Global White Paper on Mobile Advertising & Marketing Game

Mobile game advertising in 2022 experienced a pronounced contraction, with total creatives falling nearly 30% year-over-year to 15.8 million while the advertiser base stayed flat at 45,100. The decline stemmed from a shift toward quality-focused marketing and the impact of Apple’s IDFA changes, which pushed spend to Android. Video ads dominated the format mix (over 86% of creatives), and casual/puzzle titles captured the majority of spend, displacing RPGs in many markets. Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions saw significant growth, driven by cross-platform titles such as Genshin Impact and the rise of esports and metaverse expectations.

Geographically, China’s HK/Macau/TW region maintained RPG dominance but broadened to action, casual and MOBA campaigns with large budgets. In the United States, mid-core and hardcore titles produced the most creatives despite a 10% revenue decline. Japan’s simulation games led advertising, while Korea shifted from MMOs to card-RPGs and early NFT experimentation. South Asia’s market was shooter-heavy, with casual games generating the most creatives and RPGs producing the highest volumes. Turkey’s top titles were ARPGs and shooters, with a surge in casual and parkour advertising tied to esports and influencer content.

Cost dynamics varied by genre and platform: strategy games commanded the highest CPM ($21.58), while casual titles hovered around $17–$18; iOS ads were 15% costlier than Android. Female and older users (55–64) paid the highest CPMs ($22.26) and CPCs ($2.90), yet CTR increased with age across formats. Playable ads delivered the lowest CPI but weakest ROAS, whereas banner ads offered the best return on spend.

Emerging channels such as social-first platforms and AR filters proved highly engaging, with Snapchat’s concise, sound-driven ads capturing attention within five seconds and AR filters generating 1.7× more immersive brand links. In India, vernacular marketing and programmatic unified platforms are expanding reach to Tier II/III audiences, while playable and rewarded video formats mitigate banner blindness. Overall, the data underscore a diversification of genre advertising, a continued emphasis on high-budget flexible media strategies, and a pivot toward video-centric, narrative-driven campaigns across high-revenue titles.