Marketing·Updated Mar 17, 2026 by SocialPeta
The mobile gaming industry shifted toward a hybrid-casual model in 2023, blending hyper-casual accessibility with mid-core monetization to stabilize revenue through combined in-app advertising and purchases.
Monthly active advertisers surged by nearly 50% year-over-year, surpassing 40,000 globally as competition for user acquisition intensified.
Video ads remain the dominant format, accounting for over 76% of total impressions, while AI-generated image creatives are increasingly used to mitigate rising acquisition costs.
Android has become the primary platform for volume-driven campaigns due to iOS privacy restrictions, though iOS retains its status as the preferred channel for high-value mid-core and hard-core titles.
Developers are utilizing 'mini-game' ad patterns—including ASMR, dramatic narratives, and failure scenarios—to lower entry barriers for complex genres like Strategy and Simulation.
North America leads in total advertiser volume, while Southeast Asia has emerged as the most competitive region for creative output, driven by influencer collaborations and live-action content for RPG and Casino games.
The mobile gaming industry shifted toward a hybrid-casual model in 2023, blending hyper-casual accessibility with mid-core monetization to stabilize revenue through combined in-app advertising and purchases.
Monthly active advertisers surged by nearly 50% year-over-year, surpassing 40,000 globally as competition for user acquisition intensified.
Video ads remain the dominant format, accounting for over 76% of total impressions, while AI-generated image creatives are increasingly used to mitigate rising acquisition costs.
Android has become the primary platform for volume-driven campaigns due to iOS privacy restrictions, though iOS retains its status as the preferred channel for high-value mid-core and hard-core titles.
Developers are utilizing 'mini-game' ad patterns—including ASMR, dramatic narratives, and failure scenarios—to lower entry barriers for complex genres like Strategy and Simulation.
North America leads in total advertiser volume, while Southeast Asia has emerged as the most competitive region for creative output, driven by influencer collaborations and live-action content for RPG and Casino games.