(Yicai Global) Aug. 3 -- The Covid-19 pandemic has been an unexpected boon for the gaming sector as wherever the virus rages, game downloads seem to spike, based on Sensor Tower data.

Global mobile game downloads on Apple App Store climbed 12.7 percent to 15 billion in the virus-hit second quarter from a quarter earlier, according to the US-based data provider. Meanwhile, in China, game downloads fell 35.8 percent to 477 million as the epidemic was easing its grip on the nation.

In the first quarter, global downloads had risen 20.7 percent from a quarter ago to 13.4 billion, with the month of April being the most popular for discovering new games.

During the first six months of this year, the top three global markets for mobile games were India, the US, and Brazil. After India entered a statewide lockdown in late March, people added 50 percent more games in the following quarter than they had downloaded in the first quarter. The US market was fairly stable and Brazil posted 9 percent growth.

Tencent’s PUBG Mobile, also known as Peacekeeper Elite, retained its position as the world's highest-grossing mobile game in the second quarter. The battle royale game made USD621 million, sliding 8 percent from a quarter earlier.

Editor: Emmi Laine