Games Featured on iOS 11's App Store Games Tab See Up to 450% Boost in Installs

Editorial placement within the iOS 11 App Store’s dedicated Games Tab serves as a powerful catalyst for user acquisition, consistently driving substantial growth in download volume for featured titles. By analyzing performance data from the launch of iOS 11 in September 2017 through April 2018, the study quantifies the impact of Apple’s editorial curation on mobile game visibility and installation rates. The findings demonstrate that all primary categories of App Store featuring result in at least a doubling of median weekly installs, underscoring the significant influence of platform-level promotion on developer success.

The data reveals varying degrees of efficacy across different feature formats. While the prominent Hero Banner generated the highest absolute increase in median weekly downloads—adding approximately 20,000 installs and representing 236 percent growth—the Medium List format achieved the most significant relative impact, driving a 451 percent surge in installs. Other formats also proved highly effective, with Small Lists and Video/Screenshot features yielding growth rates of 355 percent and 285 percent, respectively.

These results highlight the critical role of the App Store’s editorial team in shaping discovery for both independent and established studios. By leveraging proprietary platform data, the analysis confirms that strategic placement within the Games Tab remains one of the most effective levers for increasing an application's reach within the mobile ecosystem. The consistent performance across all tested feature types suggests that any level of editorial recognition on the platform provides a measurable and substantial competitive advantage for game developers.