The top free mobile games being played in South Africa

Roblox and Block Blast! are two of the most popular free mobile games among South Africans, with both ranking in the top 5 free mobile game lists on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

These games form part of the ever-growing mobile gaming industry, which currently comprises an estimated 3 billion active players according to the Global Games Forum.

The number of active mobile gamers is expected to reach 3.5 billion by 2030, so PC and console gamers clearly cannot ignore the existence of the popular mobile platform.

In South Africa, mobile gaming is even more popular, with the 2025 Africa Games Industry Report finding that the country’s number of gamers had reached 26 million, with the bulk of these being on mobile.

The report also found that the mobile gaming market is expected to reach R6.1 billion by 2026.

Along with this, in 2023, the vast majority of gaming spending was in mobile, with Games Industry.biz noting that it accounted for 91% of total revenue.

Nearly 47% of South African mobile gamers play daily, and the gender divide is well-balanced, with roughly 53% male and 47% female.

Almost half of all local mobile gamers are aged 14-28, highlighting the overwhelming appeal of these accessible titles to younger demographics.

Most popular mobile games

The two most popular mobile gaming platforms are the Apple App Store, and the Google Play Store.

The App Store is used by iPhone users, while Android smartphone users get their games from the Play Store.

Both platforms provide regularly-updated charts that highlight the most popular mobile games.

As of 6 May 2026, there were two games that featured on both platforms’ top five rankings for free titles.

Roblox is self-described as “the ultimate virutal universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine.”

It serves as a sandbox where users can generate large amounts of content and self-created games, and is designed to target players of all ages.

Not only is it a popular mobile game – it is also available on Windows, macOS, Xbox, PlayStation, and even VR.

Block Blast! is a block puzzle game that requires players to fit different-shaped blocks onto a board, and clear lines both horizontally and vertically.

It is comparable to a modernised version of Tetris, as well as another historic mobile game, Candy Crush.

Other notable free games include:

• FIFA Panini Collection – A card collection platform where users can open packs and build albums of virtual football collectable cards. It is the most popular game on the Apple App Store.
• Tile Park – A tile-based puzzle game where players attempt to match tiles to eliminate them all. It is the most popular game on Tile Park.
• Subway Surfers – An endless runner game that sees you navigate railroad tracks, avoiding collisions with train cars and other objects. It is in the top 10 for both websites.

Below is a table highlighting the current top ten free mobile games on the Play Store and App Store.