Roblox Almost Doubled Its Mobile Revenue And Its 20th Birthday Couldn't Have Come at a Better Time

Roblox has just had an incredible September. According to the latest mobile gaming rankings, the platform generated an estimated $112.7 million in mobile revenue, an 88.2% jump from August. It also climbed from tenth to second place among the world's highest-grossing mobile games.

Only Honor of Kings managed to stay ahead.

And the timing is interesting. Roblox just celebrated its 20th anniversary, bringing back old-school memories, launching a massive in-game event and giving millions of players another reason to return.

Twenty years later, Roblox is still finding ways to surprise everyone.

From Tenth Place to Second in Just One Month

Let's put these numbers into perspective.

In August, Roblox was sitting in tenth place on the global mobile revenue chart. By the end of September, it had jumped all the way to second.

SocialPeta estimates that Roblox generated $112.7 million in September, compared with approximately $59.9 million in August.

That's a huge improvement for an already established platform.

Honor of Kings remained number one with an estimated $121.6 million, while Roblox moved ahead of other major mobile hits, including Gossip Harbor, Candy Crush Saga and MONOPOLY GO!.

And revenue wasn't the only impressive number.

Sensor Tower also ranked Roblox as the world's most downloaded mobile game in September. SocialPeta estimated approximately 30.9 million downloads during the month.

So Roblox wasn't just making money. It was attracting an enormous amount of attention too.

Roblox Turned 20, and the Celebration Was Massive

September was a special month for Roblox.

The platform officially celebrated 20 years since its launch, and instead of simply releasing a few anniversary items, Roblox organized an event built around its own history.

The Hunt: Roblox 20 ran from September 17 to September 28, taking players on a journey through two decades of Roblox experiences.

The idea was simple.

Players entered a central hub and travelled through games representing different years of Roblox history. Each completed challenge unlocked the next year, with virtual rewards available along the way.

Classic experiences such as Lumber Tycoon 2 and Jailbreak appeared alongside newer favorites like Adopt Me! and Grow a Garden.

Completing the main anniversary journey also unlocked Year Infinity, featuring another 20 experiences.

It was essentially a playable history lesson, except with challenges, rewards and a lot more chaos.

And for longtime Roblox players, revisiting old games was probably one of the biggest attractions.

Watch: The Hunt Roblox 20 in Action

The anniversary event brought together old Roblox experiences, new challenges and plenty of rewards. For players who missed it, the gameplay footage offers a look at how the celebration worked.

Nostalgia Was Only Part of the Strategy

Roblox also brought back its classic app appearance for the anniversary.

Players could temporarily switch to the older Roblox logo, colors and fonts, giving the platform a familiar retro look.

Roblox Plus subscribers received additional benefits, including early access to the anniversary hub, opportunities to earn exclusive virtual items and the ability to retain certain classic customization features after the event ended.

This is where things become particularly interesting.

The anniversary wasn't only about celebrating the past. It also gave Roblox opportunities to encourage engagement, promote subscriptions and bring players back into its enormous library of games.

Whether someone returned for nostalgia, an exclusive item or simply to play with friends, the platform had created plenty of reasons to log in.

It Wasn't Just the Anniversary

September also brought fresh activity across Roblox's wider gaming ecosystem.

Sensor Tower highlighted experiences such as Showdown, with its anime-inspired combat, and GOAT Football League, which offered a different take on competitive football.

Brookhaven RP also introduced a Jurassic World crossover featuring dinosaurs and vehicles, while Dungeon Heroes added seasonal content and rewards.

That's part of what makes Roblox different from a traditional video game.

It isn't relying on one developer releasing a major expansion every few months.

Thousands of creators are constantly building new experiences, introducing updates and finding ways to keep their communities interested.

One player might spend hours in a role-playing game. Another might prefer competitive combat, football or a ridiculous obstacle course.

And all of those players are still using Roblox.

The Entire Mobile Market Wasn't Growing Like This

Here's what makes September's results even more impressive.

According to Sensor Tower, global mobile game spending across the App Store and Google Play reached approximately $6.13 billion in September, down 7% from August.

In other words, Roblox's estimated revenue increased sharply during a month when the wider mobile gaming market was actually shrinking.

That doesn't mean the anniversary event caused the entire increase.

The rankings cannot establish exactly how much of Roblox's revenue growth came from The Hunt, subscriptions, new experiences or other spending activity.

But the timing certainly suggests that September's packed event calendar helped keep Roblox in the spotlight.

Twenty Years Later, Roblox Still Has Something Most Games Don't

Roblox has been around since 2006.

Many games from that era have disappeared, lost their communities or survived mainly through nostalgia.

Roblox has taken a different path.

It has grown into an ecosystem where players don't just consume games. They create them, share them and build communities around them.

During its 2026 Roblox Developers Conference, the company said players had spent 29 billion hours on Roblox in the previous quarter, across more than 180 countries.

Those are enormous numbers, and they explain why Roblox remains such an important part of the gaming industry.

The challenge now is maintaining that momentum.

September's anniversary gave players a special reason to return, but October will be a better test of whether that surge can continue without the same celebration.

Still, jumping from tenth to second place in estimated mobile revenue after 20 years is a remarkable result.

Roblox may be getting older, but it clearly isn't finished finding new ways to bring people back.

And apparently, a birthday party can be pretty good business.