Sep 23, 2026

Industry insight

Vietnam Game Industry Weekly Updates: September 14–20, 2026

Recap of the Week

Monster Hunter Now recorded the week’s most notable movement in the revenue ranking, climbing 75 places from #92 to #17, while estimated revenue rose from USD 8,128 to USD 33,398, an increase of 310.90%. The surge coincided with the game’s 3rd Anniversary activities and the launch of Season 11.
Vietnam’s market continued to receive new content as Tam Quốc Tứ Thời Ca officially launched on September 16 and entered the Top 50 revenue ranking for the first time at #45. Yến Vân Thập Lục Thanh (Where Winds Meet) also made its first Top 50 appearance at #36, while Play Together VNG rolled out Update 2.31.1 featuring Moon Village.
Vietnamese esports entered the final stage of preparation for ASIAD 20, with 23 athletes set to compete across four titles. Vietnam’s League of Legends national team also participated in an international friendly tournament in Busan against South Korea and the United States on September 19–20.
Across the wider ecosystem, UIT and VNGGames launched a Roblox game development course, while the Draft Law on Cultural Industry Development entered preliminary review on September 20.

Market & Game Performance

Dynamic ranking: Monster Hunter Now climbs 75 places to #17 as revenue rises 310.90%

AppMagic data this week shows five titles climbing by at least 10 positions in Vietnam’s Top 50 mobile game revenue ranking. Monster Hunter Now recorded the largest jump, moving from #92 to #17, while Fortnite advanced from #21 to #5 and became the highest-ranked title among the week’s major climbers. [1]

The week also recorded one Revenue Spike, with Monster Hunter Now’s estimated revenue increasing by more than 300% from the previous week. Meanwhile, Yến Vân Thập Lục Thanh and Tam Quốc Tứ Thời Ca entered the Top 50 for the first time within three months of launch, while five established titles returned to the ranking. [1]

Rank Spike: Five titles climb by at least 10 places

Five titles recorded ranking gains of 10 positions or more compared with the previous week:

Monster Hunter Now climbed 75 places, from #92 to #17, with estimated revenue of around USD 33,398.
Sky: Children of the Light rose 28 places, from #71 to #43, with estimated revenue of around USD 15,262.
Fortnite climbed 16 places, from #21 to #5, with estimated revenue of around USD 56,114.
Kỷ Nguyên Băng Hà：3Q rose 12 places, from #62 to #50, with estimated revenue of around USD 13,552.
Fishdom climbed 11 places, from #48 to #37, with estimated revenue of around USD 16,676. [1]

Revenue Spike: Monster Hunter Now revenue rises 310.90%

Monster Hunter Now was the only title this week to record revenue growth of at least 100%. Estimated revenue increased from USD 8,128 to USD 33,398, equivalent to 310.90% growth, while the game simultaneously climbed 75 positions in the ranking. [1]

The movement coincided with one of Monster Hunter Now’s biggest LiveOps periods of the year. The 3rd Anniversary Prologue ran from September 14–16 as a countdown to the main celebration. On September 17, Season 11 officially launched alongside the 3rd Anniversary event. [2]

The anniversary period introduced several incentives, including a free Grade 10 weapon of the player’s choice, Guardian Set content, Rental Sets covering all 14 weapon types, a Global Challenge, and other limited-time activities. Season 11 also introduced Brachydios, Aurora Somnacanth, and new variants. [2]

Launching a major anniversary campaign alongside a new season may have contributed to stronger player return and spending during the week. However, AppMagic only captures total revenue at the listing level, so the 310.90% increase cannot be attributed specifically to the anniversary event, Season 11, or any individual monetization offer.

From a LiveOps perspective, Monster Hunter Now illustrates how anniversaries can function as re-engagement moments rather than simply commemorative events. Bringing together returning-player rewards, new progression, seasonal content, and monetization touchpoints within the same period may create a stronger combined effect than deploying those activities separately.

New Release: Two titles enter the Top 50 for the first time

Two titles released within the past three months entered Vietnam’s Top 50 mobile game revenue ranking for the first time this week:

Yến Vân Thập Lục Thanh (Where Winds Meet) entered at #36, with estimated revenue of around USD 17,399.
Tam Quốc Tứ Thời Ca made its first appearance at #45, with estimated revenue of around USD 14,705. [1]

Yến Vân Thập Lục Thanh officially launched in Vietnam the previous week, but this marked the first week its listing entered the Top 50. For Tam Quốc Tứ Thời Ca, the Top 50 entry occurred during the same week as its official launch.

Back-to-top: Five titles return to the Top 50

Five titles released more than three months ago returned to the ranking after sitting outside the Top 50 in the previous week:

Monster Hunter Now returned at #17, with estimated revenue of around USD 33,398.
Hearthstone returned at #26, with estimated revenue of around USD 20,450.
Sky: Children of the Light returned at #43, with estimated revenue of around USD 15,262.
Hole It 3D returned at #48, with estimated revenue of around USD 14,279.
Kỷ Nguyên Băng Hà：3Q returned at #50, with estimated revenue of around USD 13,552. [1]

Monster Hunter Now, Sky: Children of the Light, and Kỷ Nguyên Băng Hà：3Q appear in both Rank Spike and Back-to-top because they both returned to the Top 50 and climbed by at least 10 positions compared with the previous week.

New Releases, Major Updates & Product Lifecycle: New launches and LiveOps expansion as MU Awaken enters its sunset phase

Tam Quốc Tứ Thời Ca officially launches in Vietnam

On September 16, SohaGame officially launched Tam Quốc Tứ Thời Ca, a strategy-focused team-building title featuring more than 70 historical generals spanning periods including the Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, and Tang eras. Rather than limiting characters to a single historical period, the game allows players to combine generals across dynasties. [3]

One notable mechanic is Công Pháp, which expands and adjusts character skill sets to increase team-building flexibility. During the same launch week, the game also entered Vietnam’s mobile revenue Top 50 for the first time at #45 according to AppMagic. [1][3]

In a segment already crowded with titles built around the Three Kingdoms theme, expanding the roster across multiple dynasties and increasing build flexibility provides one potential route to differentiation at the gameplay level rather than relying solely on a familiar setting.

However, for a card/strategy title, retention beyond the initial launch period will still depend heavily on content cadence, progression balance, and the consistency of LiveOps in the weeks ahead.

Play Together VNG takes players to Moon Village in Update 2.31.1

On September 17, Play Together VNG rolled out Update 2.31.1, centered on Moon Village. Running until the morning of October 1, the event introduces a Moon-themed area alongside fishing, hunting and collection activities, minigames, pets, and limited-time items. [4]

Players can collect Moon creatures to complete the Collection Book and earn Full Moon Coins, which can then be used in minigames to obtain rewards. The update also adds Moon Rabbit eggs, the Moon Village House, and the Moon Wizard draw.

The notable element is how the update connects several gameplay loops within a single seasonal theme: exploration → collection → event currency → minigames/crafting → rewards and pet progression.

For a long-running title, this structure shows that LiveOps does not necessarily need to alter core gameplay to create a fresh experience. Recombining existing systems through a shared theme and reward loop can still provide additional reasons to return and expand engagement touchpoints.

MU Awaken VNG announces its shutdown timeline

On September 18, MU Awaken VNG announced that the game will officially cease operations. Under the published timeline, top-up services and the App Store and Google Play listings will close at 10:00 a.m. on November 18, 2026, before the servers shut down completely at 10:00 a.m. on December 18, 2026. [5]

The announcement does not specify a particular reason for the shutdown, so there is currently no basis for attributing the decision to any single performance or market factor. The publisher said further information regarding player transition benefits will be announced later.

Product sunset is a natural part of the live-service lifecycle, but the way a title is closed can still affect a publisher’s longer-term portfolio. Player communication, benefit handling, and migration planning can directly influence community trust in future products from the same publisher.

Esports & Community

Esports Highlights & Tournament Updates: Vietnam heads into ASIAD 20 with additional international preparation

Vietnam’s national esports team prepares for ASIAD 20

On September 16 in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam Recreational and Electronic Sport Association (VIRESA) held a send-off ceremony for the Vietnam National Esports Team ahead of ASIAD 20 in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan. Vietnam is sending 23 athletes and six coaches across four titles: League of Legends, PUBG Mobile – Asian Games Version, NARAKA: Bladepoint, and Identity V – Asian Games Version. [6]

ASIAD 20 runs from September 19 to October 4, 2026, marking the second consecutive Asian Games in which esports is included as an official medal event.

As part of its preparation, Vietnam’s League of Legends national team also participated in an international friendly tournament in Busan, South Korea, on September 19–20, following an invitation from the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA). The event featured the national teams of Vietnam, South Korea, and the United States. [7]

For Vietnam’s esports ecosystem, participation in the Asian Games continues to connect competitive gaming more closely with the country’s high-performance sports system, beyond tournament ecosystems operated by individual publishers.

From a competitive-development perspective, international friendlies ahead of major events also provide opportunities to benchmark against stronger competitive ecosystems while strengthening coordination among national teams, associations, clubs, and publishers.

Industry & Business Developments

Partnerships & Talent Development: UIT and VNGGames bring Roblox game development into the classroom

On September 16, the University of Information Technology – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (UIT) and VNGGames officially launched a Roblox Game Development course under the 2026 joint-training program between VNG and VNU-HCM. The program runs through December 23, 2026. [8]

According to UIT, 42 students will study with 14 VNGGames experts over approximately three months, experiencing the full process from ideation and development to testing and final game completion. Final projects may also be published directly on Roblox and reach its global player community.

The notable element is the program’s platform-specific training model. Rather than learning game development only at a general technical level, students work within a UGC platform that already provides a distribution layer and an international player community.

For Vietnam’s talent pipeline, this approach may help narrow the gap between education and real-world production. Over the longer term, giving young developers early exposure to development, testing, and publishing workflows can also expand the pool of talent suited to projects targeting global markets.

Policy & Infrastructure

Regulatory Developments & Compliance Updates: Draft Law on Cultural Industry Development enters preliminary review

On the afternoon of September 20, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Society held an expanded meeting for the preliminary review of the Draft Law on Cultural Industry Development. The version presented at the meeting contained nine chapters and 53 articles, with the broader objective of developing a legal framework for cultural industries and connecting the value chain from creation and investment to production, distribution, and consumption. [9]

During the review, issues including the scope of regulation, support mechanisms, financial and investment implications, and intellectual property continued to be examined. The document remains a draft within the legislative process and has not been passed or entered into force.

For the game industry, its relevance needs to be understood within the broader drafting process. In an earlier version published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, online video games featuring educational content or promoting Vietnamese cultural and historical values were among the areas mentioned in discussions of certain proposed investment and tax incentives. [10]

However, the draft has continued to undergo revision. It should therefore not be interpreted as meaning that game companies currently qualify for these incentives, or that provisions included in earlier drafts will necessarily remain in the final law.

At this stage, the main significance for studios and publishers lies in the medium-term policy direction: games are being incorporated into a broader discussion around cultural industries, intellectual property, investment, and the commercialization of creative products. The practical impact can only be assessed once the legislation and its eligibility criteria are finalized.