India Mobile App Market in Q2 2026: IAP Hit a New High of $345 Million (Up 35%); Story TV Emerged as India’s No.1 Short Drama App, While Meesho Led Shopping App Downloads

Market Overview: India’s Mobile App Market Reached Record Revenue, Fueled by Strong Non-Gaming Growth

India’s mobile app market reached another milestone in Q2 2026. Downloads surpassed 6.6 billion, marking the highest level since January 2024, while revenue climbed to a record $345 million, up 35% year over year. Non-gaming apps continued to dominate the market, accounting for 70% of total downloads and nearly $240 million in revenue with an increase of more than 50% YoY.

Growth, however, was driven by different forces on each side of the market. Entertainment, e-commerce, and quick commerce platforms continued to fuel download growth, while Generative AI and entertainment platforms led monetization gains. The short drama category continued to expand in India, with cumulative downloads surpassing 800 million.

Gaming downloads remained relatively stable at 1.9 billion in Q2 2026, pointing to a maturing market. Despite slower user growth, revenue reached a record $106 million, up 10% YoY, outperforming the global mobile gaming market, which saw revenue decline over the same period.

Together, these trends highlight India’s continued evolution into a market defined by both scale and monetization.

Note: This analysis only includes estimated in-app purchase (IAP) revenue from Google Play and the App Store, excluding advertising revenue and revenue from third-party Android app stores.

India Top 10 Mobile Apps by Downloads & Revenue for Q2 2026

India Top Mobile Apps by Downloads in Q2 2026: Story TV Breaks into the Mainstream as Meesho Extends Local Commerce’s Reach

According to Sensor Tower’s App Performance Insights data, India’s top non-gaming downloads in Q2 2026 were led by Generative AI, entertainment, and local services. ChatGPT ranked No.1 by downloads, while JioHotstar, Story TV, Blinkit, and Rapido also ranked among the country’s top downloaded apps, highlighting the continued momentum of these fast-growing categories.

ChatGPT’s performance in India reflects its rapid global expansion. According to Sensor Tower’s State of AI 2026 report,  it became the fastest mobile app to reach one billion monthly active users, just three years after launch. India has emerged as one of ChatGPT’s largest markets, with cumulative downloads surpassing 358 million.

Entertainment platforms also continued to gain momentum in India. As cumulative short drama app downloads surpassed 800 million, Story TV further strengthened its leadership, remaining the only short drama app in India’s Top 10 download ranking in Q2 2026 while reaching a record-high MAU in June. The platform also achieved strong monetization, with revenue increasing more than 50% QoQ. According to Sensor Tower Pathmatics, Story TV nearly tripled its digital ad spending in H1 2026 compared with the previous half. Advertising focused on localized original productions and daily new releases, helping the platform become India’s No.1 Movies & TV Shows advertiser by digital ad impressions during the first half of 2026.

JioHotstar ranked No.3 by downloads, driven by the IPL season and the launch of its short drama hub, Tadka. The platform surpassed one billion cumulative downloads, becoming the first entertainment app in India to reach this milestone, while its MAU hit a record high in May.

Local e-commerce platforms continued to gain traction. Meesho emerged as India’s most downloaded shopping app in Q2, with MAU peaking in June. Its user base extended well beyond India’s largest cities, with nearly 46% of MAU coming from markets outside the Top 9 cities, highlighting its strong penetration across lower-tier and regional markets.

Demand for local service platforms remained strong. Rapido recorded its highest-ever monthly downloads in May. Supported by its IPL campaign and a major funding announcement, it became India’s No.1 ride-hailing app by MAU in Q2 2026. Rapido’s MAU remained concentrated in India’s major metropolitan areas, with South Indian tech hubs Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai together accounting for more than 30% of total MAU.

India Top Mobile Apps by Revenue in Q2 2026: Premium AI and Video Streaming Fuel Revenue Growth

Revenue rankings in India’s Top 10 remained concentrated among mature digital ecosystems, led by AI productivity, video entertainment, and social platforms. Video entertainment accounted for half of the Top 10 apps, while India’s homegrown platform JioHotstar remained among the country’s highest-grossing apps, reflecting the continued monetization strength of local digital ecosystems.

Among Generative AI apps, Claude emerged as one of the fastest-growing monetization stories. Although it ranked No.5 by downloads in Q2 2026, it climbed to No.2 by revenue within the category. Revenue reached a record high in Q2, increasing more than 19-fold year over year, highlighting the growing willingness of Indian users to pay for premium AI services.

Video streaming platforms also continued to strengthen monetization. Crunchyroll recorded its highest quarterly revenue in India, becoming the country’s top grossing Media & Entertainment app for the first time since entering the market. Revenue accelerated from March onward, coinciding with a concentrated lineup of major Spring 2026 anime releases and the broader rollout of Crunchyroll’s updated global subscription strategy earlier in the year.

India Top 10 Mobile Games by Downloads & Revenue for Q2 2026

India Top Mobile Games by Download in Q2 2026: India’s Mobile Game Downloads Rebound in Q2 2026 as Ludo King Nears One Billion Downloads

India’s mobile gaming market regained momentum in Q2 2026, with downloads reaching 2 billion, up 14.2% QoQ, reversing the global trend of a 4.2% decline over the same period.. Against this backdrop, Ludo King retained the No.1 spot on India’s download ranking in Q2 2026, extending its long-standing dominance in the market. With cumulative downloads approaching one billion in India, the title is on track to reach this milestone in Q3 2026. The biggest breakout, however, was the rise of arrow puzzle games. Arrow Puzzle, Arrows Puzzle Escape, and Arrows GO! ranked No.2, No.3, and No.4, reflecting the rapid adoption of this minimalist, easy-to-learn puzzle format among Indian players.

Built primarily around ad monetization, these titles generated more than 11% of their global ad revenue from India across the 19 markets tracked by Sensor Tower Ad Monetization data, second only to the U.S. Their momentum underscores India’s role as the world’s largest mobile acquisition market, where massive user scale can quickly translate into advertising revenue.

India Top Mobile Games by Revenue in Q2 2026: India’s Mobile Game Revenue Defies the Global Slowdown as eFootball and Kingshot Surge

India’s mobile game revenue exceeded $106 million, up 3.7% QoQ in Q2 2026, bucking the global trend as worldwide mobile game revenue declined 6.2%. The top four highest-grossing games held their positions from a year ago, underscoring the resilience of India’s leading titles.

The biggest movements came further down the ranking. Fueled by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, eFootball posted a 214% YoY surge in downloads and nearly 29% YoY revenue growth, climbing into the top 5. Meanwhile, 4X strategy title Kingshot continued its rapid ascent, with revenue jumping more than 13-fold after entering the Indian market in 2025. Mid-core games continued to lead India’s revenue market, while casual games remained the second-largest segment. Hypercasual games, despite not placing in the top 10, recorded more than 180% QoQ revenue growth, pointing to improving monetization across ad-supported titles.

Key Takeaways

India’s mobile app market reached a record $345 million in Q2 2026, with non-gaming revenue surging more than 50% YoY as Generative AI, video streaming, and digital services continued to reshape consumer spending. Meanwhile, gaming revenue also outperformed the global market, rising 3.7% QoQ despite a worldwide decline.

These trends reinforce India’s evolution from the world’s largest mobile acquisition market into one of the fastest-growing monetization markets, where AI subscriptions, digital entertainment, and ad-supported games are unlocking new opportunities at scale.

Explore more with Sensor Tower Playliner for deeper insights into live ops execution, monetization performance, and player engagement trends across the global mobile games market.