During the first half of 2026, the Japanese market saw a notable 13% increase in PC and PlayStation hardware sales, reaching a total of 21 million units. This growth was largely propelled by the launch of Capcom's highly anticipated title, Resident Evil Requiem. The figures come from Sensor Tower’s most recent Japan Game Market Insights report, which highlights that Capcom emerged as the leading publisher for both PC and PlayStation platforms in terms of units sold. It is important to note that Sensor Tower’s Japanese dataset focuses exclusively on Steam and PlayStation activity, excluding other distribution channels.
Resident Evil Requiem distinguished itself with an exceptionally strong opening month on Steam, moving an estimated 2.6 million copies in its first 30 days. Sensor Tower commented that this performance "underscores Steam’s growing importance to premium Japanese games, giving Capcom immediate access to a large global audience while extending the series beyond its traditional console strength." The report further pointed out that Steam users who purchased the game logged an average of 25 hours of playtime, the highest engagement metric among recent entries in the franchise. This deep level of involvement suggests that players are not only buying the title but also investing substantial time in its content.
A key factor behind the successful launch was the early establishment of a dedicated Steam store page, which went live 264 days before the official release. This lengthy runway allowed Capcom to build awareness, accumulate wishlists, and generate buzz across a wide geographic spread that included the United States, China, Japan, Europe, and additional markets.
Sensor Tower observed that such broad participation helped translate anticipation into sustained playtime once the game became available. By July, Resident Evil Requiem had crossed the eight‑million‑unit threshold, providing a significant boost to Capcom’s quarterly financial results alongside the performance of its other recent title, Pragmata. The company also reported continued sales momentum for its earlier Resident Evil entries, specifically Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 2, indicating that the franchise’s overall ecosystem remains robust. In contrast to the upward trend in PC and console sales, the mobile sector experienced a modest contraction.
In‑app purchase (IAP) revenue from mobile games fell 5.1% year‑on‑year to ¥1.56 trillion (approximately $10 billion), while total downloads dropped 5.4% to 585 million. Despite this dip, Japan retained its status as Asia’s second‑largest mobile gaming market, generating twice the IAP revenue of South Korea and nearly four times that of Taiwan, according to Sensor Tower’s data. Domestic revenue accounted for 65% of the total IAP income, with the remaining 35% coming from overseas sources.
Japanese publishers were responsible for 28% of all mobile game downloads in the second quarter of 2026. Sensor Tower noted that this share has stabilized since late 2026 but remains below the 32% share recorded a year earlier, as foreign publishers continue to expand their foothold among Japanese gamers. Advertising spend within the gaming sector also saw strong numbers, with $749.7 million invested and 208 billion ad impressions recorded in the first half of the year.
This placed gaming as the third‑largest advertising category in Japan, reflecting the sector’s continued attractiveness to marketers. Among mobile titles, eFootball emerged as the top‑grossing game from January through July 2026, followed by Monster Strike, Last War: Survival, and Whiteout Survival.
Sensor Tower attributed eFootball’s success to Konami’s strategic timing, noting that the company maintained "momentum from April through July by aligning football‑themed content with heightened World Cup interest." In the action‑RPG niche, Dragon Quest Smash/Grow led both IAP revenue and overall earnings during the same period. When examining genre performance, role‑playing games (RPGs) dominated mobile IAP revenue, capturing 32.8% of the total—a figure that translates to nearly one‑third of all spending. Strategy games followed with 23.8% of IAP revenue, while puzzle titles drove the highest proportion of downloads, accounting for 37.8% of all installs. These statistics illustrate the diverse preferences of Japanese mobile gamers, who balance spending on immersive, long‑form experiences with a strong appetite for quick, puzzle‑oriented play sessions.
Overall, the data paints a picture of a Japanese gaming landscape that is thriving on high‑end console and PC experiences, especially those with strong international distribution channels like Steam, while simultaneously navigating modest challenges in the mobile arena. Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem serves as a prime example of how a flagship franchise can leverage early marketing, global platform reach, and deep player engagement to drive substantial sales growth across multiple regions and platforms.