China Mini-Game & HTML5 Platforms Compared (2026)
In the West, "publish a web game" means itch.io, Poki, CrazyGames, Newgrounds. China has its own version of that map, and it's enormous. The Mini Game market did about $7.65 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach roughly $20 billion by 2030. The platforms are different, the discovery mechanics are different, and the rules for getting on them are different. This is the field guide.
For the Western equivalent, see best places to publish a web game. This page is the China map. If you want the mechanics of getting listed and paid, the WeChat and Douyin publishing guide goes deeper on licensing and revenue share.
The two that matter most
WeChat and Douyin together take more than 90% of China's Mini Game revenue. If you only ship to two places, these are the two.
WeChat Mini Games is the giant. Roughly 500 to 570 million monthly players, running games inside the app a billion people use for messaging and payments. Discovery is social: games spread through friends and group chats. There are over 400,000 WeChat Mini Game developers, and more than 300 teams clear 10 million yuan in quarterly revenue. It rewards retention and word of mouth, and its in-app-purchase economy is deep. If your game has a loop people re-open and a reason to tell friends, WeChat is where that compounds.
Douyin Mini Games is the fast-growing challenger. Around 170 million monthly players, but revenue grew roughly 100% and users about 120% year over year in 2025. Discovery is algorithmic, powered by short video. A great clip in the feed sends a wave of players. Douyin offers aggressive terms, with some preferred partners keeping up to 90% of proceeds, and its Ohayoo label specializes in hyper-casual publishing. If your game looks irresistible in five seconds, Douyin's feed is a growth engine WeChat can't match.
The rest of the field
Beyond the big two, several platforms are worth knowing, mostly for reaching audiences the giants don't own outright.
QQ Mini Games is Tencent's other social platform, skewing younger than WeChat. If your game targets teenagers and students, QQ's demographic is a real reason to be there, and being inside the Tencent ecosystem can simplify some integrations.
4399 is a veteran of the Chinese casual-web-game era, a portal that predates the Mini Game boom and still pulls a large casual audience. It and similar established companies (BoKe, Tanwan, and others) have expanded into Mini Games while keeping their traditional casual-portal strengths. Good for straightforward casual titles.
Kuaishou is Douyin's main short-video rival, with the same algorithmic-discovery model and a more rural, lower-tier-city audience. Smaller Mini Game revenue so far, but a distinct user base.
Alipay and Meituan round out the picture. Both are building Mini Game momentum off gigantic transactional user bases (payments and food delivery), and both are still early. Their reach is huge but their gaming share is small, so they're a bet on a niche or on getting in before it's crowded, not a primary channel yet.
The comparison at a glance
| Platform | Monthly players | Discovery | Revenue terms | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~500-570M | Social, friend-to-friend sharing | Ads ~50/50, IAP dev keeps ~60-70% | Retention-driven, socially shareable games | |
| Douyin | ~170M | Algorithmic short video | Preferred partners up to ~90% | Hyper-casual with a strong visual hook |
| Large, younger | Social, Tencent ecosystem | Tencent terms | Teen and student audiences | |
| 4399 | Large casual base | Portal browsing | Portal terms | Straightforward casual games |
| Kuaishou | Growing | Algorithmic short video | Negotiated | Lower-tier-city, rural reach |
| Alipay / Meituan | Huge, early for games | Transactional app placement | Early-stage terms | Niche bets, first-mover positioning |
Player counts and terms move with the market and with promotions, so read this as the shape of the field, not fixed figures.
How to choose
Match the platform to how your game is discovered, not just to its size.
If your game earns re-opens and gets shared, WeChat is where retention turns into growth. If it's a hyper-casual title that lives or dies on a great clip, Douyin's feed is the strongest engine in the market. If you're targeting a young audience, QQ is worth the extra integration. If it's a simple casual game, 4399 and the portal players are a fit. And because the license and the build carry across platforms, shipping to more than one of the big two is usually the default, not the exception.
The single biggest gate is the same everywhere: a monetized game needs a Chinese license and a local operator to hold it. That's covered in the publishing guide, and it applies across this whole table.
Where Cinevva fits
None of these platforms are where you should be finding out whether your game is fun. The license, the local partner, the platform review, all of that is expensive to spend on an untested idea. Cinevva is the cheap front of the funnel: build a browser game in minutes, put it in front of real players, and learn which titles have the WeChat loop or the Douyin hook before you pay to enter China. The Mini Game platforms reward the same things a good web game does, instant play and no install, so a game that works in the browser is already speaking their language.
Frequently asked questions
What are the biggest Mini Game platforms in China?
WeChat Mini Games and Douyin Mini Games, which together take more than 90% of the market's revenue. WeChat has around 500 to 570 million monthly players, Douyin around 170 million and growing fast.
Is there a Chinese equivalent of itch.io or Poki?
Not exactly. The closest analogues are the Mini Game platforms inside super-apps (WeChat, Douyin, QQ) and legacy casual portals like 4399. Discovery runs through social graphs and short-video algorithms rather than a standalone game site.
Do I need a different build for each Chinese platform?
Usually you need platform-specific adaptation (login, ads, payment SDKs differ), but the core game and its license carry across. Engines like Cocos and LayaAir target multiple Chinese platforms from one project.
Which platform is best for a hyper-casual game?
Douyin, because its short-video feed can send a viral wave to a game with a strong visual hook, and its revenue terms for preferred partners are generous. Ohayoo, Douyin's label, specializes in hyper-casual.
How big is China's Mini Game market?
About $7.65 billion in 2025, up roughly 34% year over year, with forecasts near $20 billion by 2030.
Build it in the browser, watch how players react, then pick the platform that fits.
Related
- How to Publish on WeChat & Douyin Mini Games — licenses, review, revenue share
- Game Engines for WeChat Mini Games — build for the platform
- Localizing a Web Game for China — fonts, hosting, payments
- Best Places to Publish a Web Game — the Western field
- Casual Games Trends in 2026 — where casual is heading