Our answer
Honor of Kings
139 million daily players in 2025
The short answer
Honor of Kings (王者荣耀), Tencent’s mobile battle game, is China’s most popular game: more than 139 million people played it every day in 2025. Behind it come the shooters Peacekeeper Elite, Delta Force and Valorant, League of Legends on PC, and miHoYo’s Genshin Impact. China has about 683 million gamers.
| Most popular | Honor of Kings 王者荣耀 (mobile) |
|---|---|
| Daily players | More than 139 million (2025) |
| Rising fastest | Delta Force 三角洲行动, Valorant 无畏契约 |
| Biggest on PC | League of Legends 英雄联盟, Valorant, Delta Force |
| Gamers in China | About 683 million (2025) |
How we know
4 signals · SourcedDaily players
Honor of Kings passed 139 million daily active users in 2025, and 260 million monthly players worldwide. [1]
STRONGNew shooters
Delta Force passed 30 million daily players in September 2025; Valorant’s mobile version was China’s most successful mobile launch of 2025. [3]
STRONGMomentum
Tencent says Delta Force and Valorant on PC hit record average daily players in the second quarter of 2026. [5]
STRONGThe games everyone is playing
| Game | Chinese | Platform | What it is | Strongest signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honor of Kings | 王者荣耀 Wángzhě Róngyào | Mobile | Five-a-side battle arena (MOBA) by Tencent | 139 million daily players (2025) |
| Peacekeeper Elite | 和平精英 Hépíng Jīngyīng | Mobile | Battle royale; China’s version of PUBG Mobile, by Tencent | Named by Tencent as a main driver of its games revenue |
| Delta Force | 三角洲行动 Sānjiǎozhōu Xíngdòng | PC and mobile | Tactical shooter by Tencent | More than 30 million daily players (Sept 2025) |
| Valorant | 无畏契约 Wúwèi Qìyuē | PC and mobile | Riot Games’ tactical shooter; mobile version launched in China in August 2025 | China’s most successful mobile launch of 2025 |
| League of Legends | 英雄联盟 Yīngxióng Liánméng | PC | Riot Games’ battle arena; China’s LPL is one of its biggest leagues | World Championship 2025 held in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu |
| Genshin Impact | 原神 Yuánshén | Mobile, PC, console | Open-world adventure by Shanghai-based miHoYo | Ninth among Chinese mobile games by overseas revenue (Dec 2025) |
Signals differ by game because publishers report different numbers. Tencent owns Riot Games.
Why Honor of Kings is so big
Honor of Kings is free to play on a phone and is played in teams of five, usually with friends. It turned ten in 2025, when Tencent said it had more than 139 million daily players and 260 million monthly players worldwide. In August 2026 it was again the world’s top-grossing mobile game, according to Sensor Tower.
Abroad it is known through an adapted version, Arena of Valor, and a later global release under its own name.[1][9][11]
The shooter boom: Delta Force and Valorant
The big change of 2025 was shooters. Delta Force, released by Tencent in 2024, reached 20 million daily players by mid-2025 and more than 30 million by September. Valorant’s mobile version, launched in China on 19 August 2025, became the most successful mobile launch of the year. Tencent said both Delta Force and Valorant on PC reached record average daily players in the second quarter of 2026.
Chinese players often shorten Valorant to 瓦 (wǎ), so “打瓦” means “playing Valorant”.[3][4][5]
On PC: League of Legends
League of Legends remains a pillar of PC gaming and esports in China. The 2025 World Championship was played in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu; its final peaked at 6.75 million viewers, a figure that excludes Chinese platforms such as Bilibili, Huya and Douyu.[7]
How big is gaming in China?
China’s game industry body counted 683 million players in 2025 and domestic sales of ¥350.8 billion, up 7.7% on the year. Chinese-made games also earned about US$20.5 billion abroad.[2]
Questions readers ask
What is the most played game in China?
Honor of Kings, with more than 139 million daily players in 2025.
Is Honor of Kings the same as Arena of Valor?
Arena of Valor is an adapted international version of the same Tencent game. Honor of Kings later launched globally under its own name.
Is Genshin Impact popular in China?
Yes. It is made by miHoYo in Shanghai, and it is also one of China’s biggest earners abroad: ninth among Chinese mobile games by overseas revenue in December 2025.
What does “打瓦” mean?
Playing Valorant. 瓦 (wǎ) is short for 瓦罗兰特, the transliteration of Valorant; its official Chinese name is 无畏契约.
Can children in China play online games?
Only from 8 pm to 9 pm on Fridays, weekends and public holidays, under rules in force since 2021.
Sources
- IT Home, Honor of Kings 10th anniversary: 2025 DAU over 139 million (26 October 2025, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Xinhua, 2025 China Game Industry Report: revenue and players (19 December 2025, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- PocketGamer.biz, Valorant Mobile is China’s most successful mobile launch of 2025 (1 December 2025) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- 36Kr, Delta Force daily active users reach 20 million (August 2025, in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Tencent, results for the second quarter of 2026 (12 August 2026) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Tencent, results for the third quarter of 2025 (13 November 2025) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Esports.net, League of Legends Worlds 2025 viewership · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- IT Home, Sensor Tower: Chinese mobile games’ overseas revenue, December 2025 (in Chinese) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- PocketGamer.biz, Mobile games generate $6.6bn in August as Honor of Kings leads player spending (24 September 2026) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- China Daily, National Press and Publication Administration rules on minors and online games (31 August 2021) · accessed 25 Oct 2026
- Wikipedia, Honor of Kings · accessed 25 Oct 2026
Update log. 25 October 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 23 January 2027. Suggest a correction