Some 41 per cent of global game installs came from Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) in Q2 2016, with these countries representing four of the top five markets, according to developer tools company Unity Technologies.

They were joined by the US, which had 10.3 per cent of installs (landing second place, behind China).

When comparing OS, the top ten countries “unsurprisingly” saw a majority of their game installs occur on Android devices, with Japan being the notable exception, where 53 per cent of game installs were on iOS, according to Unity’s report, Games by the Numbers.

Unity by the Numbers - Q2 2016 - Infographic

Looking at Android installs worldwide, BRIC countries again claimed four of the top five spots. Together they account for 42 per cent of total Android installs.

Android achieved “near total dominance” in Indonesia, with 96 per cent of total game installs, beating South Korea and Brazil, both of which were at 92 per cent in Q1.

Samsung led the BRIC Android market for game installs with 18.1 per cent share, and it was the only one of the top five not from China: it was followed by Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Huawei.

China topped the overall list with almost 30 per cent of total game installs, which the report said is not surprising given its large population and smartphone adoption rates.

India replaced Japan to take number five position, while Indonesia and Vietnam replaced Turkey and UK in the top ten list, “making emerging economies the powerhouses of this quarter,” the study noted.

The global mobile platform landscape shows little movement since Q1 2016, given the lack of major disruptors, the report said.

Predictably, Apple and Samsung accounted for 45 per cent of global mobile installs, continuing to lead as the two most popular mobile device manufacturers.

Android has historically had a large variety of devices, but the landscape is now even more fragmented, the report observed.

The report also found that Apple customers who play games show a strong preference for iPhones, which represent over two-thirds of all game installs, compared to iPads which slipped two points to 31 per cent.