5 Mobile Games That Had Viral Success

Every now and then, there’s an app that everybody goes crazy for and it goes from having a few hundred downloads to having millions of downloads seemingly overnight. Most of the time, the apps that are able to achieve this type of sudden viral success fall in the games category. Some of the games are incredibly simplistic and people of all ages end up becoming devoted to make it as far as they can, while others involve multiplayer and are just plain old fun.

There have been many games that went viral, though many of them were flashes in the pan that ended up becoming an afterthought just as soon as they were on everybody’s phones. Then, there are those that had staying power. Our list has a nice mix of both, as we showcase five mobile games that had the most viral success.

Flappy Bird

Flappy Bird is an arcade-style mobile game that was developed by Dong Nguyen’s company .Gears, also known as dotGears, was released in 2013. It rose in popularity in 2014, becoming an overnight sensation to kids and adults alike. People were obsessed with this fun, but difficult game. Making it the most downloaded mobile game of the year, earning a whopping $50,000 a day in sales and ad revenue. In an act of humanity, the game’s creator took it off the AppStore due to the incredibly addictive nature of the game. 

Candy Crush

Candy Crush is a worldwide mobile game phenomenon, free to play and popular among all ages and walks of life. It was developed by King and originally released for Facebook in 2012. Now the game can be downloaded sans Facebook and enjoyed by anybody on iOS, Android, or PC. The game features a cute and colorful array of candy pieces set up in a tile-matching style of gameplay. You must match three, or more candies in a line, block of four, or L-shaped formation. Each level presents its own challenges and increases in difficulty over the course of the levels. It’s a wonderfully fun and mind-numbing game that surprisingly never gets old. 

Pokémon Go

One of the most viral mobile games of modern times is Pokémon Go. Popular among today’s youth and millennials alike. It brings the adventure and unique nature of Pokémon to the real world. You can explore real-life locations and search for different kinds of Pokémon along your travels. You can find eggs that require the player to walk a specific distance before it hatches. Giving incentives to walk and stay active. As well as creating a fun way to socialize with other players in your community. 

Among Us

Among Us is another hugely successful game that got its start on mobile platforms. The game was developed by Innersloth studios and released in 2018, later being released for consoles and PC. The multiplayer social deduction game was inspired by the sci-fi thriller “The Thing” as well as the game “Mafia” created in the 1980s. Among Us rose in popularity in 2020 when a variety of Twitch streamers with large audiences began playing the game on streams. Some believe the 2020 pandemic made the game take off, due to its socially interactive and fun gameplay. 

Roblox

If you know a kid, you’ve probably heard of Roblox. The ever-so-popular mobile game is one kids go crazy for. It was developed by the Roblox Corporation and released for PC in 2006. Later released for mobile users in 2012 and 2014. The game is free to play but largely reliant on in-game purchases through the use of Robux. It’s estimated that half of all children in America are active users on the platform. It features a large variety of games for different age ranges, like music games, puzzle games, social games, and modified versions of popular games outside of Roblox.