How to Prepare Your Live Ops for the Holiday Season

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How to Prepare

Your Live Ops for

the Holiday Season

Discover how top games structure Live Ops, what’s
new,

and how to build a scalable system that performs.

Deconstructions

by Sensor Tower

Deconstructions,
Sensor Tower’s state-of-the-art platform for

analyzing Live Ops, enables you to dive into a rich repository of

events, updates, and monetization oﬀers across hundreds of top

games. Whether you’re designing a new oﬀering, reengaging

existing players, or optimizing your monetization tactics, use

Deconstructions to secure your competitive edge in the

mobile gaming world.

This report gives you a preview of the rich insights available

in-platform — use these evidence-based recommendations to

move with confidence, and revamp your strategy ahead of the

holiday season.

We’re entering the Holiday Season – Thanksgiving,

Black Friday, Christmas, New Year – the weeks when

players come back, spend more time in the game, and

are naturally more open to rewards and special events.

It’s also the moment when teams wrap up the year,

review what worked (and what didn’t), and look for

growth levers before Q4 closes. And Live Ops is one of

the few levers that can still move the needle eﬀectively

But here’s the key idea: Live Ops shouldn’t be a holiday

trick. It should be a system.

Seasonal events only amplify a foundation that

already works.

This guide breaks down how TOP games structure Live

Ops, what’s NEW this Season, and how to build a

scalable system that performs during the holidays.

How to Prepare

Your Live Ops for the

Holiday Season

Why the Holiday Season Deserves Special Attention

Major holidays are always worth extra attention – they bring more than just festive decorations.

●
People are in a better mood, surrounded by a special atmosphere, and most importantly – they have more free time. For many, this is also the

season of year-end bonuses and gift spending

●
→ This combination naturally drives
stronger engagement and higher spending

As seen to the left, Top

titles that planned their

systems strategically –

achieved
revenue

uplifts from 16% to
45%

during this period.

Let’s take a closer look at

the key principles behind

that success.

Why the Holiday Season Deserves Special Attention

You can also look beyond Christmas – there are a few other major holidays worth paying attention to.

One of the key ones is the Thanksgiving – Black Friday period (28-29 Nov, 2024), which often acts as the kick-oﬀ to the festive season.

We analyzed hundreds

of games
, and saw a

clear trend:

Nearly all of them show

revenue growth

between 15% and 50%

during this window.

To the left are just a few

examples illustrating that

spike.

Why the Holiday Season Deserves Special Attention

Another key holiday to keep in mind is The 4th of July: Independence Day in the USA.

It’s an important date for most games, since the majority of most of the mobile audiences are US-based.

This holiday perfectly

breaks up the summer

season, giving

companies a strong

reason to re-engage

players.

During this period, many

games refresh their

visuals – adopting red,

white, and blue color

themes, fireworks, and

other iconic American

symbols to match the

celebratory mood.

We used
Sensor Tower’s Deconstructions
to analyze

hundreds of games and thousands of event
launches

across diﬀerent types and genres.

We discovered multiple patterns and correlations – and

compiled the
best practices and insights
to help you

build a strong
Live Ops System
and adapt it for the

festive holiday season.

Infuse the

Holiday Spirit

Christmas oﬀicially falls on December 24, but
don’t

wait until then to celebrate with your players.

Start building that ‘Holiday Mood’ in early December

– right after Thanksgiving and Black Friday wrap up.

For example, in 2024:

●
Coin Master
kicked oﬀ its Christmas events as

early as
December 3

●
Gossip Harbor
followed a few days later –

around
December 7

What does this mean for you?

It means planning should start way earlier – ideally in

August or early September.
And no, that’s not a
joke,

it’s how top teams actually do it.

Start Celebrating Early

Give your top events a festive reskin – Christmas

versions always feel special.

There’s plenty of inspiration around: classic movies,

other games, store decorations, even memes.

Respect your audience’s traditions. And don’t mix

them up:

●
Stockings, fireplaces, milk and cookies for Santa

belong to Christmas

●
While disco balls, champagne, and midnight

kisses belong to New Year’s Eve

Set the mood

Decorate the

Christmas Tree (or the

Location)

Decorating a Christmas tree is one of the most

recognizable and beloved traditions – and many

games borrow this imagery to instantly create a

festive, cozy atmosphere.

●
Players complete challenges or tasks to add

ornaments, lights, and gifts – each action visually

showing progress and celebration

Another variation is Location Decoration
– where

players gradually add new festive details to their
town,

yard, or room, watching it come alive with every

completed milestone.

Advent Calendar /

12 Days of Christmas

Another timeless tradition that fits perfectly into

Live Ops. Players return daily to Unwrap a new

Surprise.

●
Daily surprises create a ritual:
players start

each session with a positive reinforcement,

which instantly boosts mood and increases the

chance they’ll stay and play longer.

●
Lifehack: Your “gift” doesn’t always have

to be a reward
– it can also be a Bonus on

Purchase (like a special discount or bundle)

or even the launch of a new event.

Whether it’s a classic
Advent Calendar
or a “
12 Days

of Christmas” countdown
, the idea is the same:

create a daily ritual that keeps players excited to
come

back – and rewards consistency with growing value.

Other Classic

Decorations

And of course, you can weave other Christmas

traditions right into your existing events.

They don’t need to become standalone features – just

small thematic touches that add charm and

familiarity:

●
Gingerbread cookies

●
Letters to Santa

●
Santa’s Workshop

●
Milk & Cookies for Santa

●
Christmas decorations, red-and-white candy

canes, and more

Don’t forget about

your App Icon

Have you ever seen your DAU spike unexpectedly

after a release – even without major changes inside

the game?

It often happens right after an
app icon refresh.

A festive icon on the home screen catches attention
and

subtly reminds your existing audience to come back.

So, don’t skip this step – give your icon a seasonal

touch and let it work as a small, silent reactivation tool

Festive events bring energy, excitement, and a short-term
boost

– but their real power lies in how well your core

Live Ops system supports them.

Think of holidays as amplifiers:

they don’t replace your foundation, they magnify it.

So before the next season hits, let’s explore what makes a strong,

scalable Live Ops system that can perform year-round

Building Your

Live Ops System

Building Your

Live Ops System

The Live Ops landscape can be grouped into

3 main layers:

●
Global Events (Long-Term)
– the overarching

structures, seasonal or always-on, that hold

everything together

●
Complex Events (Mid-Term)
– system-level

events that reinforce and connect other activities

●
Basic Events (Short-Term)
– engagement loops

built around milestones, mini-goals or streaks

Global Events

Long Term

Complex Events

Mid-Term

Simple Basic Events

Short Term

Collection (Album)

Battle Pass

Weekly Tasks

Complex Events

Social Events

Additional Mode

Mini-Games

Competition

Milestone Progression

Win Streak

Simple Basic Events

(Short-Term)

Main Characteristics:

●
Short in duration – usually 1-3 days

●
Focused on Short- and Mid-term Goals

●
Core principle: Play the main loop → Progress the

event

●
Typically use a soft diﬀiculty curve (easy start →

harder finish, with ‘sawtooth’ pacing)

●
Built around frequent milestones so players hit

several milestones within a single session

●
Work best when progress is visible and supported by

‘almost there’ nudges

●
Ideally use asynchronous progress, so reaching a

milestone in one event already partially fills the next

They can be presented in diﬀerent thematic
wrappers,

but usually fall into four Main Formats:

●
Milestone Progression

●
Win Streak

●
Competition

●
Mini-Games

Simple Basic Events

Short Term

Mini-Games

Competition

Milestone Progression

Win Streak

These events typically serve as the starting point for most Live Ops systems:

Milestone Progression

The simplest and most intuitive type of event – a sequence of milestones, each with a reward.

‘Simple’ DOESN’T mean ‘Weak.’ When tuned correctly, this format is extremely eﬀective.

Milestone Progression

A few hidden gems

Reward with timed

boosters/lives

This creates a self-sustaining loop:

progress → reward → longer session

→ more progress → next reward.

Royal Match uses this heavily –

roughly every 2nd or 3rd reward is

a time-limited benefit, designed

exactly for this purpose.

Re-skin + re-frame often

The same event can feel fresh

when the visual part changes. For

example, the core mechanic across

the 1-3 screenshots is identical –

yet each event feels diﬀerent

thanks to theme and presentation.

Great as a ‘currency feeder’ into

other events.

Instead of paying out core

currency, you can reward tokens

for another event. This builds

natural events synergy (like the

example in the screenshot)

Use a diﬀiculty ‘sawtooth’, not
a

straight line – to create natural

‘rest’ moments between

diﬀiculty spikes

Start easy → ramp up → drop →

ramp again (e.g. 60 → 200 → 80

→ 250)

Choose your event diﬀiculty

curve wisely:

For example, both linear and

exponential curves saw success —

the choice depends on your genre,

audience, and how segmented

your event experience is

Achieve

the milestone

Get the Time

Booster

Progress

Play More

= Longer Session

Win Streak

If your game uses a level-based progression,

win streaks are a must – they boost both

engagement and monetization.

Tune milestone frequency to your diﬀiculty

curve If your game has a ‘Hard Level’ every ~5

stages, then a 4-step streak will feel easy – but

an 8-14 step streak will require real eﬀort and

drive much higher commitment

Win Streak
(continued)

Always communicate ‘Streak loss’ clearly

In Royal Match, progress visibility is crystal clear – the player always knows exactly

how far they’ve come: ex. 4/5 levels – losing progress feels tangible and painful

In Disney Solitaire, the visual feedback is unclear – whether it’s 2/15 or 14/15 – the

rainbow looks the same. This misses a key psychological trigger, since nearing

completion naturally drives stronger motivation to keep going

New Interpretation

of the Lava Quest

This format has already become a player favorite

– and recently it has evolved even further.

What’s new in the latest versions:

●
The event now has 3 stages, each one harder

than the previous. As players progress → the

commitment to finish keeps growing

●
The social component is removed – instead,
the

final reward is a Picking mini-game with 1-of-3

prizes.

●
Similar to Monopoly Go’s style: Less

predictability → more excitement, gambling feel

●
Along the way, players also collect card packs,

which creates an extra ‘pull forward’ through

collection synergy

What if your game is

NOT Level-based?

Travel Town and Gossip Harbor show a great

workaround for non-level systems.

What’s new in the latest versions:

●
The core idea stays the same – step-by-step

progression + competition with other players

●
But instead of levels, the event uses Special

Event Quests as the source of progress

●
The integration is less ‘native’ or intuitive than

in level-based games

●
However, event quests still allow you to build a

diﬀiculty curve and even personalize

progression per player

Competition Mechanics

Tournaments are a powerful motivator because they add social comparison on top of personal goals.

The player is no longer progressing ‘for themselves only’ – they’re competing against others, which multiplies engagement.

There are 3 common formats:

Classic Tournaments

Leaderboard by collected points

Race

First to finish + reach a target

Duels

1v1 or small pool direct competition

Classic Tournaments

A classic format: players earn points through core

activity, and rewards are granted at the end based

on final placement.

Hidden Gems:

●
Add personal milestone progression. Since

tournaments are long and rewards arrive only

at the end, milestones provide positive

reinforcement and more frequent touchpoints

with the feature

●
Poor interaction flow has killed many otherwise

great Live Ops systems

●
Use multipliers to boost monetization. Players

always earn points, but maintaining a streak

multiplies their reward – and clearly showing

this in the lose pop-up amplifies the emotional

(and spending) pressure.

Race Tournament

More dynamic and session-driven – goals are

usually sized to be completed within a single

play session or even less.

If your goal is to extend play sessions, this

tournament format is a perfect fit

Duels

(1х1 Tournament)

Duels focus the player on Direct, Head-to-head

Competition – maximum attention on the

opponent.

●
Strong emotional payoﬀ due to personal rivalry

●
Easy to expand into a multi-stage experience:
win

one duel → instantly advance to the next.

○
Each stage can either maintain the same

target for consistency or escalate — with

tougher objectives, or stronger opponents –

creating a natural sense of rising challenge

and momentum.

Mini-Games

The category speaks for itself – these events are

built around a light gameplay break using familiar

or trending mechanics.

●
Often based on nostalgic mechanics (like Zuma),

current hits (Block puzzles), or chance-based

formats where players can ‘try their luck’

●
These events stand out because they “Let
players

PLAY, not just fill a Progress bar”. They add

moments of real gameplay and interaction —

quick sessions where players make choices, test

their luck, and get instant feedback.

It’s a reminder that even within Live Ops, players

crave play, not just progress.

Complex Events (Mid-Term)

This next category is more systematic and goes beyond ‘Play the core → Earn progress.’

What makes them diﬀerent:

●
They usually require multiple layers of activity, not just core gameplay – e.g. completing special quests, interacting
with

other events, or triggering meta-features.

●
They run much longer – typically 5-14 days, which allows for build-up, Anticipation, and deeper Engagement loops.

●
They often act as a Hub that connects smaller events into a bigger experience.

Let’s break down their structure and what makes them eﬀective.

Battle Pass

Battle Pass deserves a separate full breakdown –

but here’s the core idea in a nutshell.

The strength of the Battle Pass is that it works in

both directions – as an engagement driver and a

monetization driver:

●
If a player buys the pass → they feel motivated

to play more to ‘get full value’

●
If a player plays a lot → they are more likely to

buy, because they already see how many

rewards they are unlocking

Special event quests

(ex. Coin Master, Candy Crush Soda Saga)

●
Less common for Puzzle games, but

popular in other genres

●
Typically seen in games that rely on

simpler daily challenges or have fewer

Event types focused on diverse mission

structures.

●
In such ecosystems, special quests

help add variety and depth to the

overall Live Ops cycle.

Passive filling from core activity

(most of the market, includes Royal Match,

Travel Town)

●
The classic and simplest approach –

progress fills naturally from playing the

core loop.

●
Most common in Puzzle and

Hybrid-casual audiences, where clarity

and smooth flow matter more than

variety.

Achievement-style quests – one mission

type with multiple targets, all

progressing at once
(ex. Gossip Harbor)

●
One mission type – multiple goals, all

filling up simultaneously.

○
This format isn’t limited to Battle

Passes – you’ll see it in:

○
Daily Challenges (Travel Town)

○
Oﬀer Challenges (Match Factory)

○
Weekly Events (Royal Match)

Games usually apply this type of currency

accumulation to only 1 event at a time.

Overlapping multiple events with the same

mechanic tends to confuse players and

dilute the purpose of each, making the

system lose its meaning.

Battle Pass
(continued.)

The most important decision is HOW Players earn progress. There are 3 common models:

Social Events (Cooperation)

This type of event is a great fit for large, even mature projects. All socially-driven features are primarily a long-term retention tool.

●
The player progresses together with teammates. Without a full group, you simply can’t win – radical, but very eﬀective

●
Social responsibility kicks in: when others contribute, you don’t want to become ‘the weak link’

Choose rewards that signal prestige.

If your players are motivated by social interaction and recognition, use it not only as a mechanic but also as a reward – unique avatars, frames, or badges

they can proudly display in leaderboards, tournaments, or clan spaces. Something that clearly says: “I’m special, I’m unique – I earned this”

Weekly Quests

This feature is designed to keep players active for

Several Consecutive Days – every new day pulls

them deeper into the loop.

How it works:

●
Progress is cumulative across ALL days/stages –

from the very start of the event

●
But you can start collecting tomorrow’s
rewards

only after fully clearing today’s stage / at the

beginning of the next day

●
The quests don’t just make the player play –

they make them participate in other events,

which multiplies activity across the whole Live

Ops system

A great example is Royal Match:
by completing today’s tasks → the player is

already 50%+ through tomorrow’s progress, which makes it very hard to drop out

Additional Mode

These events are essentially ‘a Game inside the

Game’ – they feel big enough to qualify as a

secondary Core Loop.

There are 2 main approaches:

1.
Modified version of the existing core – typical

for Merge games and Hidden Objects

2.
A completely diﬀerent core – Coin Master,

Homescapes – new gameplay format layered

on top of the main one

The tradeoﬀ is development cost.

This format is usually used by: mature projects, with

a polished and stable Live Ops system, where
adding

new revenue sources is harder within the existing

loops. So, If your game is still early or mid-stage –

think twice before committing to this kind of event.

Complex Events

The key characteristic of this type of event is that currency is earned from multiple types of activities:

●
from the core gameplay (e.g. levels, daily quests)

●
and from other events running in parallel

Because progress is

sourced from diﬀerent

parts of the game, the

event feels systematic,

not isolated – it connects

mechanics together and

turns Live Ops into a

broader game-wide

experience.

Example 1: Disney Solitaire

Let’s look at how diﬀerent event groups source their currencies:

●
Group 1 (Short-Term) –
the player

earns currency ONLY through core

activity (=Level completion)

●
Group 2 (Mid-Term) –
the player can

either buy it in oﬀers or earn it from

other events (Group 1 or 2)

●
Group 3 (Long-Term) –
currency can

be purchased in oﬀers or collected

from any Events (Groups 1, 2, or 3)

○
Events in Group 3 DON’T reward

currencies for lower-tier events

(Groups 1 or 2).

Instead, they either grant

currencies for other Group 3

Events or reward only in-game

currencies

Example 2: Royal Kingdom

A similar setup can be seen in Royal Kingdom – the player collects currency from various tournaments and events to use it in a Social Event.

They can also earn a small amount of that currency from regular level completion, but it’s much lower compared to what they gain through other events.

Collections:

Albums (Long-Term)

Collections are the final touch – a large-scale

event that ties all other activities into one

cohesive system.

●
Long-term format – usually running for 1.5-2

months. Some wonder – Whether to make it

permanent or seasonal? For your information:

both Royal Match and Coin Master used to have

permanent albums but later switched to

Limited-Time Collections – and there are many

reasons why this was a smart,

monetization-friendly move.

●
Card sources: EVERY part of the Game – core,

features, events, purchases, oﬀers, even social

mechanics. That’s why, if you already have a

strong Live Ops system, a collection is a perfect

next step.

Collections:

Albums (Long-Term)

●
Main Mechanic = Gacha. One of the most

exciting and universally loved mechanics. You

know that feeling of opening your 5th pack, still

hoping for that one missing card – pure

gambling 😀

●
Motivation: Collecting. Many of us are

completionists at heart – we love organizing,

sorting, and completing sets.

●
Leverage Social play. Let players request and

trade cards with friends – it builds engagement

far beyond the event itself.

Collections:

Albums (Long-Term)

●
A safe reward for your economy. When balanced

properly, card packs are a perfect mix:

○
Highly valuable for the player

○
Yet safe and fully controllable for the

game economy

●
Balance cards and packs’ rarity wisely. Use

card tiers to highlight value – both in oﬀers

and rewards.

○
The more expensive the oﬀer → the rarer

the pack

○
The harder the milestone → the higher the

pack tier. For example:

■
give 5 Star packs – only for completing

the entire event,

■
while 1-3 Star (sometimes 4-Star) packs –

work well for intermediate milestones.

●
This way, you not only strengthen the event’s

motivation curve but also keep collections

balanced – completed mainly by your most active

and paying players.

Bring more variety

and excitement with

side and spotlight events.

Bonus Events (Short Amplifier Events)

Small, high-impact events that amplify your existing Live Ops activity. They don’t live on their own – they boost something else that’s already running.

They’re often used to extend play sessions or maximize player eﬀort within a single session — for example, motivating players to complete more tasks while extra

rewards are active.

For example, the collection examples mentioned above are a great reference for this event type as well. Also, Travel Town features not only collection-focused

bonus events, but a variety of others that amplify diﬀerent parts of the game.

Bonus Events (Short

Amplifier Events)

Another great example is Monopoly Go.

As you can see below, they run a wide variety of

event types – and often have 3-4 of them active in

a single day.

Start small, grow systematically

Begin with short-term events – master the

rhythm, pacing, and player feedback. Then

scale up into connected systems

Final Thoughts

Connect, don’t scatter

Link events through shared currencies,

layered goals, or thematic synergy. Each

feature should amplify another

Diversify motivation

Mix competition, collection, streaks, and

discovery – diﬀerent players engage for

diﬀerent reasons

Personalize & Segment

Adapt timing, diﬀiculty, and rewards to player

behavior. Smart segmentation drives both

retention and monetization

Celebrate smartly

Seasonal events like Christmas, Thanksgiving,

or the 4th of July are not just decoration –

they’re strategic moments to Engage your

audience and increase the Revenue

Think beyond the holidays

Festive peaks are temporary, but strong Live

Ops systems turn that momentum into

sustainable, year-round growth

Interested in our

Live Ops Solutions?

If you want to learn more about Sensor Tower, please request a demo:

Request a free demo!

Get the latest insights on our blog:
sensortower.com/blog

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