Jun 30, 2026

Industry insight

Vietnam Game Industry Weekly Updates: June 15–21, 2026

Recap of the Week

Vietnam saw the return of long-running titles such as OMG 3Q – Game Tam Quốc VNG and WARPATH: HUÂN CHƯƠNG CHIẾN HỎA, showing that mature live-service titles can still create notable ranking movement when supported by relevant LiveOps activities.
LORDNINE officially launched in Vietnam during the week of June 15, becoming one of the most notable titles of the week thanks to its combination of Korean IP, cross-platform MMORPG positioning, and goPlay/VTC Online’s local publishing strategy.
Girls’ Frontline 2: Exilium opened its Closed Beta in Vietnam, expanding the range of options for players interested in tactical RPGs and anime-style RPGs.
FC Online marked its 8th anniversary in Vietnam, while FC Mobile Creator Cup 2026 kicked off, showing that football esports continues to maintain strong engagement within the Vietnamese gaming community.
U/Day Hanoi 2026 became a key industry highlight of the week, as Unity hosted its first official event for Vietnam’s game development community, focusing on AI, user acquisition, monetization, and sustainable growth.

Market & Game Performance

Dynamic ranking: New MMORPG entrants and long-running titles drive movement in Vietnam’s Top 50 revenue chart

This week’s AppMagic data shows that Vietnam’s Top 50 mobile game revenue chart recorded two key signals: long-running titles were still able to return to the chart or climb significantly through regular operations, while newly launched games continued to attract attention across RPG, MMORPG, and dating sim segments.

Rank Spike: Several titles recorded notable ranking gains

During the week, two titles recorded ranking increases of 10 positions or more compared with the previous week:

OMG 3Q – Game Tam Quốc VNG rose 15 positions to #19, with estimated revenue of $27,734.
WARPATH: HUÂN CHƯƠNG CHIẾN HỎA rose 28 positions to #39, with estimated revenue of $15,490.

The continued movement of OMG 3Q after many years of operation shows that Three Kingdoms-themed content and the team battler model still retain a loyal player base in Vietnam. For long-running titles, weekly growth is often driven not only by new users, but also by the ability to reactivate existing communities through events, offers, or familiar gameplay loops.

WARPATH is also worth noting, as the title appeared in both the Rank Spike and Back-to-top groups. This suggests that long-lifecycle strategy games can still return to the Top 50 when their operations align with the right timing, especially among players who tend to stay engaged over the long term and spend around event cycles.

Recent Release & Back-to-top: New entrants entered the Top 50 revenue chart, while familiar titles returned to the rankings

New releases remained a bright spot this week, with three titles entering the Top 50 revenue chart:

Tiên Nghịch Mobile Joygames reached #15, with estimated revenue of $34,009.
LORDNINE: Cửu Vương Tranh Bá reached #29, with estimated revenue of $21,743.
Light and Night reached #34, with estimated revenue of $16,561.

Among these titles, LORDNINE stood out the most due to the clear overlap between ranking data and market news during the week. The game was officially published in Vietnam by goPlay/VTC Online in partnership with Smilegate on June 15. It supports both PC and mobile platforms and uses STOVE as part of its operating ecosystem.

What makes LORDNINE notable is not only its launch, but also its positioning: a MMORPG for hardcore players, emphasizing combat experience, flexible character progression, and cross-platform operation. This player segment tends to have higher expectations for stability, gameplay depth, and community quality compared with more casual products.

For international partners, LORDNINE suggests that Vietnam still has room for Korean MMORPG IPs when they are paired with local publishers that have the capability to operate, localize payment flows, and build communities. The title’s entry into the Top 50 revenue chart during its launch week is also a positive signal, although its long-term performance will still need to be monitored through retention and post-launch revenue.

In addition to new releases, this week also saw the return of several titles that had previously entered the Top 50:

WARPATH: HUÂN CHƯƠNG CHIẾN HỎA returned to the chart at #39, with estimated revenue of $15,490.
Zenless Zone Zero-Gamota returned to the chart at #40, with estimated revenue of $15,323.

The return of Zenless Zone Zero-Gamota to the Top 50 continues to reflect the resilience of the action RPG/anime-style gacha segment in Vietnam. For major gacha titles, revenue rankings often fluctuate around banner cycles, updates, and events, making a return to the Top 50 an important signal of community durability rather than just a short-term movement.

New Releases & Major Updates: LORDNINE and Girls’ Frontline 2 expand choices for RPG players

LORDNINE officially launches in Vietnam

LORDNINE – Cửu Vương Tranh Bá was officially published in Vietnam by goPlay/VTC Online in partnership with Smilegate from June 15, 2026. The game supports PC, mobile, and STOVE, targeting players interested in cross-platform MMORPG experiences.

The launch of LORDNINE in Vietnam marks the next step after VTC Online announced its partnership to bring Smilegate products into the local market. This direction fits the current context in which domestic publishers are looking for high-production-value IPs that can compete in the midcore and hardcore segments.

The notable signal is that LORDNINE is not being communicated merely as a new release, but as a next-generation MMORPG for long-term players. If the game can maintain a stable experience after launch, it could become a case worth watching for how a local publisher can operate Korean IPs in Vietnam [1].

Girls’ Frontline 2: Exilium opens Closed Beta in Vietnam

THS Game officially opened the Closed Beta for Girls’ Frontline 2: Exilium in Vietnam from June 16 to June 22, 2026, on Android and iOS. The game is a 3D tactical RPG, supports Vietnamese localization, and gives players early access to its tactical combat system and T-Doll character lineup.

The Closed Beta of Girls’ Frontline 2 shows that the publisher is prioritizing market feedback before moving into a wider commercialization phase. For tactical RPGs and anime-style RPGs, localization and onboarding experience are especially important because the target audience tends to care deeply about story, characters, and combat depth.

The presence of Girls’ Frontline 2 this week also shows that Vietnam’s RPG market is continuing to diversify, from hardcore MMORPGs such as LORDNINE to anime-style tactical RPGs such as Girls’ Frontline 2. This creates a more varied competitive landscape for RPGs, while also raising the cost of user acquisition and retention [2].

Esports & Community

Football esports continues to maintain engagement among Vietnamese gamers

FC Online celebrates its 8th anniversary in Vietnam

FC Online officially marked its 8th anniversary with the Vietnamese gaming community through a special anniversary campaign. It remains one of the long-running online football titles in Vietnam, with a player community and esports ecosystem that have been maintained over many years.

The 8-year milestone shows that the strength of football esports in Vietnam lies not only in competition, but also in its connection with mainstream football culture. In a market with a large football fan base, FC Online has a natural advantage in sustaining tournaments, offline events, creator content, and community activities.

For the game industry, this is a clear example of how a product’s lifecycle can be extended when the publisher continuously maintains community operations. Sports esports titles do not have to rely entirely on launch cycles; they can continue to grow through seasonal events, real-world football moments, and recurring community activities [3].

FC Mobile Creator Cup 2026 kicks off

FC Mobile Creator Cup 2026, titled “Hè Đại Chiến,” officially kicked off during the week, bringing together 16 content creators and connecting the tournament with the summer football season. This is a tournament model that combines esports, creator marketing, and entertainment content.

What makes Creator Cup notable is the way it uses content creators as a community activation channel. Instead of focusing only on professional competition, this format helps the game reach casual players through familiar faces on social media.

For FC Mobile, a creator-led tournament is a suitable approach to expand its viewer base, generate organic content, and create new touchpoints for players during the summer. It also shows that mobile esports in Vietnam is becoming increasingly connected with community and entertainment formats, rather than being limited to traditional competitive tournaments [4].

Industry & Business Developments

U/Day Hanoi 2026 highlights the growing role of Vietnamese studios in the global game industry

On June 17, Unity organized U/Day Hanoi 2026, its first official event for Vietnam’s game development community. The event focused on two pillars, Create and Grow, covering game development tools, AI, user acquisition, monetization, and sustainable growth strategies.

U/Day Hanoi 2026 took place as Vietnam’s game industry is shifting from advantages in fast production and high download scale toward more comprehensive product operation capabilities. Topics such as Unity AI, Unity 6, Unity Ads, Tapjoy Offerwall, Aura, and revenue optimization show that competition for Vietnamese studios is no longer limited to product development, but increasingly depends on growth and commercialization capabilities.

A key point is that Unity is not only viewing Vietnam as a user market, but also as a game development community with international competitiveness. This further strengthens Vietnam’s position in the global game value chain, especially across mobile games, casual/midcore development, LiveOps, and global publishing.

For international publishers and studios, U/Day Hanoi 2026 sends an important signal: Vietnam is becoming increasingly relevant as a destination for development partnerships, co-publishing, and regional expansion. As the ecosystem of tools, talent, and monetization thinking develops together, Vietnam can play a larger role in international publishing strategies [5, 6].

Gamota