On pages like Sensor Tower, for example, we can know which games and applications are the most downloaded daily in each country and on each platform. And taking a look at other websites such as App Brain, it is possible to find out which games have accumulated the most downloads throughout history on Google Play, both free and paid.
On this occasion, however, we want to collect the list of the most downloaded games and apps of all time on iOS and Android. To do this, we will turn to App Annie, which combines data from the App Store and Google Play between 2010 and 2019 worldwide (Google Play as of January 2012, which was when it was created). It is possible that in these first months of 2020 some position may have changed, but in general terms, the ranking remains the same.
Most downloaded apps and games
If you look at the most downloaded applications of the decade, there is a clear dominator: Facebook. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg’s company boasts of occupying the first four positions on the list with four applications well known to all: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram (in this order).
It is also not surprising when we consider that messaging, communication and social media applications are the favorites of consumers, and represent seven of the ten applications with the most downloads throughout history. Special mention to TikTok, which despite its recent creation, has already managed to sneak into this ranking:
1) FACEBOOK2) FACEBOOK MESSENGER 3) WHATSAPP 4) INSTAGRAM 5) SNAPCHAT | 6) SKYPE7) TIK TOK 8) UC BROWSER 9) YOUTUBE 10) TWITTER |
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If we look now at the games, the variety is much larger, because behind each title there is a different developer. The set of all of them constitutes a rather nostalgic collection where we find some of the most viral games of recent years, such as Candy Crush Saga, which occupies the second step of the podium.
In the first place, we have Subway Surfers as the most downloaded mobile game in history; This is an old man known to many whose momentum is given by his strong adoption in India, a country that accumulates more than 15% of its combined downloads of iOS and Android.
1) SUBWAY SURFERS2) CANDY CRUSH SAGA 3) TEMPLE RUN 2 4) MY TALKING TOM 5) CLASH OF CLANS | 6) POU7) HILL CLIMB RACING 8) MINION RUSH 9) FRUIT NINJA 10) 8 BALL POOL |
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Apps and games that have generated the most expense
Are those most downloaded applications the ones that generate the most expense for users? Absolutely not. Here, streaming video services and subscription music apps are the best performers: Netflix, Pandora Music, and Tencent Video rank top 5.
Not surprisingly, although Netflix abandoned iTunes billing for new customers long ago, it still has a large user base that pays through the Apple platform and therefore ranks highest in terms of consumer spending. And just below, we find Tinder, the famous dating application.
1) NETFLIX2) TINDER 3) PANDORA MUSIC 4) TENCENT VIDEO 5) LINE | 6) IQIYI7) SPOTIFY 8) YOUTUBE 9) HBO NOW 10) KWAI |
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Something similar happens with games: not because they are the most downloaded they are the ones that generate the most spending on users. In fact, there are only two titles that appear in the download and expense rankings: Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga, which occupy the first and third place, respectively. Watch out here for Pokémon GO, which has been going strong in terms of spending:
1) CLASH OF CLANS2) MONSTER STRIKE 3) CANDY CRUSH SAGA 4) PUZZLE & DRAGONS 5) FATE / GRAND ORDER | 6) HONOR OF KINGS7) FANTASY WESTWARD JOURNEY 8) POKÉMON GO 9) GAME OF WAR – FIRE AGE 10) CLASH ROYALE |
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