A new report from AppMagic shows Heartopia, a mobile life sim from developer X.D. Network, has become one of the biggest success stories in casual gaming this year. The game has earned $120 million in lifetime revenue since launching in China in July 2024, with $67 million of that coming in just the first half of 2026.

That growth stands out because mobile life sim games have been stuck for years. No title in the genre had topped $7.7 million in monthly revenue, a record set by Aobi Island back in June 2022. Heartopia has now blown past that, hitting $20 million in a single month and coming close to knocking Hay Day out of the number two spot in the wider simulation genre.

The game draws heavily from Animal Crossing, letting players explore a cozy town, decorate homes, fish, garden, and socialize. Unlike Animal Crossing, which requires a Nintendo console and often a paid online subscription, Heartopia is free to download and offers a fuller 3D world with built-in multiplayer.

Money comes mainly from cosmetics and home decorations rather than paywalled progress. Most of these items are tied to a paid currency called Heart Diamonds or to limited-time gacha events. The game also runs brand collaborations, including My Little Pony, MALTESE, Butterbear, and Sanrio, timed to match its top markets: China (46 percent of revenue) and Japan (16 percent), where over 80 percent of players are women.

According to AppMagic, 88 percent of lifetime revenue comes from paid currency packs, similar to how gacha games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail earn money. The $4.99 currency pack is the most purchased item at 17 percent of all purchases, followed by the $10.99 pack at 14 percent, while a $2.99 monthly membership makes up a smaller share at 3.9 percent but helps keep players returning regularly.

Overall, the report points to Heartopia as an example of how a familiar concept can find new success when paired with a gacha-style monetization system, even in a genre that had seemed to plateau.