During the first half of 2026, the Japanese market saw a notable uplift in hardware‑related software sales, with PC and PlayStation titles collectively moving 21 million units—a 13 percent increase over the same period a year earlier. The growth was spearheaded by Capcom’s flagship horror‑action title, Resident Evil Requiem, which emerged as the dominant force behind the uptick.
Sensor Tower’s most recent Japan Game Market Insights report, which focuses exclusively on Steam and PlayStation data, identified Capcom as the leading publisher for PC and PlayStation platforms in terms of units sold. The report underscores that the company’s strong performance was largely attributable to the launch of Resident Evil Requiem, a game that not only resonated with longtime fans but also attracted a broader audience on the PC marketplace. Resident Evil Requiem recorded an unprecedented first‑month performance on Steam, with an estimated 2.6 million copies sold in its opening weeks. This figure represents the highest initial month sales for any Resident Evil title on the platform, highlighting the franchise’s enduring appeal and the effectiveness of Capcom’s multi‑regional marketing strategy.
Sensor Tower noted that the result "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." Beyond raw sales numbers, the report highlighted strong player engagement metrics. Steam users who purchased Requiem averaged roughly 25 hours of gameplay during the first month, the longest average playtime among recent entries in the series. This deep engagement suggests that the game succeeded not only in attracting buyers but also in retaining them through compelling content and replay value. A key factor in building that momentum was the early establishment of a dedicated Steam store page, which went live 264 days before the official release.
This extended pre‑launch window allowed Capcom to generate sustained awareness, accumulate wishlists, and nurture community interest across major regions—including the United States, China, Japan, and Europe. Sensor Tower credited this prolonged runway for converting early anticipation into lasting playtime. By July 2026, Resident Evil Requiem had surpassed the eight‑million‑unit milestone worldwide, a landmark that contributed significantly to Capcom’s quarterly financial results. The title’s success complemented the performance of other Capcom releases such as Pragmata, and the company also reported continued sales growth for legacy entries Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 2, which have benefited from ongoing digital distribution and price‑point adjustments.
While premium console and PC titles flourished, the mobile segment showed a contrasting picture. In‑app purchase (IAP) revenue from mobile games fell 5.1 percent year‑on‑year to ¥1.56 trillion (approximately $10 billion), and total downloads decreased 5.4 percent to 585 million. Despite the 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, 65 percent of global mobile IAP revenue originated from Japan, with the remaining 35 percent coming from overseas markets. Domestic publishers accounted for 28 percent of all mobile game downloads in the second quarter of 2026. Although this share has stabilized since late 2026, it remains below the 32 percent share recorded a year earlier, reflecting the expanding reach of international publishers among Japanese gamers. Advertising spend within the gaming sector also saw robust figures.
In the first six months of 2026, the industry invested $749.7 million in advertising and generated 208 billion ad impressions, positioning gaming as the third‑largest advertising category in Japan behind e‑commerce and automotive. Among mobile titles, Konami’s eFootball emerged as the highest‑grossing game from January through July 2026, followed by Monster Strike, Last War: Survival, and Whiteout Survival. Sensor Tower attributed eFootball’s strong performance to Konami’s strategic alignment of football‑themed content with heightened interest surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sustaining player momentum from April to July. In the action‑RPG space, Dragon Quest Smash/Grow claimed the top spot for both IAP revenue and overall spend during the same period, illustrating the genre’s continued popularity.
Genre‑level analysis revealed that role‑playing games (RPGs) captured nearly one‑third of all mobile IAP revenue, accounting for 32.8 percent of the total. Strategy games followed with 23.8 percent, while puzzle titles dominated download figures, representing 37.8 percent of all mobile game installs.
These insights highlight the diverse preferences of Japanese gamers, who balance deep, narrative‑driven experiences with quick‑play, casual formats. Overall, the first half of 2026 demonstrated a bifurcated landscape: premium PC and console titles, led by Resident Evil Requiem, enjoyed strong growth and high engagement, whereas the mobile sector faced modest declines in revenue and downloads but remained a critical component of Japan’s broader gaming economy. Sensor Tower’s data suggests that while the mobile market may be contracting slightly, Japan’s influence on global IAP revenue remains substantial, and the country continues to be a pivotal arena for both domestic and international publishers seeking to capture the attention of a highly engaged player base.