Top 10 Mobile Games In South Korea

South Korea is the breeding ground of gaming innovations. Day in and day out, the publishers are toiling hard to come up with new and more advanced games that will dominate the gaming industry. Although the main objective behind such innovations is always monetary, sometimes it is also about taking market control. Either way, the gaming companies can earn big once more people start to play their games. Particularly in South Korea gaming is a very big deal. It is not anymore about passing times, but instead a matter of professional sports. South Korea gave birth to Esports and the whole world is following in their footsteps. 

Mobile Gaming in South Korea

Just like PC and console gaming, mobile gaming is very rapidly penetrating the mass. People are getting hooked more by the easy portable gaming versions available in their hands. Especially with the advent of new technologies and smartphones, mobile gaming has taken a turn for good. According to a survey, more than half the digital population of Korea is familiar with mobile games. The easy availability of technology has resulted in faster and quicker access to gaming. Many people find it easy to release their stress by playing games. As playing a PC or console carries certain requirements, people have adapted to the easier option of playing games on smartphones. According to research around 66 percent of smartphone users in South Korea plays mobile games. 

What are the top mobile games in Korea?

Koreans are big of innovations. With the growing popularity of smartphone gaming, big companies have hired developers and publishers to come up with fascinating new trends in mobile games. According to data, Koreans love to play mobile games that revolves around Role-Playing Strategies. The country has come a long way to discover new trends in mobile games. Many new mobile games are coming up each day.

The list of Top 10 mobile games in Korea will keep changing in the future too. As the game publishers continue to hustle for developing more advanced versions of their titles, Mobile gaming will keep evolving. South Korea has a particular likeliness for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG). So most of the games featured in the list of top 10 mobile games of South Korea will feature RPG games. 

1) Lineage 2M

Lineage 2M is a 3D fantasy game that revolves around the concept of MMORPG. The game is a massive fan-favorite among the gamers of South Korea. Lineage 2M is developed by South Korean game publishers NCSoft. The game also carries a Windows version where it serves as the sequel to the original Lineage game. Lineage 2M involves character development by players as one of the foremost steps of starting the game. Players can compete among 10000 other players in an open-world setting. The characters chosen by the players involves several class and races. Every player would start the game at their respective temple base, from where the journey starts usually.

 Lineage 2M displays extraordinary graphics and a powerful storyline that revolves around incidents occurring much before the original Lineage arc. NCSoft made few changes in the latest installment of the game allowing players to compete in different servers all across the globe in a single battle arena. The objective of the game is quite simple and involves dealing with monsters and gathering SP which in turn can be leveraged to boost up abilities. There is also a PVP mode where players can compete among themselves. Lineage 2M gathered immensely positive responses from the crowd. In less than 3 months, NCSoft made more than $150 million in revenue with Lineage 2M. Naturally, the game features in the first rank of the top 10 mobile games of Korea. 

2) Lineage M

Lineage M is the Mobile version of the first installment of the Lineage series. It is also envisioned and developed by NCSoft. The game offers a similar play style and objectives as its successor. If it wasn’t for Lineage 2M, the first installment of Lineage would definitely be winning the race of best mobile game title. In Lineage M also, players need to create characters for themselves. The character can belong to several classes which are decided before finalizing the game character. Lineage M was released in South Korea back in 2017. Just like the second installment, Lineage M also features an RPG style of playing and involves character development and leveling up as the game progress. 

Lineage was designed as a game that can involve comic book elements and fantasies in a gaming world that would look real. The mobile version compacts the entire saga in the palms of everyone. Lineage M was a massive hit after its release in the Korean market. It broke all previous records of sales in the initial two months of its release. The Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games category was really reinvented with the introduction of Lineage M. 

3) Rise of Kingdoms

The game Rise of Kingdoms is created by Chinese game publishers Lilith games. In terms of fan following, and response it is just behind the Lineage series. The previous name of the game was the Rise of Civilizations. It boasts a Strategy control gameplay that offers control of the empire to the users who are playing the game. As the ruler or king, the different players will assume responsibilities of their respective kingdoms and a fight will ensue between them. G

amers can choose the kingdoms from 8 different civilizations. Rise of Kingdoms also features characters from history books like Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, and others. The combat involving the kingdoms often is decided and intervened by a result of winner declared by the game based n army strength and points collected. 

Rise of Kingdoms involves a very casual approach to mobile gaming. It is very easy to play and popular among many who plays the game. Particularly the game gained significant popularity in South Korea over time because of its simple nature and strategy-based game arc. Unlike other games, Rise of Kingdoms is not a very intense battle simulation focused on the skills of players. This game is mostly for casual gamers who just wish to play a part in strategic role-playing and arcade simulations. 

4) AFK Arena 

As the name suggests, the game involves automatic control of fighting and gameplay that is continued even when the players are away from the keyboard or simply not online. The world of AFK Arena is constituted of the RPG model of gaming. It is set in the fantasy world of Esperia. The objectives from the player’s point of view are to expand their troops and fight the Hypogeans that disturb the game lands  AFK Arena offers real-life-like gameplay with RPG control over the gameplay. For the majority of the people who can play the game, the publishers have included an auto-battle mode where the game itself resumes bate commands and destroys enemies. 

The game operates on the formation of 5 heroes that operates according to the strategy of the players. One must have the idle strategy to position their troops at the right place to facilitate both offense and the defense. The game also additionally offers 60 heroes that can be unlocked later by the players as the game will progress. This game is also published by the Chinese gaming company Lilith Games. 

5) Miracle Sword

Miracle Sword is a game that is created in the fantasy-based world involving role-playing and Action Strategy developments. The game is adapted from famous Korean actor So Ji-sub’s works and features him in the character role. Like other action role-playing games, Miracle Sword also involves strategic battles and the conquest of territories.

The game is published by 4399 Korea. Being a domestic game, Miracle Sword instantly became quite famous among many gamers in Korea. The line of war and action involves in the game is often too realistic and portrays strong graphics. Miracle Sword is one of the highest-grossing games of Korea in terms of revenue. The creators of the game strategically involved celebrity figures in the game to easily access the mass and penetrate deep inside the Korean market. 

6) V4

V4 is also a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game developed in Korea. Famous Game publisher Nexon came up with the perfect MMORPG game that transcends the world of RPG gaming in Korea. The game is quite heavy and requires a strongly featured smartphone with high-end graphics to sustain. A better-configured smartphone will be able to deliver the unique features and graphical glorification of the game.

V4 involves virtual battles with custom features. The game also features various modes of gameplay that can be selected by the players themselves according to their choices. In V4, the players play as one of the many available characters whose task is to complete quests and evolve as the game progress. The versatility of the game comes in its support of multiple languages. Nexon really used high-end technologies to develop this game. 

Read: Top 10 Esports Game Of 2021

7) Blade and Soul: Revolution

Korean game publishers Netmarble came up with the idea of reinventing the famous Blade and Soul game and added extra flair to it. The game boasts an impressive MMORPG gameplay and virtual world. Blade and Soul: Revolution contains three distinct battle modes- PVP Arena, PVE 16 Player Raid, and RVR Faction War. The game mainly involves fighting and roleplaying while completing quests and missions.

Players are asked to choose from realistic characters each of which possesses a unique skill set and fighting abilities. There are extensive cutscenes in the game and it involves a detailed storytelling arc which makes it more cinematographic. Here in the game, there are four character types that the players can choose from. The game combines Martial arts and sword fights along with other special types of weapons. 

8) Lineage 2: Revolution

Lineage 2: Revolution is a variation of Lineage 2M. The game is created by Netmarble and published under the license of NCSoft since the original Lineage series belongs to them. This game carries a couple of variations from the original Lineage game. The Netmarble variation has multiple exploring areas inside the game world. Lineage 2: Revolution also boasts a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games mode. The quests in the game can be aided by the game controls automatically. The storyline of Lineage 2: Revolution takes place around 100 years before Lineage 2M. It features at number 8 in the list of top 10 mobile games in South Korea. The game has a huge fan base and is played regularly by various age groups of people. The game uses Unreal Engine 4 and is available on both android and ios platforms. 

9) Brawl Stars

Brawl Stars is a team-based multiplayer shooter game that has gained considerable popularity in Korea surpassing even Clash Royale. The game features a Battle Royale mode of gameplay that takes place in a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena world. It is a third-person shooter game that involves some slick matchmaking and gameplay. The players can select their favorite brawlers which are actually in-game character choices given to the players.

There is an option to select from a variety of game modes and one can choose to purchase skins in the game using gems and virtual currency. The game also has a competitive ranking system known as the power league which segregates the players depending on their ranks. The game is published by Finland-based gaming company Supercell. 

10) Clash Royale

Clash Royale is a collectible card game that is famous in South Korea and also other parts of the world. The game features an arcade-style of gameplay that uses a pack of cards to create moves and battles are fought between multiple online opponents. Clash Royale offers a taste of MOBA battle strategy gameplay. Players are allowed to carry 8 cards in their deck to start the match, although one can only use 4 cards at max at a single time frame.

By using a single card one will require an elixir or energy that is consumed upon the use of that card. The game is concluded when either side can conquer the opponent’s towers. Like Brawl Stars, this game is also developed and published by Finnish company Supercell.  The game comes in 10th place in the rank of top 10 Mobile games of South Korea. 

Many other games deserve mention in the list of top games of South Korea. These games are all very famous and in high demand in the Korean gaming market. Rank wise these games might have slipped outside the top 10 rankings but they are very much appreciated throughout South Korea. These games are Black Desert Mobile, Summoners War, Monster Superleague, Gensin Impact mobile, Odin: Valhalla Rising, and many others. It is safe to say the future of Mobile gaming in South Korea is in able hands.