We’ve analyzed the best Google Play categories based on current download trends, including the five most upward and downward trending app and game categories as of August 15th, 2021.
Google Play offers nearly 3.4 million mobile apps and games. Moreover, an average of approximately 1,700 new apps are added every day. As such, app developers are constantly struggling to get their products in front of their target consumers, making app and game categories an indispensable tool for developers and users alike.
Currently, there are 49 primary categories on Google Play. They enable app publishers to sort their products into different boxes — ‘Education’, ‘Music & Audio’, ‘Books & Reference’, etc. This, in turn, makes it easier for consumers to find new apps that match their interests and seek out specific apps for their particular needs.
In this article, we’ve analyzed the best Google Play app and game categories based on downloads. More specifically, we’ve ranked these categories according to download trends, identifying the five most upward and downward trending app and game categories as of August 15th, 2021.
Here’s what we cover:
Google Play App Categories
The Top 5 Upward Trending Google Play App Categories
As of August 15th, 2021, 1) Events was the most upward trending app category on Google Play, registering a 15.31% increase in downloads over the last 30 days. It was followed by 2) Finance at 9.94%, 3) Tools at 8.32%, 4) Productivity at 7.25%, and 5) Medical at 6.42%
The 5 Most Downward Trending Google Play App Categories
On the flipside, the 1) Comics app category took the biggest hit, notching a 22.52% decline in downloads over the same time period. It was followed by 2) Art and design which dropped by 21.72%, 3) Beauty which dropped by 21.7%, 4) Parenting which dropped by 14.93%, and 5) Books and reference which dropped by 13.59%.
For more Google Play app category insights, check out our website.
Google Play Game Categories
The Top 5 Upward Trending Google Play Game Categories
Now let’s take a look at Google Play game categories. As of August 15th, 2021, the 1) Educational game category led the pack with an 8.31% increase in monthly downloads. It was followed by 2) Puzzle at 4.74%, 3) Role playing at 2.82%, 4) Casino at -0.07%, and 5) Simulation at -2.64%.
The 5 Most Downward Trending Google Play Game Categories
On the other hand, the 1) Action game category took the biggest hit, with downloads dropping by 11.67% over the last 30 days. Then came 2) Arcade, which dropped by 11.52%; 3) Casual, which dropped by 10.88%; 4) Strategy, which dropped by 10.54%; and 5) Trivia which dropped by 10.17%.
For more Google Play game category insights, check out our website.
Introduction to IAB Categories
This brings us the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) Content Taxonomy, which sorts Android and iOS apps available on Google Play and the Apple App Store into hundreds of additional categories. These categories were developed to facilitate relevant, brand safe, and effective advertising, as well as audience analysis and development.
At 42matters, we offer IAB category insights via our Explorer platform, IAB Categories API, and File Dump of IAB Categories. Check it out, here’s the Explorer’s IAB category feature:
To learn more about IAB categories, read our blog post!
Get Started With 42matters!
At 42matters, we provide app data, insights, and analytics via a host of useful APIs, file dumps, and the 42matters Explorer. This includes:
- Developer details
- Downloads
- Ratings, reviews, and top chart rankings
- Categories, genres, and IAB categories
- Technical insights, including SDKs, permissions, and app-ads.txt
- And more
The 42matters Explorer, which you can try free for 14 days, is an app market research tool that offers a comprehensive look at app trends and statistics. This includes data on both iOS and Android apps.
Moreover, our APIs facilitate programmatic access to app intelligence data from Google Play, the Apple App Store, Amazon Appstore, Tencent MyApp, and a host of connected TV app stores, including the Roku Channel Store, Apple TV tvOS App Store, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV Apps, LG Content Store, and Vizio SmartCast Apps.
To learn more about 42matters, schedule a meeting with one of our app market experts. We'll walk you through everything.
