Moloco

This analysis examines the performance of new mobile games during their first year of operation, focusing on market trends, monetization strategies, and user acquisition tactics. The study is based on an analysis of 55 mobile titles released between January 2024 and September 2025 that utilized the Moloco network for traffic acquisition, with data supplemented by Sensor Tower figures. The scope is limited to iOS and Android games targeting US players, providing a detailed look at the competitive landscape where only 2,500 out of 190,000 new releases achieved more than 500,000 downloads in their first year.

Key findings indicate that while the market is highly saturated, successful titles are achieving revenue milestones faster than in previous years, with the time required to reach $20 million in in-app purchase (IAP) revenue decreasing by 21% between 2022 and 2025. Monetization remains heavily reliant on a small cohort of high-spending players, or "whales," who contribute a growing share of revenue throughout the year. Notably, 38% of these high-value players in whale-driven games do not make their first purchase until at least six months after launch, suggesting that long-term engagement is critical for sustained profitability.

Successful "breakout" titles distinguish themselves through aggressive and strategic user acquisition. Unlike underperforming games that scale back spending after launch, breakout titles consistently increase their user acquisition budgets throughout the year. These top-tier games also prioritize return on ad spend (ROAS) optimization over simple cost-per-install metrics and maintain a diverse, constantly refreshed library of creative assets, including a higher proportion of playable ads and long-form video content. Ultimately, the data suggests that early identification of high-value players and a commitment to continuous creative iteration are the primary drivers of long-term commercial success in the current mobile gaming environment.

The purpose of the analysis is to demonstrate that creative content remains the decisive lever for growth in an advertising environment increasingly fragmented by privacy constraints and platform diversity. By measuring “Return on Creative” through volume, variety, and versioning, marketers can isolate incremental value per asset and scale profitable campaigns across platforms.

High‑performance ads are defined by rapid, data‑driven testing and creative diversification. In e‑commerce and lifestyle categories, first‑person point‑of‑view walkthroughs that showcase everyday use outperform generic user‑generated content, with a 350 % lift in ad spend when winning templates are paired with top assets. TikTok’s “TikTok‑first” structure—hook, body, close—shows that 30‑second videos with sound on can raise purchase intent by up to 77 %. AI tools such as TikTok Symphony deliver a 57 % efficiency gain in content creation, underscoring the necessity of automated, localized creative testing for scaling.

The three‑stage CRAFTSMAN+ framework provides a systematic approach to creative optimization. Stage 2 refines concepts by testing talent, video duration, and demographic fit to identify the most engaging format. Stage 3 fine‑tunes assets—including intro hooks, audio, CTA copy, and visual elements—to lock in the winning creative, benchmark performance, and scale campaigns. Narrative structure (education‑focused versus social proof) and localized storytelling drive higher conversion rates and return on ad spend, while structured fatigue monitoring (CTR decay, spend decline) enables proactive creative refreshes.

Geographically the findings apply to major digital markets worldwide, with a focus on platforms such as TikTok and broader social media ecosystems. The time period covers the most recent advertising cycles, reflecting current privacy regulations and platform algorithm changes. Overall, the analysis concludes that dynamic, interactive creative—tested rapidly and scaled strategically—offers the highest growth potential for brands navigating today’s complex advertising landscape.

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.

The analysis quantifies how Apple’s post‑IDFA privacy updates have reshaped user‑acquisition economics for mobile games, contrasting casual titles with core experiences. By aggregating 13.5 billion programmatic ad impressions from iOS and Android between January 1 2021 and September 30 2021, the study tracks cost‑per‑install (CPI) trends across three intervals—pre‑iOS 14.5, during the iOS 14.5‑14.6 rollout, and post‑iOS 14.6—using Moloco’s proprietary game taxonomy to separate titles into casual and core categories.

Casual games experienced a sharp decline in iOS CPI, falling 38 % after the iOS 14.6 release, while Android CPI for the same segment rose modestly by 16 %. In contrast, core games saw iOS CPI surge 78 % and Android CPI increase 36 % over the same period, reflecting intensified competition for a shrinking pool of high‑value, trackable users. The narrowing of the historical iOS‑Android CPI gap for casual titles indicates that Android installs now command comparable monetary value, whereas iOS remains the premium channel for core audiences due to higher in‑app‑purchase conversion rates.

Methodologically, the research averages weekly CPI data across the defined date ranges, applying a taxonomy that classifies games by genre and engagement depth, with subcategories overlapping between casual and core groups. Findings suggest that the divergent CPI trajectories are driven by user churn characteristics and lifetime‑value differentials rather than seasonal factors.

Strategic recommendations emphasize diversifying media spend, allocating budget to campaigns optimized for return‑on‑ad‑spend, and leveraging machine‑learning‑based bidding to mitigate volatility. These practices aim to preserve profitability amid the evolving privacy‑driven market dynamics for both casual and core mobile game publishers.