--- static_export_time: "2026-07-30T17:38:34+00:00" title: "Plague Inc. Game Downloads Soar amid Coronavirus" description: "Discover how this game became n°1 in the Stores and saw its downloads increase by a x12 factor after the Corona Virus outbreak." url: "/en/aso-blog/plague-inc-downloads-soar-amid-coronavirus" locale: "en-US" image: "https://www.apptweak.com/img/2023/03/plague-inc-downloads-soar-amid-coronavirus-2.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&q=95" --- # Plague Inc. Game Downloads Soar amid Coronavirus ![Marie-Laure Cruyt](/img/2023/03/mel-cruyt.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=200&h=200&fit=crop)by  **Marie-Laure Cruyt** Former CPO at AppTweak Last updated on October 22 2025 — 5 min read Summarize with AI Subscribe to our monthly newsletter Subscribe to our monthly newsletter The coronavirus outbreak has been occupying the news for several weeks now, and it looks like it has even affected both the App and Play Store worldwide! In a couple of days, the game [Plague Inc.](/en/applications/ios/plague-inc/525818839?country=us) managed to reach to top charts in major countries and **multiplied its downloads by a x12 factor**. Using our App Intelligence add on, we had a closer look at the game’s download and category rank progression in top countries. Read below to find out which countries seem to be most amused by the coronavirus infection… * * * ## Plague Inc. increased downloads x10 on Google vs. x2 on Apple When we compared Plague Inc.’s downloads’ progression over the last 30 days, the difference between the App and Play Store is huge. On the Play Store, the game went from a total of **8k downloads to 114k in 30 days**. On the App Store, the game barely doubled its downloads (from 2.3k to 4.5k in 30 days).(\*) (\*)The analysis was done on the following countries: Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. _Plague Inc.’s total download progression on the Play Store and on the App Store (analyzed countries are Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States)._ [Learn more about our App Intelligence Add On](/en/aso-blog/close-up-on-trending-eu-health-fitness-apps) This huge difference in download progression can be explained by the fact that the game was launched as a **free game on the Play Store** while it has a cost of **$0.99 on the App Store.** This shows how launching an app as paid instead of free can have a drastic impact on conversion. Today, Plague Inc. gets **89% of its downloads from the Play Store** vs. only 11% from the App Store. _Spread of downloads of Plague Inc. between the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store._ That said, if we look at the **revenue estimates** for this app (US only), we can see that they are **twice as high on Apple** ($507k over the last 30 days) than on Google ($226k over the last 30 days). [AppTweak now has Google Revenue Estimates!](/en/aso-blog/what-are-the-possible-revenue-models-for-a-mobile-app) ## Top growth download countries are Japan and South Korea We then had a look at the download progression of the Plague Inc. game within the studied countries. On the App Store, **top download countries are the United States** (1.4k downloads on Feb 5th) and **Japan** (1k downloads on Feb 5th). On the Play Store, the top download countries are **Brazil** (26k on Feb 5th), the **US** (24k on Feb 5th) and **South Korea** (23k on Feb 5th). _Comparing the daily downloads of Plague Inc. on the App and Play Store across different major markets 30 days ago and today (Feb 5th)._ If we look at the numbers in terms of growth percentage, **South Korea has the highest download growth on the Play Store** (x10 factor in 30 days) and **Japan** beats all countries on the App Store (x7 factor in 30 days). [About to launch your app in Japan? Here’s how to get started with your Japan optimization](/en/aso-blog/how-to-optimize-an-app-in-japanese) ## Top ranking countries are South Korea, Germany, France The numbers cited above should be put into perspective considering the **size of the population in each country**. For example, the fact that Brazil is Plague Inc.’s best-performing country on the Play Store and the US on the App Store isn’t so surprising since these are huge markets compared to some of the other countries. Using Market Intelligence, we compared the size of each analyzed country in terms of download potential. _Comparing the download market share of several major markets of Plague Inc.’s main category on the Google Play Store (Game – Free) and the Apple App Store (Games – Paid)._ Considering the size of the Indian market on Google and the download history of Plague Inc. in that country, we can conclude that the game **isn’t as popular in India** as it is in the other markets. Another way to **remove the bias of the country’s population size** is to look at the **category rank** history of the game in each of these countries. On the App Store, Plague Inc. managed to **rank n°1** among the “All” and “Games” paid category (overtaking Minecraft) and has **maintained this position over the past weeks.** _Plague Inc.’s category rank history over the last 30 days in the categories “All” and “Games” of the Apple App Store (Paid) across several countries._ On the Play Store, there is a more pronounced difference. The game has reached a high position in both the All and Game category (free) in **South Korea, France and Germany.** When it comes to category rank instead of downloads, **Brazil and India lag behind.** ![AppTweak App Intelligence: Plague Inc.’s category rank history over the last 30 days in the categories “All” and “Game” of the Google Play Store (Free) across several countries.](/img/images/2020/02/05/Google cat rank.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200) _Plague Inc.’s category rank history over the last 30 days in the categories “All” and “Game” of the Google Play Store (Free) across several countries._ ## Use App Intelligence to gauge your app and your competitors’ performance across countries To sum up, our App Intelligence Add On has helped us identify the following insights: - The game Plague Inc. has a huge boost in downloads over the last 30 days - This boost took place in all major countries and on both Stores - The boost was more pronounced on the Play Store where the app was launched as a free app (vs. Paid app on the App Store) - Most impressive growth in downloads was in South Korea (Play Store) and Japan (App Store) - The game hasn’t become as popular in India, where download rate remained low - The game still ranks n°1 on the App Store (Games – Paid) and in Top 10 results on the Play Store (Game – Free) in France, Germany, and South Korea If you’re looking for similar insights on your app and your competitors, don’t miss our App Intelligence Add-on. It’s a great tool to benchmark your app’s performance against the competition in several countries at once! [Start a 7-day free trial](https://app.apptweak.com/accounts/new) * * * by **Marie-Laure Cruyt** , Former CPO at AppTweak Marie-Laure is a former CPO at AppTweak. She has always worked in digital companies with a product focused around an app or a SaaS. She’s a real (dark only) chocolate lover. [ Leveraging the App Stores as a True Marketing Channel Understand how mobile marketers can maximize their impact by leveraging the app stores as a true marketing channel. ![Sukanya Sur](/img/2023/03/sukanya.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=300&h=300&fit=crop)Sukanya Sur Read more ](/en/aso-blog/leveraging-the-app-stores-as-a-true-marketing-channel) * * * More articles in App Market Insights, Product Updates - [ App Market InsightsApple AdsProduct UpdatesStart ASO November 26, 2025 Connect your MMP to AppTweak to streamline success Check out the top benefits of connecting your MMP to AppTweak. ![Micah Motta](/img/2025/07/20250220-Micah_Motta.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=300&h=300&fit=crop)Micah Motta ](/en/aso-blog/connect-mmp-to-apptweak) - [ App Market InsightsProduct Updates March 14, 2023 Mobile Gaming Market Trends 2023: GameDNA Report Download this report to find advanced data on the mobile gaming market, powered by AppTweak's unique game taxonomy, GameDNA. ![Georgia Shepherd](/img/2025/03/20240415-Georgia_01.jpeg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=300&h=300&fit=crop)Georgia Shepherd ](/en/aso-blog/mobile-gaming-market-trends-2022-gamedna-report) - [ App Market InsightsProduct Updates September 1, 2022 How & Why to Monitor App Store Algorithm Updates for ASO Find out which countries were impacted by an app store algorithm update with our world map algorithm tracker tool ![Anne Jamet](/img/2023/03/anne-jamet.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=300&h=300&fit=crop)Anne Jamet ](/en/aso-blog/the-latest-app-store-algorithm-updates-uncovered) [See all posts](/en/aso-blog)