User Acquisition Reports | Game Industry Library

User Acquisition

2026 Global Non‑Gaming App Trends Report

The report argues that non‑gaming mobile applications are experiencing accelerated growth driven by AI integration, short‑form content, and intensified user acquisition competition. Key findings show that Android dominates download volume—particularly in Utilities (79 % of installs) and Life Services (58 %)—while iOS generates a higher share of revenue, especially in Finance & Business (56 % of iOS revenue) and Life Services (57 %). In 2025, AI‑focused apps such as ChatGPT (+1,340 %) and Perplexity (+3,613 %) achieved the highest year‑over‑year download growth, and Short Drama titles like Kuku TV (+45 % k) and RapidTV (+498 %) recorded explosive revenue increases, with AI Social apps (e.g., Character AI +918 %) also driving significant monetization. User acquisition activity expanded across all major categories, with Life Services (+42 %) and Finance & Business (+43.5 %) leading the rise in app counts. Smart bidding adoption surged, with Target ROAS spend increasing by 50 % and Target CPE spending up 57 %, particularly in Utilities and Entertainment. Cost‑per‑install (CPI) analysis revealed that E‑Commerce on Android commands a 3× premium, while Finance & Business on iOS reaches 4.6×, underscoring high competition for transactional users. Monetization patterns shift toward in‑app advertising (IAA), dominating across Education, Utilities, and Entertainment. Video formats—rewarded and interstitial—outperform banner ads by 128–165× eCPM, with North America delivering the highest rewarded video eCPMs (up to 11.8× in Short Drama). The report covers global markets excluding Mainland China from January to December 2025, drawing on anonymized data from Mintegral and Insightrackr across 100+ key app categories.

market-analysis monetization user-acquisition

MintegralApr 2026

Report

The Gaming App Insights Report

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market-analysis user-acquisition retention+2

AdjustApr 2026

Report

Mobile App Trends: 2026 Edition

The mobile app industry entered 2026 with significant momentum, characterized by a 10% year-over-year increase in global installs and a 7% rise in sessions throughout 2025. Consumer spending reached a record $167 billion, signaling a robust digital economy. This growth coincides with a fundamental technological shift where artificial intelligence has transitioned from an experimental feature to essential infrastructure for predictive segmentation and data analysis. Furthermore, the industry is moving away from a strictly mobile-first approach toward multi-platform strategies designed to capture fragmented consumer journeys across various devices. User privacy sentiment is also stabilizing, with App Tracking Transparency opt-in rates climbing to 38% by early 2026. Sector-specific performance reveals a complex landscape of engagement and acquisition costs. While the global gaming population reached 3 billion in 2025, overall gaming installs remained flat as the cost per install rose 30% to $0.56. However, casual games outperformed the broader market with a 19% increase in installs and a 37% surge in sessions. In contrast, the e-commerce sector faced challenges as global installs fell by 10%, though Latin America emerged as a significant growth outlier with a 30% increase in user engagement. These trends suggest that while user acquisition is becoming more expensive in mature categories, specific genres and emerging markets continue to offer high-velocity growth opportunities. The finance sector demonstrated unique resilience, with sessions increasing by 21% despite a slight decline in installs, reflecting the deep integration of digital wallets into daily consumer habits. Finance apps also led the shift toward paid acquisition, achieving a paid-to-organic ratio of 1.13 as costs per install decreased in most regions. As the industry moves through 2026, success is increasingly defined by retention-led growth and sophisticated cross-channel attribution. Future scalability will depend on the ability of developers to leverage AI-driven personalization and cross-device measurement to maintain engagement in an increasingly competitive and fragmented global market.

market-analysis user-acquisition ai+2

AdjustJan 2026

Report

Cross-Platform Gaming: Bridging Mobile and PC/Console 2025

The global gaming landscape in 2025 is defined by a strategic synergy between the accessibility of mobile platforms and the immersive depth of PC and console ecosystems. Mobile serves as the primary engine for discovery and user acquisition, generating over 52 billion annual downloads and $82 billion in in-app purchase revenue. Meanwhile, PC and console platforms, led by storefronts like Steam, anchor brand loyalty and drive high-value engagement through seasonal peaks and premium content. By leveraging mobile’s massive reach to feed into high-fidelity ecosystems, publishers maximize total franchise growth and ensure long-term revenue stability. Publishers are increasingly bridging these distinct markets through four primary models: companion apps, "lite" versions for mass-market discovery, adapted experiences, and full cross-platform progression. Success stories such as the EA SPORTS FC companion app, which reached 78 million downloads, demonstrate how mobile accessibility sustains franchise loyalty. Furthermore, titles like PUBG Mobile and Delta Force illustrate that mobile engagement frequently drives corresponding spikes in PC player activity. This interconnectedness is particularly effective for RPGs and Shooters, which utilize unified ecosystems and shared progression to significantly increase player lifetime value and retention. Ultimately, a successful cross-platform strategy balances high-volume mobile genres, such as Simulation and Puzzle, with the prestige and monetization intensity of blockbuster PC and console releases. Adapting complex intellectual properties into accessible mobile formats allows franchises to capitalize on broader cultural trends, as seen with the resurgence of the Fallout brand. By treating mobile as a discovery engine and PC/console as the anchor for brand identity, publishers can effectively navigate the global market to capture both broad audiences and high-spending core players.

market-analysis cross-platform global+1

Sensor TowerDec 2025

Report

Southeast Asia: Mobile Game Market Insights 2025

Southeast Asia solidified its position as the world’s second-largest mobile gaming market by downloads in early 2025, reaching 1.93 billion installs. While the region currently ranks seventh globally in revenue at $625 million, it demonstrates significant monetization potential fueled by expanding digital payment infrastructure and rising smartphone penetration. Indonesia serves as the primary volume driver with 870 million installs, while Thailand leads the region in consumer spending, generating $162 million. This growth is increasingly supported by publishers based in Singapore and Vietnam, who have emerged as a dominant global force, contributing over 5.8 billion installs to the international market through a mix of hypercasual hits and competitive titles. Market dynamics reveal a shift toward high-engagement genres and localized content strategies. Although casual arcade and simulation games drive the highest download volumes, monetization is concentrated in Strategy, MOBA, and RPG segments. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang remains the regional revenue leader, sustained by hyper-local live operations and community engagement. Simultaneously, the 4X Strategy genre is experiencing rapid expansion, highlighted by a 77.7% revenue surge for titles like Last War: Survival. Conversely, traditional MMORPGs have seen a decline of nearly 20%, making way for Open World Adventure RPGs and sophisticated strategy games that leverage deep social and competitive mechanics. The regional landscape is characterized by distinct national preferences and the global expansion of local firms. Vietnam has become a powerhouse for survival-themed hypercasual games, while Thailand shows a unique affinity for realistic sports simulations. Established titles like Garena Free Fire continue to dominate global charts by blending cultural relevance with nostalgic collaborations. Ultimately, the region’s trajectory is defined by a transition from high-volume downloads to sophisticated monetization, driven by a combination of community-led activations and the strategic global influence of Southeast Asian publishers.

market-analysis mobile southeast-asia+3

Sensor TowerJun 2025

Report

Q2 2025 Gaming Ad Snapshot

The snapshot presents a mid‑year overview of mobile gaming advertising activity, emphasizing the scale of creative assets, audience composition, and platform performance in the second quarter of 2025. Leveraging MarketIQ’s ad‑intelligence engine, which indexes more than three billion ads, the analysis groups campaigns by image, video, and playable formats to surface benchmark performance and creative inspiration for marketers. A core finding is the gender split of the active audience, with males accounting for roughly 61 % and females 38.5 %, while an insignificant 0.8 % remain unclassified. Google Ads dominates the network landscape, followed by Facebook Ads, reflecting the primary channels through which gaming promotions are delivered. Creative trends highlighted include senior‑focused Mahjong titles, free‑to‑play shooters, and swipe‑based games, illustrating a diversification of themes and monetisation cues such as “No Wifi Needed” and “Get Free Robux.” Campaign metrics reveal a typical lifecycle of 13 million impressions expanding to 47 million, underscoring the rapid scaling potential of high‑performing assets. The data set draws from approximately 250 000 active campaign ads, providing a robust sample for benchmarking. Overall, the snapshot underscores the importance of data‑driven creative optimisation in mobile gaming, recommending that advertisers exploit MarketIQ’s extensive repository to identify top‑performing formats, refine copy, and align with the prevailing gender distribution and platform preferences observed in Q2 2025.

in-game-advertising user-acquisition mobile+1

MarketIQJun 2025

Report

Rewarded Returns

Rewarded Returns explores the evolution of reward-based user acquisition (UA) from its origins as a controversial incentivized traffic tactic to a sophisticated, data-driven pillar of modern mobile game marketing. The primary thesis is that technological advancements and deeper reward structures have effectively addressed legacy concerns regarding fraud and user quality, positioning rewarded UA as a high-performance alternative to traditional channels in an increasingly challenging privacy-centric landscape. The findings are based on a late 2024 survey of 502 mobile game developers in the United States and United Kingdom, primarily representing mid-sized companies with 50 to 100 employees. While 64% of respondents characterize the current UA environment as challenging due to privacy rules and high costs, 77% have already integrated reward-based campaigns into their strategies. Among these adopters, 82% report that rewarded campaigns outperform traditional UA, and 95% believe these strategies provide a distinct competitive advantage. Furthermore, 79% of developers observe stronger long-term retention from rewarded users compared to non-rewarded sources. The study identifies a significant shift in perception, noting that fraud concerns for rewarded UA (47%) are now nearly identical to those for traditional channels (46%). Despite these lingering concerns, 59% of current users plan to expand their rewarded UA budgets in 2025. Among non-adopters, 62% express concern about falling behind competitors, and 43% intend to adopt the strategy in the coming year. Looking ahead, the scope of the industry is expected to expand, with 90% of experienced developers predicting that reward-based mechanisms will move beyond mobile and web into console gaming. The conclusion emphasizes that as the industry moves toward 2025, real-world rewards—particularly cash and gift cards—are becoming a fundamental discovery and engagement mechanism rather than a mere experimental tactic.

user-acquisition monetization in-game-advertising+1

AlmediaJan 2025

Report

The State of Puzzle Games: An Analysis of the Puzzle Category in Mobile Gaming

The mobile puzzle game market is undergoing a significant structural evolution, characterized by a shift in product models and a notable rise in hybridcasual gaming. This analysis, covering global data from January 2018 through June 2023, examines the performance of various puzzle sub-genres, including swap, blast, chain, and pair mechanics. By leveraging store intelligence and download estimates from the Apple App Store and Google Play, the findings highlight how developers are increasingly integrating meta-features and diversified monetization strategies to sustain revenue in a maturing landscape. A central finding is the remarkable growth of the hybridcasual product model, which saw a 430% increase in revenue between early 2022 and early 2023. While traditional casual games continue to dominate overall market share through consistent operations and robust meta-features, they have experienced modest declines in both downloads and revenue. Conversely, hybridcasual titles—particularly within the pair sub-genre—have successfully captured user interest by blending accessible gameplay with more sophisticated monetization tactics, such as in-app purchases, which were previously less common in hypercasual-leaning segments. The data indicates that sub-genres like pair have emerged as high-growth areas, with hybridcasual revenue in this category rising from $7 million in the first quarter of 2022 to $40 million by the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, other established sub-genres, such as merge and physics, have seen download declines as their reliance on hypercasual models wanes. Successful top-tier games across all categories now frequently employ a combination of live operations, season passes, and social clans to drive engagement. Ultimately, the puzzle market is moving toward a hybrid approach, where the simplicity of casual mechanics is increasingly supported by the deeper monetization and retention frameworks typically associated with mid-core titles.

market-analysis monetization user-acquisition+3

Sensor TowerJan 2025

Report

The Gaming App Insights Report 2025: Unlocking Growth Opportunities for Mobile Marketers

The mobile gaming industry is entering a period of strategic recalibration, projected to reach $126.1 billion in revenue by 2025. This growth is underpinned by a transition toward hybrid monetization models and the integration of AI-powered personalization to combat persistent retention challenges. While global install volume grew by 4% in 2024, the market exhibits a distinct geographic divide; North American and European markets face stagnation, whereas Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa regions demonstrate robust expansion. Success in this evolving landscape requires developers to move beyond traditional acquisition, favoring diversified channels such as Connected TV and localized, player-centric engagement strategies. Data from early 2025 indicates that user tracking remains a pivotal operational hurdle, with global App Tracking Transparency opt-in rates hovering at 37.9%. Although arcade games have seen notable improvements in opt-in performance, the United States remains relatively static at 32%, underscoring the necessity for refined messaging strategies to maintain visibility. Concurrently, the industry is grappling with a complex financial environment characterized by rising costs per install and declining average revenue metrics. These headwinds are forcing a shift in marketing tactics, as developers increasingly rely on a broader array of acquisition partners and data-informed creative experimentation to sustain growth. Ultimately, the path to profitability in 2025 lies in prioritizing long-term player value over short-term acquisition metrics. By leveraging AI-driven optimization and fostering community-building initiatives, developers can mitigate the impact of declining revenue per user. The industry is clearly moving toward a more sophisticated, data-reliant ecosystem where the ability to measure performance across fragmented channels—including mobile and Connected TV—is essential for maintaining a competitive advantage in a maturing global market.

market-analysis mobile user-acquisition+5

GamingReportJan 2025

Report

The Mobile App Growth Report: 2025 Edition

Global mobile app growth remains resilient in 2025, characterized by an 11% year-over-year increase in installs and a 10% rise in user sessions. This expansion is increasingly defined by a shift from pure volume-based acquisition toward a value-driven model that balances cost efficiency, engagement, and long-term retention. The Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the primary engine of this global momentum, achieving the highest regional growth score of 45, with India specifically leading all individual nations with a score of 49. While established markets like North America show more modest growth metrics, they remain critical hubs for high-value user monetization and sophisticated optimization strategies. Gaming continues to be the dominant vertical worldwide, particularly within the hyper-casual and hybrid-casual subgenres. This sector is especially potent in emerging markets; India’s gaming growth score of 52.2 underscores its status as a premier expansion target, while the Latin American and Middle Eastern markets are projected to reach significant revenue milestones of $35.9 billion and $3.73 billion respectively by 2030. Beyond gaming, the publications and utilities sectors have demonstrated consistent strength across Western markets, indicating a diversified landscape where functional and content-driven apps maintain high engagement levels. The current mobile ecosystem requires a strategic pivot toward sophisticated analytics and retention-focused operations. In regions like North America, where user acquisition costs are higher, success depends on maximizing average revenue per user and leveraging artificial intelligence to refine marketing spend. Meanwhile, specific regional opportunities, such as the rise of card and arcade games in Türkiye, highlight the importance of localized content strategies. Ultimately, the global market is transitioning into a phase where sustainable growth is achieved through the integration of high-quality user experiences and data-driven efficiency rather than simple install volume.

market-analysis user-acquisition global+1

AdjustJan 2025

Report

Target, Connect, Engage: Driving Profitable App Growth

Achieving sustainable mobile app growth in a privacy-centric digital landscape requires a sophisticated integration of precise measurement tools and advanced advertising optimization. The primary objective of modern mobile marketing is to shift focus from simple installation metrics toward high-value user engagement and long-term profitability. By leveraging Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) in tandem with platform-specific optimization features, brands can navigate complex cross-channel user journeys, mitigate ad fraud, and significantly improve their return on ad spend. Data-driven strategies, specifically those utilizing App Event Optimization and Value-Based Optimization, serve as the foundation for scaling performance. These methodologies allow advertisers to move beyond broad acquisition tactics, instead employing granular audience segmentation and real-time tracking to identify and retain high-value users. Case studies involving major global brands such as Burger King, Rappi, and Carrefour demonstrate that this technical synergy consistently yields substantial improvements in conversion rates and overall revenue. For instance, integrated campaigns have successfully driven multi-fold increases in return on investment, proving that technical precision directly correlates with commercial success. The scope of these strategies encompasses global mobile markets, focusing on the intersection of social media advertising and third-party attribution. Success in this environment relies on a structured, agile approach that prioritizes diversified creative testing and consistent budget management. By combining the analytical depth of an MMP with the reach and targeting capabilities of platforms like TikTok, developers can effectively lower customer acquisition costs while maximizing user lifetime value. Ultimately, the integration of these technologies is essential for any organization seeking to maintain a competitive edge in the evolving mobile ecosystem.

marketing user-acquisition monetization+2

KingJan 2025

Report

Gaming App Insights Report: 2025 Edition

The analysis tracks the state of the global mobile‑gaming market through 2024 and projects its trajectory toward 2025, emphasizing how emerging AI‑driven personalization will shape growth. It establishes that the sector is recovering from the volatility of 2023, with worldwide app installs climbing 4 % year‑over‑year in 2024, even as average session length contracted. Core user engagement metrics, however, show modest decline: day‑1 retention fell from 28 % to 27 % and median revenue per active user dropped from $0.31 to $0.28, indicating pressure on traditional monetization models. In contrast, advertising efficiency improved, reflected in higher installs per mille (IPM) and stronger ad‑performance indicators across major markets. The report’s geographic scope is global, encompassing all major mobile‑gaming regions, and its temporal frame spans the 2023‑2025 period. It integrates data from app stores, ad networks, and cross‑platform measurement tools to deliver a comprehensive view of user acquisition, retention, and revenue trends. The central thesis posits that the next wave of growth will be powered by AI‑enabled, culturally tailored experiences that adapt difficulty, blend monetization formats, and deploy live events to boost lifetime value. Developers and marketers who adopt a metrics‑focused, AI‑augmented approach—identifying pivotal in‑game moments and steering users toward optimal pathways—are projected to achieve the most scalable expansion. Cross‑platform analytics suites are highlighted as essential for delivering the visibility required to implement these strategies effectively.

market-analysis monetization user-acquisition+2

AdjustJan 2025

Report

Mobile Growth and Monetization Report 2023

The report establishes that mobile game monetization is most effective when focused on early‑stage conversion and strategic ad placement. Analysis of 31 billion in‑app purchase events shows that 77 % of players who convert do so within the first two weeks, with currencies and limited‑time sales accounting for 22–23 % and 15–20 % of revenue respectively. Pricing the first purchase between $1 and $5 maximizes conversion efficiency, while targeting tier‑2 markets and deploying offerwalls can further enhance retention. Rewarded‑ad data, derived from 31 billion monthly impressions and 158 million installs, identifies high‑engagement placements between levels, in the IAP store, and lobby screens. Extra‑reward, currency, and gacha offers drive the greatest engagement. Offerwalls contribute roughly 33 % of total ad revenue, delivering about $4.68 per converted user; multi‑reward offers generate 60–82 % of conversions and can yield up to $68 per completion. These insights suggest that placing high‑visibility rewarded ads and integrating offerwalls can simultaneously boost retention and monetization. Complementary tactics such as custom store pages further improve player engagement. Offerwall conversions can increase day‑7 to day‑120 retention by up to fivefold, especially for high‑engagement segments. Custom store pages allow developers to align in‑game messaging with ad creatives, reducing resource costs and enhancing conversion rates. Targeting genre‑specific markets—sports in Japan or trivia in South Korea—can lift click‑through rates above tier‑2 averages, underscoring the importance of data‑driven audience and creative optimization. Overall, the findings emphasize a focused strategy: early conversion pricing, strategic rewarded‑ad placement, offerwall integration, and tailored store experiences. These combined tactics deliver measurable gains in retention, revenue, and campaign efficiency across iOS and Google Play platforms worldwide.

monetization user-acquisition market-analysis+2

UnityJan 2025

Report

Intelligence Top Mobile Games Challenges: A User Acquisition, Ad & Product Monetization Report

The mobile gaming landscape heading into 2025 is defined by the critical difficulty of performing within an increasingly crowded market space. Approximately 41% of user acquisition managers identify market saturation and rising costs per installment as their primary obstacles, driven largely by intense competition from non-gaming entities. This environment has forced a strategic pivot away from traditional acquisition tactics toward sustainable growth rooted in long-term retention and creative iteration. Consequently, the industry is transitioning from a focus on sheer volume to a model centered on maximizing lifetime user value through sophisticated engagement strategies. Ad monetization and product management sectors face parallel pressures, specifically regarding effective user segmentation and the declining value of electronic cost per mille (eCPM). While segmentation is the most widespread concern for monetization teams, senior executives are particularly focused on innovating new revenue streams to compensate for diminishing ad returns. In the realm of product management, LiveOps development and the accurate assessment of return on investment have emerged as the dominant priorities. Nearly 30% of product managers rank LiveOps as their most significant challenge, outweighing traditional concerns such as game economy balancing or initial prototype testing. To navigate these hurdles, the industry is moving toward data-driven personalization and revenue diversification. Success in the maturing mobile market now requires leveraging artificial intelligence for audience segmentation and expanding monetization models to include subscriptions and alternative storefronts. By moving beyond simple acquisition hacks and focusing on robust LiveOps and incremental growth through retention, developers aim to stabilize revenue in a volatile privacy-centric environment. This shift underscores a broader industry evolution where deep audience understanding and operational agility are the primary drivers of commercial viability.

monetization user-acquisition in-game-advertising+2

AppLovinJan 2025

Report

State of Mobile 2025: TikTok Edition

The mobile industry reached a significant milestone in 2024, generating a record $150 billion in in-app purchase revenue, representing a 12.5% year-over-year increase. While global downloads experienced a marginal 1% decline to 136 billion, user engagement reached an all-time high of 4.2 trillion total hours. This growth was primarily fueled by non-gaming sectors, specifically Entertainment, Productivity, and Photo & Video, alongside a recovering mobile gaming market where eleven titles surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue. Geographically, North America and Europe remain the strongest monetization hubs, though nearly 80% of total consumer spend now occurs outside an app’s home country, signaling a highly globalized marketplace. Artificial Intelligence has emerged as the primary catalyst for industry transformation, with AI chatbots recording a 200% revenue surge and generative AI apps reaching $1.3 billion in annual spend. This technology is being integrated across diverse verticals, from productivity tools to dating apps like Tinder and Grindr, which are utilizing AI to streamline user experiences and facilitate real-world connections. The Productivity and Utility sector specifically benefited from this trend, seeing a 35% revenue increase to $15 billion. Furthermore, niche categories such as short-form drama apps and fitness reward platforms are gaining significant traction, with the latter benefiting from a shift toward social "run clubs" and outdoor exercise. The 2024 landscape also highlights a shift in monetization strategies and user behavior. In the dating sector, revenue grew by 14% despite a decrease in time spent, suggesting that users are prioritizing efficient, high-value interactions over passive scrolling. Meanwhile, the Health and Fitness category continues to see strong seasonal surges and global expansion in markets like Germany and Australia. Across all sectors, the industry is moving toward community-focused retention and sophisticated subscription models, leveraging AI to maintain high per-user monetization even as traditional download growth stabilizes in mature markets.

market-analysis monetization user-acquisition+1

Sensor TowerJan 2025

Report

The Importance of Wishlists in 2025: Do Wishlists Matter?

Steam wishlists serve as a critical metric for predicting commercial success in the video game industry, functioning as a primary indicator of pre-launch momentum. Data analysis reveals that wishlist distribution is highly top-heavy, with a significant majority of games launching with fewer than 10,000 wishlists, while only a small fraction of titles achieve the 100,000-plus threshold required to reliably forecast a breakout performance. There is a strong 70% correlation between pre-launch wishlist counts and first-month unit sales, particularly for titles that surpass the 100,000-wishlist milestone. Genre-specific trends highlight that action and adventure titles consistently generate the highest levels of pre-release buzz, often benefiting from the brand equity and marketing budgets of AAA and AA publishers. Conversely, casual and MMO titles frequently rely on post-launch engagement, such as live updates and community building, rather than pre-release wishlist accumulation. Regardless of genre, the timing of a Steam page launch is vital; top-performing games typically establish their presence six to twelve months before release, utilizing a steady stream of trailers and development updates to build and maintain audience interest. The findings are based on an analysis of games launched on Steam from March 2024 onwards, utilizing proprietary estimation models and industry data. The research emphasizes that while wishlists are not a guarantee of success for every title, they act as a essential barometer for market interest. For developers and publishers, the data underscores that early visibility and sustained marketing efforts are necessary to reach the wishlist tiers that statistically correlate with long-term commercial viability.

market-analysis marketing user-acquisition+3

Video Game InsightsJan 2025

Report

State of AI Apps Report 2025

The analysis quantifies the rapid expansion of generative‑AI applications in the first half of 2025, documenting 1.6 billion downloads and $1.2 billion in in‑app‑purchase revenue. This represents a 67 percent increase in downloads and a 200 percent jump in revenue compared with the second half of 2024, indicating a pronounced acceleration in user adoption and monetisation. Engagement metrics rose in tandem, underscoring the sector’s heightened activity during this period. User demographics reveal a pronounced male and youth bias: roughly 60 percent of users are male and nearly 70 percent are under 35. While flagship services such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini attract comparatively balanced audiences and exhibit strong cross‑app overlap, niche offerings—including Grok and DeepSeek—tend to cluster with privacy‑focused, crypto‑trading, and gaming user personas. This segmentation highlights divergent appeal across the generative‑AI landscape. Advertising investment intensified, with OpenAI’s major campaign propelling it into the top‑ten spenders in key markets such as the United States, India and South Korea. AI‑driven ad creatives increasingly employ light‑hearted, animal‑centric visuals while emphasizing concrete everyday utilities, exemplified by Google Gemini’s car‑warning guidance and Microsoft Copilot’s quiz‑making and recipe‑generation tools. Spend estimates, tracked across U.S. platforms including Reddit, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube, illustrate the breadth of digital‑advertising channels leveraged. Overall, the findings portray a sector experiencing explosive growth, a skewed yet evolving user base, and a surge in AI‑powered marketing activity across major global markets during H1 2025.

market-analysis ai monetization+2

Sensor TowerJan 2025

Report

Target. Connect. Engage: Driving Profitable App Growth with Revenue-Boosting Strategies

The primary purpose of the analysis is to demonstrate how a strategic partnership between a mobile measurement partner (MMP) and TikTok’s advertising ecosystem can unlock profitable growth for app marketers. By integrating real‑time attribution, privacy‑preserving measurement, and value‑based optimization, brands can accurately credit campaigns, reduce fraud, and maximize return on ad spend (ROAS) across the entire customer journey. Key findings show that cross‑platform visibility is essential for identifying high‑value users and optimizing acquisition budgets, especially amid tightening privacy regulations on iOS and Android. AppsFlyer’s comprehensive measurement suite, combined with TikTok’s SKAdNetwork tools and self‑reporting network, delivers precise audience targeting and cost‑effective user acquisition. Case studies from Burger King, Casas Bahia, and Carrefour illustrate tangible results: a 7× ROI for coupon activations, a 44 % lift in conversion rates with a 55 % ROI gain, and a 29 % increase in in‑app revenue with triple the return compared to other channels. The document outlines best practices for app install and retargeting campaigns, recommending the use of App Event Optimization (AEO) and Value‑Based Optimization (VBO) to focus spend on high‑value actions. Automated Smart Performance Campaigns and real‑time ROAS measurement via AppsFlyer integrations further enhance efficiency and lifetime value. Geographically, the insights apply globally across major mobile markets, with a focus on the U.S., Europe, and emerging regions where TikTok’s user base is rapidly expanding. The time frame covers current privacy‑driven advertising environments and anticipates ongoing downturns, positioning the partnership as a resilient growth strategy for 2024‑2026.

monetization marketing user-acquisition+2

AppsFlyerJan 2025

Report

2025 State of Mobile Gaming: In-App Purchase Trends of Leading Apps

The 2025 State of Mobile Gaming report analyzes the transition of the mobile gaming industry into a new growth phase characterized by refined monetization and sophisticated user acquisition. Based on an anonymized dataset of 100 leading global gaming advertisers and Sensor Tower estimates spanning 24 months, the analysis tracks the evolution of In-App Purchase (IAP) trends across 2.3 billion projected players. The findings indicate that while global install volume remained flat in 2024, IAP revenue grew by 4%. This growth is driven by a 6% increase in install-to-payer conversion rates and improved long-term monetization, with Day 90 Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU) rising by 6%. A significant shift in platform dominance has occurred, with iOS now generating 55% of global IAP revenue. High-value users represent a critical concentration of wealth; specifically, the top 5% of payers generate 48% of total revenue. In the United States, a mere 0.02% of global installs—representing high-spending iOS users—account for 20% of total global gaming revenue. Market dynamics show fierce competition for these spenders, with the top 1% of iOS winning bid prices increasing by 140% year-over-year. To counter rising costs in mature markets like the U.S. and Tier 1 regions, leading advertisers are diversifying into the Rest of World (ROW) and emerging markets, where iOS revenue grew by 19% and 31% respectively. Successful strategies among the top five advertisers include a heavy reliance on Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) optimization, a 5x higher investment in interactive playable creatives, and a 3x greater focus on re-engagement campaigns compared to the broader industry. The report concludes that the industry is moving toward a hybrid model where casual gameplay mechanics are blended with deep IAP structures to maximize lifetime value across a global audience.

monetization user-acquisition retention+2

MolocoJan 2025

Report

The Gaming App Insights Report: 2025 Edition

The 2025 Gaming App Insights Report presents a resilient mobile gaming market that rebounded strongly in 2024, projecting global revenue of $126.1 billion for 2025 and a 49% share of total gaming revenue, eclipsing console (28%) and PC (23%). AI‑driven personalization, dynamic monetization models, and cross‑platform play emerge as key drivers of higher retention, session length, and in‑app spending, particularly within battle royale and strategy genres. New acquisition channels—TikTok, connected TV, and influencer marketing—are reshaping player discovery, while studios that invest in AI for predictive churn mitigation and long‑term relationship building are positioned to capture the largest growth opportunities, especially as mobile gaming expands into LATAM and MENA regions. Privacy compliance shows modest improvement, with global ATT opt‑in rates rising to 37.9 % in Q1 2025; arcade titles lead the surge (42.4 → 59.3 %). Regional gains are strongest in Indonesia (58.6 %) and Malaysia (51.9 %), whereas markets such as the UAE, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines experienced slight declines. Despite these gains, compliance remains uneven across genres and geographies. Advertising performance improved in 2024: installs per mille increased from 8.1 to 8.86, click‑through rates rose from 7 % to 9 %, and median cost per install fell slightly (0.38 → 0.36 USD). Median cost per mille dropped to $3.41, indicating more efficient ad spend. However, revenue‑per‑user metrics declined overall—ARPM fell across most categories and ARPMAU dropped from $0.31 to $0.28—though casino and strategy games bucked the trend with higher monetization. The report concludes that mobile gaming’s next growth wave will hinge on AI‑driven, culturally tailored experimentation and hyper‑personalized user journeys. Precise targeting—through dynamic difficulty, hybrid monetization, and live events—combined with community‑building tactics drives higher lifetime value. Teams that leverage cross‑platform measurement and analytics to iterate on data‑driven decisions will be best positioned to scale and shape the future of mobile gaming.

market-analysis user-acquisition mobile+2

AdjustJan 2025