this much traffic, an interesting developer is bound to get noticed. However, high popularity brings more than just opportunities; it brings obstacles as well.

Issue 1. High Competition

Google Play and App Store catalogs are overcrowded with apps. At the time of writing, there are over 4 million apps, with games accounting for 10–11% of the entire collection, over 490,000 across both stores.

The scale of competition is determined not only by the number of projects, but also by the speed at which new releases appear. Every week, 3,000 new apps are released on the App Store, and about 16,000 on Google Play. With such massive variety, even a high-quality game risks going unnoticed.

Issue 2. Dependence on Algorithms

According to Alchemer, 79% of surveyed users check ratings and read reviews before installing. At the same time, only half of the respondents indicated that they were willing to install a “three-star” app, while raising the rating to four stars increases the installation conversion rate by 89%.

Ratings and reviews also determine a project’s ranking in searches, and, therefore, how many players will notice it at all. However, managing app ratings is no easy task.

• Google Play uses a hidden formula to calculate a weighted rating that prioritizes more recent ratings. This means that a single critical bug on a popular phone model or an unfortunate game balance change can lower a project’s rating and the number of new installations within a day. 
• The App Store, on the other hand, aggregates ratings over all time. If a game launched with technical issues and received low ratings at release, this can drag it down even years after all bugs have been fixed. A developer can reset the rating, but they’ll lose any positive ratings they’ve gotten up to that point in the process. Furthermore, written reviews are not deleted, so old negative feedback will still remain visible on the app page. 
• According to the ReviewPilot platform, about 12% of Google Play users who receive a response from developers regarding their issue within 24 hours update their rating, increasing it by an average of 1.7 stars. The App Store also recommends dedicating time to players (especially those who gave low ratings). In other words, making a good game isn’t enough on its own. To earn high ratings, you need to spend resources on timely review management too. The situation is further complicated by the fact that ratings are organized locally for each country, so you’ll have to check and respond to reviews for each region individually.

Achieving high ratings on a major platform is difficult, but maintaining them is even harder. Projects must constantly fight for their position and take into account the many factors that shape it.

Issue 3. Regional Restrictions

Developers who publish their projects on Google Play and in the App Store can reach a global audience. However, some major markets are either off the table entirely or available with restrictions.

The most prominent example is China. The mobile gaming market volume in China reached approximately $36 billion in 2025. At the same time, Google Play is officially blocked in the country, and Android users download apps through local stores. Developers who rely solely on Google Play therefore lose access to a massive market.

In Russia, Google Play and the App Store have suspended their monetization program. Developers can now only publish free games, meaning they can’t monetize through sales or in-game purchases. Studios have to find other platforms or bypass restrictions, and they’re not the only ones. Russian Google and Apple users can’t purchase apps or pay for subscriptions because local payment systems are blocked.

Apple has officially allowed the creation of alternative app stores for iOS in the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil, which has significantly expanded publishing opportunities in these regions. However, in the rest of the world, third-party marketplaces are still not officially available, and developers remain limited to the App Store.

Google Play Alternatives

Google Play is the leading platform for mobile games on Android, but it is far from the only one. To guarantee that you’ll find your audience, it’s worth looking into alternative stores, which offer lower competition and have no regional restrictions.

We analyzed possibilities from China, Russia, the US, and Korea that can complement Google Play and help developers increase their revenue.

Alternative Platforms to Google Play

Let’s compare these platforms with Google Play across the following parameters: profitability and reach, publishing costs, and game requirements. A summary table of the various app stores, where we examine registration and publishing conditions in more detail and outline the main platform rules, can be downloaded at the following link.

OEM Stores

In this section, we’ll compare Google Play with stores available on Xiaomi, Samsung, Huawei, and OPPO devices.

In terms of audience reach, Huawei AppGallery is the closest to Google Play, with over 580 million monthly active users. GetApps ranks third with 260 million monthly active users. The Samsung Galaxy Store does not disclose its audience data, but the store is pre-installed on more than 1 billion devices worldwide, representing an impressive user base.

As for revenue, Google Play remains unrivaled. In 2025, the store generated $49.2 billion. Alternative platforms do not publish financial reports, but the overall performance of Xiaomi, Huawei, and OPPO indicates their potential.

 Commercial success and reach of manufacturer app stores

The Galaxy Store offers the most attractive financial terms for publishing. In 2025, Samsung reduced its commission from 30% to 20% for all developers. Huawei AppGallery is more lenient than other stores regarding registration terms and does not require any registration fees or account payments.

 Commissions and fees of manufacturer app stores

Regarding content publishing requirements, almost all stores require developers to undergo moderation before release. OPPO Software Store, Google Play, and Huawei AppGallery prohibit using third-party payment systems for in-game purchases. Payments must go through the platforms’ billing systems.

Game requirements for manufacturer app stores

Independent and Regional Platforms

Developers should consider these platforms if they plan to enter a local market (such as China) or publish a project in a specific genre.

The leader in reach among regional platforms is the Tencent App Store (MyApp), which is visited by 200 million users every month. The game catalog is significantly smaller than on Google Play, making it easier for developers to get noticed.

RuStore is a good option for entering the Russian market, visited by over 65.5 million users monthly. For studios targeting fans of Asian culture, QooApp is a great fit. 6 million users search for anime and JRPG content here every month. Indie creators should check out TapTap. Despite its relatively small catalog, the platform is visited by over 40 million users per month. It also positions itself as a gaming community, which increases the chances of finding your audience and building a relationship with them.

Success of independent and regional mobile platforms

TapTap offers the most attractive publishing terms: the store does not charge any commission on app sales. Developers only pay for using the TapTap Payments service, 12% of each in-app purchase. The Tencent App Store (MyApp) does not disclose commission data, but it offers a free developer account for 2 weeks, which can be useful for testing and soft launching.

Commissions and fees of independent and regional stores

The global version of TapTap has the simplest requirements for publishing games, where developers only need to verify their account. The most difficult store to enter is the Tencent App Store (MyApp). Firstly, it’s a Chinese marketplace, and to enter the Chinese market, a foreign studio must find a local publisher (or set up a joint venture) and obtain an ISBN license from the National Press and Publication Administration. Secondly, to release on the Tencent App Store, the developer will have to integrate Tencent’s SDK (for user authentication via WeChat or QQ and payment processing). Since the Tencent platform does not have a global version, and the SDK documentation is only available in Chinese, the integration process can be quite challenging.

Game requirements of independent and regional stores

Android game creators have access to a wide selection of stores for any project and budget. But what about iOS? For a long time, the App Store was the only option for developers, but the situation has begun to change. Apple is gradually opening up the market to other platforms. We’ll cover these in the second part of our study. We’ll also talk about browser games, which are gaining popularity again.

Whichever platform you choose, a game’s success largely depends on whether it resonates with players. And for that to happen, high-quality localization and a smart promotion strategy are essential. Logrus IT helps games speak the language of gamers worldwide. Get in touch to discuss your project.

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