On 2026-09-26, all 468 charts were retrieved with no gaps. The biggest movement was the same-day multi-country rollout of console game ports: KONAMI's "Castlevania: 40th Anniversary" appeared simultaneously in five ios-games/free markets—JP #2, DE #7, US #7, KR #9, and GB #52—while THQ Nordic's "Gothic Classic" reached DE #2 across four ios-games/paid markets. Retro and PC classic ports were today's only cross-border signal.

1. New Entries

Today's main stories are two games that debuted across multiple countries on the same day. KONAMI's "Castlevania: 40th Anniversary" launched simultaneously in five ios-games/free markets: JP #2, DE #7, US #7, KR #9, and GB #52. The company's "Castlevania: SotN" also appeared in four ios-games/paid markets, including US #25. THQ Nordic's "Gothic Classic" entered ios-games/paid at DE #2, HR #7, GB #17, and US #35; it also reached DE #4 in overall/paid, making it one of the few titles to break beyond its category into the overall paid chart. Outside gaming, Friebe Mobile's "FODMAPLAB" appeared in five ios-food-drink/paid markets, led by GB #38, while Sindre Sorhus's "Any Text · Widgets" appeared in ios-utilities/paid at HR #2, GB #18, and KR #26.

2. Sharp Monthly Rises

The reference date is 2026-08-27 (30 days ago, the oldest retrieval date in the archive). The largest gain was TeeWiz's "CutPro" in HR at ios-lifestyle/free #3 (+96), followed by US "Battery Health - For Tesla" at ios-lifestyle/paid #3 (+93), and JP "The 清書" at ios-education/free #7 (+93). Titles absent on the reference date that have now reached #1 include US "Momo: AI Photo & Video Maker" (ios-photo-video/free, +90) and "Giggles: Videos & Trends" (+84), with AI creation and short-form video apps taking the lead in the US within a month.

3. By Tier

The top tier (ranks 1–10) was stable, with 86% held, 2% new, and average movement of 2.8. The bottom tier (ranks 51–100) had 71% held, 18% new, and average movement of 9.6. Almost all new inflow occurs in the lower ranks, while the top barely moves. Top-tier slot ownership is concentrated among a few major players: Google 118, Instagram 27, Microsoft 26, and Apple 23.

4. By Country

All 78/78 charts were comparable across all six markets. The US had the most stable top 10, with a 90% retention rate; the others ranged from 84–85%. New-entry counts were HR 995, GB 978, and DE 950, versus KR 755 and JP 802, showing faster turnover in Europe. Cross-border staples included TestFlight at #1 in ios-developer-tools/free across all six markets, Duolingo at #1 in ios-education/grossing across all six, and LinkedIn at #1 in ios-business/grossing across five. In contrast, the top of KR ios-travel/paid (Real Alcázar de Sevilla #1 and Grand Egyptian Museum #2) was entirely local movement.

5. By Category

The most active categories were ios-utilities (349 new entries), ios-music (316), and ios-education (314). By retention rate, ios-developer-tools was the loosest at 78%, followed by ios-reference at 80% and ios-sports/ios-navigation at 81%. Conversely, ios-social-networking and ios-photo-video were both 92% retained, while ios-shopping had only 78 new entries and was almost unchanged.

Key Findings

1. Castlevania: 40th Anniversary debuts in ios-games/free across five markets on the same day (JP #2 / DE #7 / US #7 / KR #9 / GB #52)

KONAMI's title was absent on the previous day, 2026-09-25, and appeared today in ios-games/free simultaneously at JP #2, DE #7, US #7, KR #9, and GB #52. This was not a single-chart entry but a coordinated landing tied to a global release, making it the strongest new signal in today's data. Its immediate #2 placement in Japan shows that an anniversary package built around a legacy IP can still resonate near the top of the free chart. KONAMI's "Castlevania: SotN" also debuted the same day in ios-games/paid at US #25, GB #54, JP #54, and DE #95, indicating an IP-level rollout rather than a one-off release.

Confidence: High

2. Gothic Classic enters ios-games/paid in four markets and reaches overall/paid #4 in DE

THQ Nordic Mobile GmbH's port of the PC classic debuted in ios-games/paid at DE #2, HR #7, GB #17, and US #35. It also broke into the overall/paid chart at DE #4, HR #10, GB #34, and US #53. No other new category entry today spilled over into the overall paid chart in this way, with demand especially pronounced in German-speaking markets. This supports treating DE as the first market for paid-game planning.

Confidence: High

3. The non-game multi-country debuts are FODMAPLAB (five markets) and Any Text · Widgets (three markets)

Friebe Mobile's "FODMAPLAB: Low FODMAP Diet App" debuted in ios-food-drink/paid across five markets: GB #38, HR #56, DE #62, US #82, and JP #89. Sindre Sorhus's "Any Text · Widgets" appeared in ios-utilities/paid at HR #2, GB #18, and KR #26. Both rank in the middle or lower range, but these niche health-management and widget utility apps entered multiple markets at once—the only non-game movements with meaningful cross-border spread today.

Confidence: High

4. The largest gain since the 2026-08-27 reference date is HR's CutPro at +96 (ios-lifestyle/free #3)

Compared with the reference date of 2026-08-27 (30 days ago and the oldest retrieval date in the archive), the largest gain was TeeWiz d.o.o.'s "CutPro," up 96 places to HR ios-lifestyle/free #3. It was followed by US "Battery Health - For Tesla" at ios-lifestyle/paid #3 (+93), JP "The 清書" at ios-education/free #7 (+93), and JP "ねこ勤怠" at overall/free #6 (+91). Multiple markets saw gains of more than 90 ranks in a month, showing that the path from lower ranks directly into the single digits is functioning in practice.

Confidence: High

5. In the US, AI photo/video and short-form media apps absent on the reference date are now #1 (Momo +90, Giggles +84)

SCALEUP YAZILIM HIZMETLERI's "Momo: AI Photo & Video Maker" is #1 in US ios-photo-video/free (+90), while Giggles Platforms' "Giggles: Videos & Trends" is #1 in US ios-magazines-newspapers/free (+84). In the same market, "GlobeScope: GPS Map Camera" is also #9 in ios-navigation/free (+91). The US is where the strongest moves from obscurity to #1 within a month are concentrated, making AI creation and camera apps the most volatile area for launch targeting.

Confidence: High

6. The top is fixed and the bottom moves: top held 86%, new 2%, |Δ| 2.8; bottom held 71%, new 18%, |Δ| 9.6

Among ranks 1–10 (4,675 slots), 86% were retained from the previous day, only 2% were new, and average movement was 2.8 places—close to static. Ranks 11–50 had 81% retention, 7% new entries, and 6.5 places of movement; ranks 51–100 had 71% retention, 18% new entries, and 9.6 places of movement. In other words, nearly all new entries occur in the lower tier, and reaching the top requires time spent in the lower ranks. Daily "new entry" tracking should account for the bottom tier's 18% as a noise source.

Confidence: High

7. A small group of major companies dominates top-10 slots, led by Google with 118

Top-10 slot ownership is Google 118, Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd 27, Instagram 27, Microsoft 26, and Apple 23. The same names continue in the middle tier, with Google at 151 and Microsoft at 93. There are almost no openings at the top; viable opportunities for new products are limited to categories where major players are less entrenched, such as ios-developer-tools below.

Confidence: High

8. Market turnover differs: HR has 995 new entries versus KR's 755, while the US has the firmest top-10 retention at 90%

All 78/78 charts were comparable across all six markets. New-entry counts were HR 995, GB 978, DE 950, US 870, JP 802, and KR 755—a gap of 240 between HR and KR. Meanwhile, top-10 retention was US 90%, DE/GB/HR/JP 85%, and KR 84%. The US combines mid-level new inflow with the least movement at the top: it is easy to enter but difficult to reach the top. HR is suited to entry testing, while markets other than the US are more realistic for testing top-rank retention.

Confidence: High

9. Cross-border staples at #1 in all six markets: TestFlight (dev-tools/free) and Duolingo (education/grossing)

Apple's "TestFlight" is #1 in ios-developer-tools/free across all six markets—DE, GB, HR, JP, KR, and US. Duolingo is #1 in ios-education/grossing across all six markets and #1 in ios-education/free across five. LinkedIn is #1 in ios-business/grossing across five markets—DE, GB, HR, KR, and US—while Mojang's "Minecraft" is #1 in ios-games/paid across five markets. These titles embody today's stable top tier (top held 86%), making a plan to take #1 in their categories unrealistic.

Confidence: High

10. KR-specific movement: overseas museum and landmark guides newly occupy the top two ios-travel/paid slots

Miguel Perez Cabezas's "Real Alcázar de Sevilla" newly reached #1 in KR ios-travel/paid (+89 versus the reference date), while Trishti Systems' "Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)" is #2. This Korea-only movement is not observed in other markets and shows that guide apps for specific destinations can immediately rank highly in Korea's paid travel chart. "TimeTrails: GPS 경로 기록" is also #3 (+82) in the category.

Confidence: Medium

11. Two extremes of category turnover: ios-utilities has 349 new entries, ios-shopping has 78

The most new entries were in ios-utilities (349), ios-music (316), ios-education (314), and ios-sports (241). The fewest were ios-shopping (78) and ios-social-networking (121). In top-10 retention, ios-developer-tools was the loosest at 78%, followed by ios-reference at 80%, ios-sports at 81%, and ios-navigation at 81%; ios-photo-video and ios-social-networking were both 92%, while ios-productivity was 91%. Opportunity lies in dev-tools, reference, and sports, whereas the tops of photo-video and social are closed.

Confidence: High

12. Small-developer apps simultaneously reach #1 in paid charts across multiple markets (play_music_theory and Catsup)

Absent on the reference date of 2026-08-27, TALA RAE SCHLOSSBERG's "play_music_theory" is now #1 in ios-music/paid across DE, GB, and HR. And a Dinosaur's "Catsup: Grocery List" is #1 in ios-shopping/paid across DE and GB. Paid apps from individual and small developers have reached the top of narrow European categories within a month, consistent with the high turnover indicated by ios-music's 316 new entries.

Confidence: Medium

13. FUT.GG rises to GB #1 and DE #2 (+87) in free sports, then newly enters ios-sports/grossing on the same day

FutGG's "FUT.GG - FC 27 Evos & Prices" rose from being absent on the reference date to #1 in GB ios-sports/free and #2 in DE (+87). It also debuted today in ios-sports/grossing at HR #18, KR #54, and GB #98, indicating that its free-chart growth has begun to spill into the monetization chart. Football-game companion apps are gaining traction in Europe alongside the FC 27 cycle.

Confidence: Medium

14. Meta AI rises to #6 (+89) in GB overall/free

Meta Platforms' "Meta AI" reached #6 in GB's overall free chart, up 89 places from 2026-08-27. Single-digit overall/free ranks are in the top tier (held 86%), which barely moves, so a gain of nearly 90 places within a month is exceptional in today's dataset. This is the clearest single data point indicating growth in general-purpose AI assistants in English-speaking markets.

Confidence: High

Recommended Actions

• Treat retro and PC classic ports as today's highest-priority planning topic. Castlevania: 40th Anniversary (simultaneous entry in five markets, JP #2) and Gothic Classic (DE #2, DE overall/paid #4) both appeared today; following their ranking trajectory from tomorrow onward will quickly determine whether this is a one-day release boost or sustained adoption.
• Focus new-product entry on categories with low top-10 retention. ios-developer-tools at 78%, ios-reference at 80%, and ios-sports/ios-navigation at 81% have moving top ranks; avoid ios-photo-video and ios-social-networking (92%) as well as ios-shopping (only 78 new entries).
• Use a two-stage market strategy: test in HR (995 new entries), then validate retention in the US (90% top-10 retention). KR (755 new entries) has the least inflow and is unfavorable as an initial market for gaining exposure.
• Add the US AI photo/video and short-form media segment (Momo #1 +90, Giggles #1 +84, GlobeScope #9 +91) to ongoing monitoring. A path to #1 within a month demonstrably exists, making weekly tracking of competitor churn worthwhile.
• When assessing daily "new entries," exclude or down-weight ranks 51–100 (new 18%, average movement 9.6), and configure alerts around simultaneous multi-country entries (agg:arrival-type) and changes in the top tier.
• Investigate the collection path for 274177 missing rating records. Since ratings cannot be used, quality must currently be judged by rank alone, weakening change detection in categories with highly stable leaders.

Data Quality Notes

Retrieval was complete. For the target date of 2026-09-26, all 468 of 468 target charts and 45,690 rows were retrieved, with zero missing charts. All 468/468 charts were comparable with the previous date, 2026-09-25; because no charts were absent on the prior date, every "new entry" is based on actual rank movement. There are two limitations. (1) rating values are missing in 274177 records, and this report makes no rating-based judgments. (2) The monthly comparison reference date, 2026-08-27, is the oldest retrieval date in the archive, so comparison with earlier dates is unavailable. Therefore, "absent on the reference date" only means that the app was not ranked 1–100 in that chart on August 27; it does not indicate that the app was newly released. In addition, the lists of new entries and rises are excerpts of the top 30 only; movements below that threshold are outside this report's scope.