Minion Rush is not gone yet, but Gameloft has set the dates for its end
Minion Rush is not gone yet, but Gameloft has set the dates for its end. The endless runner leaves the app stores on October 30, 2026, and its online servers shut down on January 29, 2027. Anyone who already has it installed can keep playing a limited offline version after that.
Released in June 2013, Despicable Me: Minion Rush spent more than 13 years as one of the longer-running licensed mobile games. Players ran as the yellow Minions from Illumination’s films, collecting bananas, dodging traps, and unlocking costumes and locations tied to the movies. Estimates from AppMagic put lifetime downloads near 500 million and in-app purchase revenue above $45 million.
Earlier coverage of the shutdown rumors cited figures above a billion downloads. Either way, it was a fixture of the endless-runner era that also produced Temple Run and Subway Surfers.
Gameloft posted the plan on the official Minion Rush site and sunset FAQ in late September 2026, after fans first spotted “sunset” language on a support page. The company did not name a single cause. In the FAQ it said the game had been “enjoyed by a dedicated community” since 2013, then added: “As the mobile gaming landscape continues to evolve, we have made the difficult decision to wind down our services on January 29, 2027.”
The wind-down is staged:
October 1–28, 2026: a farewell event with exclusive rewards. Progression and unlocks are being eased so players can reach more content before the end. Some prices and rewards may be adjusted, and some previously premium content is easier to obtain.
October 30, 2026: the game is removed from the App Store and Google Play. In-app purchases stop. New downloads end, and deleting the app means you cannot reinstall it.
Through January 29, 2027: installed copies can still use online features. Customer Care stays up until that date.
January 29, 2027: servers and support shut down. Live events, leaderboards, cloud saves, social features, and online account data go with them.
After the servers close, the game does not vanish from phones that already have it. Core gameplay stored on the device remains, and soft currency stays, but with fewer places to spend it.
Gameloft says it has no plan to disable that offline mode, though it cannot promise the app will keep working through future phone and operating-system updates. There is no progress transfer to another game, and no profile-export tool. Purchases made before the sunset are not eligible for refunds except where local law or store policy requires it.
Platform cuts had already started. In 2025 Gameloft ended the Windows, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Apple tvOS versions and pointed remaining players to iOS and Android. A major Unity-engine overhaul landed in May 2025. The full shutdown followed about 16 months later.
For players still in the game, the practical advice from Gameloft is simple: spend leftover currency, finish the farewell event, and unlock anything you still want to see before January 29. Official channels and the site may be archived or taken down once the servers go dark.
The company is pointing fans toward the main Minions and Illumination accounts for anything that comes next.
