※ Inven delivers a monthly Taiwan game market report. 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 in Taiwan.

The second half of 2026 in the Taiwanese gaming market kicked off with announcements for major exhibitions and developer networking events. First, Taiwan's largest gaming festival, the '2027 Taipei International Game Show (TGS 2027)', confirmed its dates for January 21 to 24, 2027, and unveiled its main key visual. While opening B2B/B2C registration and Indie Game Award submissions, the organizers also actively supported 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 Jen-yuan, Senior Producer at NeoBards Entertainment (developer of 'Silent Hill f'), and the development team behind global hit 'Palworld' participated as speakers to share large-scale multiplayer server operation know-how and behind-the-scenes development stories. In addition, the '15th International Symposium on ACG Culture and Technology & Bahamut Paper Award (ACGCT 2026)', a prominent East Asian academic symposium, expanded its academic scope by adding a Hong Kong session at the request of academia in Hong Kong.

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, co-hosted the Taiwan International Game and Esports Industry Exhibition and the Taipei International Film and Toy Exhibition, featuring a total of 120 companies and over 1,200 booths. On-site popular game IP hands-on demos, esports hardware experiences, and large-scale merchandise promotions took place, creating offline user acquisition (UA) momentum for the mobile and PC gaming markets in H2.

▣ July Taiwan PC Game Rankings

Following MapleStory and MapleStory Worlds, 'MapleStory Classic' took the Taiwanese PC gaming market by storm in July. Licensed and published in Taiwan by Gamania, 'MapleStory Classic' is a reconstructed version capturing the classic feel from 2005 prior to the Big Bang update. Recreating the 5 base classes, 12 second-job advancement trees, Free Market, and 1-on-1 direct trading system, it sparked explosive buzz across local communities. Driven by this, local interest in the MapleStory IP surged, with MapleStory and MapleStory Worlds ranking 2nd and 4th, respectively. Meanwhile, community sentiment remains somewhat divided as login queues, macros, and hack programs continue to pose issues.

Beyond MapleStory, classic IPs continue to show stability in Taiwanese PC gaming, with 'Lineage Classic'—which surged following its Castle Siege update in June—holding 7th place. Meanwhile, 'Palworld' transitioned to its full release on July 10, capturing increased attention from Taiwanese players to reach 6th place.

▣ July Taiwan Mobile Game Rankings

Taking the spotlight in the Taiwanese mobile gaming market in July was devCAT's 'Mabinogi Mobile'. Selecting Taiwan as its first global region, Mabinogi Mobile claimed 1st place in mobile popularity on Bahamut immediately following its launch on July 22, while also ranking 5th in Google Play free downloads and 3rd in App Store free downloads according to Sensor Tower. Players particularly praised the graphics, world, and content that captured the original game's unique nostalgia. However, initial launch issues such as login queues, device heating on newer models, and optimization concerns were noted, alongside community debates between veteran fans and newcomers regarding auto-pathing/combat tailored for mobile environments and the reinterpretation of the original story. Nevertheless, backed by a solid fanbase and high buzz, it solidly maintains top-tier traffic.

On the revenue front, the momentum of the mobile MOBA 'Honor of Kings' stood out. Honor of Kings ranked 5th in Google Play grossing and 2nd in App Store grossing in July. This was driven by the release of new heroes and high-quality limited skins alongside the major July patch, combined with increased player usage among students during the summer vacation season. Additionally, the success of the global esports tournament 'APL (Arena of Valor Premier League)' and the annual flagship brand promotion '7.18 Champion Legend Day' were cited as major factors.

Aside from these, while MMORPGs and SLGs like Lineage M and Whiteout Survival continued their strong performance, subculture titles also made notable strides. 'Goddess of Victory: Nikke' ranked 8th in Google Play grossing, boosted by its summer event and the Project Matis story update centered on Matis Squad, one of the game's main squads. In addition, 'hololive Dreams', the first mobile music game utilizing Japanese company COVER's flagship VTuber IP, launched on July 23 and reached 10th in App Store downloads and 8th in Bahamut popularity. This performance is attributed to organic viral momentum from a fanbase cultivated over time through localized subtitled clips and offline events.

▣ Mabinogi Mobile

'Mabinogi Mobile', which ranked 1st in MAU in the domestic mobile MMO category after launching in March last year, was released in Taiwan on July 22. Bringing the original game's unique warmth and romance to the current generation, it reached top download ranks and claimed 1st place in community popularity in Taiwan. On the other hand, fan opinions remain divided regarding optimization and elements modified for mobile environments.

▣ MapleStory Classic

A MapleStory Classic server introduced on Taiwanese servers licensed and published by Gamania. Restoring the pre-Big Bang 2005 version, 5 base class system, Free Market, and direct trading system, it received praise for evoking nostalgia and immersion upon launch. Driven by this, it gained strong enthusiasm, sweeping 1st place in Taiwanese PC gaming communities.

▣ Hell Reborn

'Hell Reborn' is a new mobile RPG self-developed by Naddic Games, the developer of Closers. In the game, adventurers who fell into hell while exploring dungeons gather to build a home, survive, and continue their exploration. It features a classic feel through pixel graphics combined with casual SLG mechanics and classic MMORPG point-and-click combat. Following its soft launch in Taiwan on July 1, the developer plans to expand service regions based on user feedback.

▣ Rubinite

'Rubinite' is a boss rush action game released on July 23 by Taiwanese indie developer Cup Dog Games. Since its initial reveal in 2023, it drew attention from Taiwanese players by crafting a dark fairytale world with pixel aesthetics, and was nominated for Best Audio at the Taipei Game Show Indie Game Award in 2025. With a streamlined boss fight-focused structure and fair attack patterns, 94% of users have rated it positively, maintaining a "Very Positive" rating on Steam to date.

▣ Kingdom Heroes: Arena

The 'Kingdom Heroes' series, a flagship Three Kingdoms IP representing Taiwan, has returned as a fighting game. Featuring iconic generals such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Lu Bu, Zhao Yun, and Xiahou Dun, the game captures thrilling weapon-based battles utilizing great axes, longswords, sabers, halberds, and spears in 3D fighting action. It sets itself apart with a 'Dual Weapon Switching System' that lets a single general equip one primary weapon and two secondary weapons to switch in real time, altering tempo and rhythm, as well as an 'Ultimate Counterattack System' that turns the tides with simple commands when HP drops below a certain threshold. The title gathered user expectations after participating in Gamers Con in Taiwan on July 27, where it presented event matches featuring streamers and gamers on-site.