Pokémon Go has surpassed $3 billion in lifetime gross revenue since its 2016 launch, according to Sensor Tower estimates. This milestone comes after the app just saw its highest earning month in three years back in August, after Niantic incorporated a Team Rocket-themed event that drew many players in. 2016 is the highest grossing year for Pokémon Go, as it generated $832.4 million then, even after launching in select countries only for the first few months.
In 2017, the app grossed $589.3 million in revenue, then improved in 2018 with $816.3 million in gross revenue. Their 2019 gross revenue has a chance at surpassing the 2016 record, as the app has grossed $774.3 million so far. Since launch, Pokémon Go has been downloaded around 541 million times worldwide, and Sensor Tower estimates an average revenue per download of about $5.60.
As previously mentioned, the Team Rocket event yielded great success for the app, as it generated approximately $110 million in player spending for the month of August 2019 alone. This trend continued into September, as the app generated $126 million in gross revenue. User spending for the month of October has hit around $67.8 million.
When comparing player spending around the world, the United States continues to provide the majority of the numbers, as U.S. players have spent nearly $1.1 billion, which is 36.2% of the total lifetime revenue so far. Japan comes in second with player spending totaling at around $884.5 million, or 29.4%. Next is Germany with $181.6 million, or 6%. The U.S. accounts for the majority of downloads as well, with 99.3 million unique installs, which make up 18.4% of all downloads.
Between iOS and Android players, Google Play users have spent the most in the app—$1.6 billion, or 54.5% of the app’s total lifetime gross revenue. Additionally, Android devices account for most of the downloads across the world.
Pokémon Go may continue to see financial success for the rest of 2019, as Niantic has several events on the horizon. After this month’s Halloween event concludes, this weekend will bring new event featuring the legendary Regi trio in raids and even an exclusive raid event players can purchase in-game tickets for. November will also bring the next Community Day event, which will feature Chimchar. Next year, Niantic plans to incorporate online player vs. player battles.