Report
Mobile App Trends 2022: A Global Benchmark of App Performance
The global mobile ecosystem experienced significant expansion throughout 2021 and into 2022, characterized by record-breaking consumer spending of $170 billion and a projected ad spend of $336 billion. Despite initial concerns regarding privacy changes following the release of iOS 14.5, the industry demonstrated remarkable resilience as App Tracking Transparency opt-in rates reached 25% globally, far exceeding early market expectations. This growth was distributed across key verticals including fintech, e-commerce, and gaming, with mobile e-commerce sales alone reaching $3.56 trillion. The fintech sector emerged as a primary driver of engagement, with installs and sessions rising by 34% and 53% respectively. While traditional banking and payment apps maintain the highest market share, cryptocurrency and stock trading platforms saw the most intense user activity, with session lengths nearly doubling. However, this heightened interest triggered a sharp increase in acquisition costs, with fintech eCPIs rising from $1.05 to $3.40 over the course of a year. Similarly, e-commerce apps saw a 46% surge in in-app revenue despite rising costs and declining retention, signaling a shift where users are spending more money and time per session even as new user acquisition becomes more expensive. Mobile gaming remains the dominant force in the app economy, accounting for 52% of total consumer spend. Global game installs grew by 32%, led by the hyper-casual subvertical, though action and adventure titles commanded the highest levels of engagement and session frequency. While Day 30 retention rates for games nearly doubled to 9%, the industry faces a growing divide between high-volume downloads and long-term stickiness. As user acquisition costs continue to climb across all regions—particularly in LATAM and EMEA—the focus for developers has shifted from pure volume to maximizing lifetime value and implementing sophisticated re-engagement strategies to sustain growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.
AppLovinJan 2022
Report
In-Game Events Snapshot: November 2021
In-game events have become a cornerstone of mobile game monetization and player retention, with 90% of the top 100 grossing mobile titles utilizing seasonal events. This analysis examines the strategic implementation of these live operations across major global markets, including the US, China, and Japan, focusing on data from late 2020 through late 2021. The findings indicate that seasonal events are highly effective at re-engaging existing players and acquiring new ones. In the US, developers primarily leverage public holidays like Christmas and Halloween, while Asian markets utilize region-specific occasions such as China’s Qixi Festival and Japan’s Sakura season. Successful implementations often combine UI changes with playable content, such as the tower defense mode in Genshin Impact’s Lantern Rite event, which drove daily revenue from $200,000 to over $1.25 million. Revenue is typically generated through time-limited skins, themed currencies, and special gacha mechanics. Promotional collaborations with external brands represent a significant growth area, appearing in 42% of the top 100 US iOS games—a steady increase since 2017. This trend is even more pronounced in Asia, where 51% of top Chinese games and 62% of top Japanese games feature collaborations. These partnerships extend beyond gaming IPs to include non-gaming brands like KFC or virtual influencers like Kizuna AI. The latter’s partnership with Sky: Children of the Light demonstrated the power of niche fanbases, pushing the game to over $1 million in daily revenue through a single $20 accessory kit. Methodologically, the insights are derived from GameRefinery’s proprietary three-layered taxonomy, which categorizes games by category, genre, and subgenre. The data highlights that while events are ubiquitous among top-tier titles, they remain underutilized by lower-ranking games, serving as a key differentiator for market leaders across the casual, mid-core, and casino segments.
GameRefineryNov 2021
Report
The State of App Engagement 2021: An Analysis of Key Global App Usage Trends in 2021
Global app engagement experienced a significant upward trend between 2018 and 2021, catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Monthly active users (MAU) for the top 500 apps grew at a compound annual growth rate of 12 to 14 percent, with the average top app gaining approximately 10 million MAU annually. While a spike in engagement occurred during 2020 lockdowns, growth rates and time spent largely normalized by the second quarter of 2021, though they remained above pre-pandemic levels. The analysis covers worldwide usage on iOS and Android across various categories and game genres. Business, Education, and Medical apps emerged as the fastest-growing categories due to shifts in remote work and remote learning. Conversely, Travel and Navigation suffered the most significant declines, though they began a slow recovery as restrictions lifted. In the gaming sector, Hypercasual titles dominated MAU and weekly active user metrics, while the Shooter genre led in daily active users. Engagement depth varies significantly by category and platform. Social Networking apps see the highest frequency of use, averaging nearly 10 sessions per day on Android, whereas Entertainment apps lead in daily time spent at approximately 30 minutes. Within gaming, mid-core genres like Strategy and RPG command the highest engagement, with users averaging about one hour of play per day. A strong correlation exists between time spent and revenue per download, particularly in mid-core and Casino genres. Retention trends reveal a divergence between games and non-games. While non-game retention improved during the study period, overall game retention—specifically day 30 metrics—was dragged down by the proliferation of Hypercasual titles, which prioritize high user acquisition over long-term loyalty. Tabletop games remain an outlier in the gaming category, maintaining the highest long-term retention and daily time spent among casual genres. Data for this analysis was sourced from Sensor Tower’s Usage and Store Intelligence platforms, benchmarking the top 100 to 500 apps per category.
Sensor TowerJan 2021
Report
Mobile Gaming Apps Report: 2019 User Acquisition Trends & Benchmarks
The 2019 mobile gaming landscape is defined by a period of unprecedented consumer spending, with gaming apps accounting for 74% of total app store revenue. While the market continues to expand, user acquisition costs have escalated, reaching an average of $35.42 to acquire a single paying user. This environment necessitates a strategic approach to platform and regional selection, as Android currently offers a more cost-effective reach than iOS. Seasonal trends also play a critical role in performance, with the third quarter emerging as a peak period for high conversion rates and optimized acquisition costs. Geographically, the market presents a stark contrast between established and emerging territories. North America, Japan, and South Korea remain the most expensive regions for acquisition but continue to lead in long-term retention and in-app purchase revenue. Conversely, Russia, Brazil, and the broader EMEA region offer high-value opportunities characterized by lower registration costs and strong initial conversion rates. While these emerging markets provide a lower barrier to entry, they often struggle with deep-funnel engagement and monetization compared to the high-yield but competitive Asian and North American markets. Genre-specific data reveals that Social Casino and Hyper Casual games are the primary drivers of early engagement, with Social Casino apps achieving a category-leading 14.3% install-to-purchase conversion rate despite high acquisition costs. Hyper Casual games have solidified their position through ad-supported models and high Day 1 retention, effectively targeting non-traditional gamers in markets like Colombia and Turkey. Meanwhile, Midcore and Strategy titles demonstrate the greatest potential for long-term revenue and sustained engagement, particularly within the EMEA region, where they outperform North American benchmarks in conversion efficiency.
NewzooJan 2019
Report
Mobile Benchmarks Report GameAnalytics
The mobile gaming landscape in the first half of 2019 reflects a significant structural shift as developers increasingly pivot from in-app purchases toward ad-based monetization models. Analysis of 100,000 titles and 1.2 billion monthly active users reveals a 15-20% year-over-year decline in Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU) and Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU). While the median ARPDAU sits at $0.02, hyper-casual games maintain viability through advertising, supported by median eCPMs of approximately $5.00. Despite these shifts, Mid-core genres like Strategy and Role-Playing Games continue to dominate financial performance, yielding the highest conversion rates and revenue generation across the industry. Engagement metrics remain the primary indicator of long-term success, with top-performing titles aiming for a 35% Day 1 retention rate and a 4% Day 28 retention rate. Classic genres, specifically Card and Casino games, lead the market in player stickiness, boasting session lengths that can reach 22 minutes compared to the broader median of 4-5 minutes. Geographic trends further highlight the rising prominence of the Chinese market, where over 60% of the population engages in mobile gaming and median eCPMs have climbed to $3.90, nearly rivaling established Western markets like the United States. Industry leaders utilize these benchmarks to streamline publishing pipelines, often requiring a minimum 50% Day 1 retention rate to greenlight titles for further optimization. Success in this competitive environment relies on the integration of real-time data, remote configuration, and advanced player segmentation to manage game lifecycles. By monitoring key performance indicators and error logs through automated dashboards, publishers can identify high-potential titles early and refine gameplay mechanics to meet the rigorous standards of the current mobile ecosystem.
GameAnalyticsJan 2019