A Decade On, Clash Royale Just Did What Few Games Can

Give players something fresh, and they'll show up — and spend big. That's exactly what happened last month, when Clash Royale posted its highest monthly player spending ever and its best download month in more than three years.

Global player spending hit $82.7M across the App Store and Google Play, a huge 251% YoY jump from July 2024. It also blew past June's $51.4M, which had already been the best month since 2021. The reason? A brand-new seasonal mode called Merge Tactics.

Merge Tactics is a whole new way to play Clash Royale. Instead of the existing real-time lane mechanics, it's a turn-based, four-player auto-battler. That means players buy, merge, and position troops from a shared pool, then watch them fight it out automatically. With unit traits, synergies, and seasonal modifiers, this fresh design was built to energize long-time fans and draw curious newcomers.

Downloads tell the other half of the story. July brought in 5.2M installs — up 39% from June and the highest monthly total since April 2022's 5.6M. For a game that's been out since 2016, that kind of growth is rare.

Supercell didn't get here by accident. Back in April, it revamped progression — removing timers, expanding rewards, and making the Battle Pass grind less, well, a grind. Engagement started climbing, setting the stage for Merge Tactics to take the game into new territory.

When it did, players didn't just try it — they invested. Spending rose on card upgrades, passes, and seasonal cosmetics, turning a clever update into a record-shattering month.

With Merge Tactics positioned as a seasonal mode, Supercell now has both the template and the audience to make this kind of surge happen again. If July's numbers are any sign, Clash Royale might be entering its second golden age, with the piles of cash to prove it.