※ Inven delivers a monthly report on the Taiwanese gaming market. Take a look at the latest news from the increasingly important Taiwanese gaming market at a glance. This report data was provided by HappyTuk (www.mangot5.com), an online and mobile game publisher operating in Taiwan.

The second half of 2026 in the Taiwanese gaming market kicked off with announcements of major exhibitions and developer networking events. First, the 2027 Taipei Game Show (TGS 2027), Taiwan's largest gaming festival, confirmed it will take place from January 21 to 24, 2027, and officially unveiled its main key visual. The organizers opened applications for B2B/B2C participation and the Indie Game Award, while actively supporting offline networking for indie and board game developers by hosting the 'GAME LINKER 2026 Summer Developer Exchange' on July 17 in connection with the Asia Pacific Game Summit (APGS).

Developer conferences and academic exchanges were also actively conducted. At the 2026 Taipei Game Developers Forum (TGDF), celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, Li Zhenyuan, Senior Producer at NeoBards—the developer of Silent Hill f—and the development team behind global hit Palworld participated as speakers to share know-how on operating large-scale multiplayer servers and behind-the-scenes development stories. In addition, the 15th International Symposium on ACG Culture and Technology & Bahamut Thesis Award (ACGCT 2026), a representative East Asian academic symposium, expanded its academic scope by opening an additional Hong Kong session at the request of Hong Kong academia.

The heat of subculture festivals during the peak summer season was also intense. The 25th Comic Exhibition 2026, held for five days from July 23 to 27, was held concurrently with the Taiwan International Game & Esports Industry Exhibition and the Taipei International Film and Toy Convention, featuring a total of 120 companies and over 1,200 booths. Popular game IP hands-on demos, esports hardware experiences, and large-scale merchandise promotions took place on-site, building offline user acquisition (UA) momentum for the mobile and PC game markets in the second half of the year.

▣ July Taiwan PC Game Rankings

Following MapleStory and MapleStory Worlds, 'MapleStory Classic' swept through the Taiwanese PC game market in July. Licensed and operated in Taiwan by Gamania, 'MapleStory Classic' is a version reconstructed with the classic sensibility prior to the Big Bang patch from 2005. It faithfully recreated the five basic classes, 12 second job advancement trees, the Free Market, and 1:1 personal trading systems, generating explosive buzz in the local community. Driven by this momentum, MapleStory and MapleStory Worlds ranked 2nd and 4th respectively, heightening local interest in the MapleStory IP in Taiwan. Meanwhile, issues such as login queues, macros, and hack programs continue to arise, leaving community sentiment somewhat divided.

Besides MapleStory, 'Lineage Classic'—which surged following its siege war update in June—maintained 7th place, demonstrating that classic IPs are maintaining stability in Taiwanese PC gaming. Meanwhile, 'Palworld' transitioned to its official launch on July 10, rising to 6th place as interest among Taiwanese players grew.

▣ July Taiwan Mobile Game Rankings

The highlight of the Taiwanese mobile game market in July was devCAT's 'Mabinogi Mobile'. Selecting Taiwan as its first global region, Mabinogi Mobile not only claimed 1st place in Bahamut's mobile popularity index immediately after launch on July 22, but also recorded 5th place in Google Play free downloads and 3rd place in App Store free downloads, according to Sensor Tower. Players particularly praised the graphics, world, and content that captured the original game's signature charm. However, login queues during the early launch phase and heating/optimization issues on the latest devices were noted. Debates between veteran fans and new players were also observed across communities regarding the introduction of auto-pathfinding/auto-combat tailored for mobile and the reinterpretation of the original storyline. Nevertheless, backed by a solid fandom and high visibility, it firmly maintains top-tier traffic.

In terms of revenue, mobile MOBA 'Honor of Kings' posted an impressive performance. In July, Honor of Kings ranked 5th in Google Play revenue and 2nd in App Store revenue. This was attributed to the major July patch alongside new heroes and high-quality limited skins, as well as increased usage among students during the summer vacation season. Additionally, the success of the global esports tournament 'APL (Arena of Valor Premier League)' combined with the annual flagship brand promotion '7.18 Legend Day' were cited as key factors.

Aside from this, while MMORPGs and SLGs such as Lineage M and Whiteout Survival continued their strong presence, the advance of subculture titles was also notable. First, 'Goddess of Victory: Nikke' reached 8th place in Google Play revenue thanks to its summer event and the Project Matis story update focusing on the main Matis Squad. Furthermore, the first mobile rhythm game utilizing Japanese company COVER's flagship VTuber IP, 'Hololive Dreams', reached 10th place in App Store downloads and 8th in Bahamut popularity following its release on July 23. This is analyzed as the result of organic viral momentum from a fandom nurtured through translated subbed clips and offline events over time.

▣ Mabinogi Mobile

'Mabinogi Mobile', which ranked 1st in domestic mobile MMO MAU following its launch in March last year, was released in Taiwan on July 22. By presenting the warm sensibility and romance unique to the original game tailored to the current generation, it ranked near the top in downloads and claimed 1st place in community buzz in Taiwan as well. Meanwhile, fan opinions remain divided on optimization and elements modified for the mobile environment.

▣ MapleStory Classic

This is the MapleStory Classic server introduced on Taiwanese servers, licensed and published by Gamania. It restored the pre-Big Bang 2005 version, the five basic class systems, the Free Market, and personal trading systems, receiving praise for evoking nostalgia and immersion upon release. Driven by this, it has enjoyed a strong reception, sweeping 1st place in Taiwanese PC gaming communities.

▣ Hell Reborn

'Hell Reborn' is a new mobile RPG self-developed by Closers developer Naddic Games, featuring adventurers who fell into hell while exploring dungeons, gathering to build a settlement, survive, and continue exploring. It features a classic feel, combining pixel art graphics with casual SLG elements and classic MMORPG point-and-click combat. Following its soft launch in Taiwan on July 1, it plans to expand service regions after gathering user feedback.

▣ Rubinite

'Rubinite' is a boss rush action game released on July 23 by Taiwanese indie developer Cup Dog Games. Ever since its initial reveal in 2023, it caught the attention of Taiwanese gamers by crafting a dark fairy tale world in pixel art, and was named a finalist for Best Audio at the 2025 Taipei Game Show Indie Game Award. With a streamlined boss-centric structure and fair patterns, 94% of users evaluated it positively, maintaining a "Very Positive" rating to date.

▣ Kingdom Heroes: Arena

Taiwan's flagship Three Kingdoms IP 'Kingdom Heroes' series has returned as a fighting game. Legendary generals including Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Lu Bu, and Xiahou Dun make full appearances, capturing exhilarating weapon clashes utilizing various armaments such as battleaxes, longswords, sabers, halberds, and spears in 3D fighting action. It sets itself apart through features such as the 'Dual Weapon Switching System'—where a general equips a primary weapon and two sidearms to switch weapons in real-time and shift the tempo and rhythm—and the 'Ultimate Counterattack System' that turns the tables with simple commands when health drops below a certain threshold. Participating in Taiwan Gamers Con on the 27th, it held event matches featuring streamers and gamers on-site, raising players' expectations.