The gaming app insights report: 2026 edition

The gaming app
insights report:
2026 edition
REPORT
Unlocking growth opportunities
for mobile marketers

The gaming app insights report
2
Contents
Introduction: Retention is becoming the priority play ………………… 3
Industry trends: What we’re keeping an eye on �����������������������������������5
A look at App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-in ra tes ������������������ 6
Methodology ………………………………………….. ………………………………………8
Key takeaways ………………………………………….. …………………………………….9
Game-changing insights for maximum impact …………………………. 10
Top apps, install patterns, sessions, and retention rates 11
Cracking the code on cost and performance ……………………………..24
Cost per install, impression, and click + partners per app �����������24
Conclusion: Winning the next chapter of mobile gami ng ………… 34

The gaming app insights report
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INTRODUCTION
Retention is becoming the priority play in mobile gaming
Mobile gaming remains one of the highest performing app verticals, and a major force in the gaming industry at large. In 2025,
mobile accounted for
55% of the gaming industry’s total revenue ,and with almost 3 billion mobile gamers worldwide (about
80% of all gamers), the growth opportunity remains significant. With new challenges around install volume and cost, marketers,
advertisers, and studios are evolving in response t o user habit changes and market realities.
An industry that once largely relied on a high turnover of downloads and
fast-paced ad revenue is now including an increasin g number of retention
elements and monetization streams into games, to fo cus on higher LTV
players� Among casual, mid-core, and hyper casual g ames combined, IAP
revenue grew to
$81�8 billion , in 2025 marking the third consecutive year
of growth across the App Store and Google Play� Pla yers also spent a total
of 444�6 billion hours in mobile games (a 1% YoY in crease)� Once gamers
are acquired, they’re sticky and they’re spending, but finding and converting
them successfully now requires precision; from sele cting the right
partners to finding the best formats, and consisten tly producing
high-quality creatives�
AI adoption has accelerated and is making a real im pact in the production
of creatives, testing, live operations, messaging, and personalization� A
2025 Google Cloud survey, for example, reported tha t
over 90% of game
developers now rely on AI
to automate and simplify tasks like playtesting,
localization, and balancing� Growth is happening and there’s an abundance of dat
a� Understanding
which signals to focus on and which actions to take requires a source
of truth that can be relied on for fast decisions� Teams need accurate,
reliable, and ready-to-use intelligence that links acquisition, engagement,
and monetization�
Drawing on data from thousands of apps, the Gaming app insights report:
2026 edition breaks down top-of-funnel, engagement, and user ac quisition
cost metrics by subgenre, region, and country� We p rovide you with the
necessary context and market trends from the past y ear to help you
benchmark your performance, set goals, adjust your strategies, and stay
ahead of the competition in 2026� We also zoom in o n the regions, countries,
and gaming genres/subverticals with the most growth �

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Tiahn Wetzler
Director Marketing
“ As mobile gaming matures, growth is becoming less about scale alone and more about precision. Amid rising acquisition costs,
studios are increasingly focused on retaining high- value players,
optimizing creatives and channels, and building ad- to-experience
flows that favor sustained play over fast turnover. Reliable
measurement is the key to making this possible. Understanding
where true long-term value comes from, and the ability to connect
acquisition, engagement, and monetization data for fast decisions
is now a necessity.”

D2C
Mobile game publishers are increasingly
investing in D2C channels and external
web stores to own player relationships
and capture higher-margin revenue
through web shops and direct
payments�
AI CREATIVES
AI-generated ad creatives are enabling
faster testing cycles, hyper-personalized
variations, and lower production costs,
significantly improving marketing
efficiency and ROAS�
REWARDS
Reward-driven mechanics, such as
rewarded ads, loyalty programs, and in-
game incentives, are becoming central
to boosting engagement, retention, and
monetization�UA COST CHALLENGES
Rising user acquisition costs and
signal loss are pressuring marketers
to optimize targeting, creative
performance, and incrementality
measurement, necessitating reliable
attribution and measurement more than
ever� LIVE OPS
Continuous live operations, including
time-limited events, seasonal content,
and dynamic offers, are critical for
sustaining engagement and extending
player lifetime value�
CROSS-PLATFORM
Cross-platform strategies are expanding
as studios align mobile, PC, and
console ecosystems to maximize reach,
retention,

and franchise longevity� 1
2
3
4
56
The gaming app insights report
5
Industry trends: What we’re keeping an eye on
SPOTLIGHT ON: ADJUST SOLUTIONS
PC & Console:
Unify the player journey
across mobile, PC, and console, with accurate
measurement of cross-platform installs,
engagement, and monetization�
Adjust Growth Copilot: Your AI-powered
partner for smarter app growth�
TrueLink for deep linking and additional
solutions for
user engagement �

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6
Gaming App Tracking Transparency (ATT)
opt-in rates continued to climb globally in Q1
2026� Among users shown the prompt on
iOS, the opt-in rate reached 39%, up from
38% in Q1 2025� Adventure games had the
largest increase, up from 32% to 38%� Trivia
(34%), racing (46%), family (20%), card (32%),
and RPG (42%) also saw boosts� Sports and
action games had the highest rates overall, at
54% and 50%� Arcade was the only genre to
decline, dropping from 50% to 46%�
Mobile gamers are becoming more
comfortable with consent prompts as
developers continue to optimize timing and
value messaging�
Gaming app ATT opt-in rates Q1 2026 vs. Q1 2025 (Global)
0%
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino Card
Family
Casual
Hybrid casual Hyper casual
Trivia
Idle RPG
PuzzleMusic
Racing RPG
Simulation Sports
Strategy
Word 40% 50%10% 20% 30%70%
60%
Q1 2025 Q1 2026
A look at App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-in rates

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0% 40% 50%10% 20% 30%70%
60%
At the regional and country levels, India saw
the largest jump in gaming app ATT opt-in
rates, rising from 44% in Q1 2025 to 51% in
Q1 2026� LATAM followed, climbing from
44% to 47%� Europe and North America also
saw growth, with opt-in rates reaching 36%
and 33%�
Indonesia had the highest ATT opt-in rate in
Q1 2026 at 60%, while Saudi Arabia, Brazil,
Thailand, and Malaysia all hit 52%�
Gaming app ATT opt-in rate by region and country
Q1 2026 vs. Q1 2025
Global
Malaysia Japan
Indonesia
India
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
Europe
Vietnam
DACH
U.K. & Ireland France
Brazil
LATAM
Mexico MENA
Saudi Arabia Turkey
North America UAE
U.S.
Q1 2025 Q1 2026

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VERTICALS:
Games (all), action, adventure, arcade, board, card, casino, casual, family, hybrid casual,
hyper casual, idle RPG, music, puzzle, racing, role playing (RPG), simulation, slots, sports,
strategy, swap, trivia, word�
REGIONS:
Global, APAC, Europe, LATAM, MENA, North America
COUNTRIES:
Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico,
Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United
Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (U�K�), United States of America (U�S�), Vietnam�
DATASET:
A mix of Adjust’s top 5,000 apps and the total dataset of all apps tracked by Adjust�
Our data comes from two sources, one including a li st of 45 countries and one with
approximately 250 based on the ISO 3166-1 standard� Data is based on aggregated,
anonymized data from apps tracked by Adjust and may not reflect the entire global app
market� Unless otherwise noted, all figures in this report come from Adjust data�
DATE RANGE:
January 2024 – January 2026
Methodology

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The day 1 retention rate for all gaming
apps was 27% in 2025�
Average partners per app declined
from 6 to 5�3�
Hyper casual accounted for 29�1% of all
gaming installs, and 15�3% of sessions�
Global gaming app sessions increased

by 1% YoY in 2025�
Paid-to-organic ratio jumped 61% globally
(from 2�07 to 3�33)�
Key takeaways
1
%
61
%
5.3
%
29.1
27
%
Strategy games saw the biggest growth in
sessions growth, up 57% YoY�
57
%

Top apps, install patterns, sessions,
and retention rates
The gaming app insights report
10
PART 1

Game-changing
insights for maximum impact

The gaming app insights report
11
Garena Free Fire
Action
Garena Free Fire
Action Block Blast!
PuzzleSubway Surfers
Action, casual Block Blast!
Puzzle
Block Blast!
Puzzle
Block Blast!
Puzzle
Subway Surfers
Action, casual
Subway Surfers
Action, casual
Pizza Ready!
Simulation
Subway Surfers
Action, casual Roblox
Action, adventure
Pizza Ready!
Simulation
Pizza Ready!
Simulation
Football League
Sports
Township
Puzzle, casual
Ludo King
Family, board Pizza Ready!
Simulation
Subway Surfers
Action, casual
8 Ball Pool
Gametion Fortnite
Action, adventure
Pizza Ready!
Simulation
Mobile Legends:

Bang Bang
Strategy
FPS Strike Ops:
Modern Arena
Action FPS Strike Ops:
Modern Arena
Action Royal Kingdom
Casual
Vita Mahjong
Card, board Vita Mahjong
Card, board
Vita Mahjong
Card, board Color Block Jam
Puzzle
Royal Match
Dream Games
EA Sports FC
Mobile Soccer
Sports
Extreme Car Driving
Simulator
Racing
My Talking Tom 2:
Pet Game
Casual My Talking Tom 2:
Pet Game
Casual
Paper.io 2
Casual
Word Search Explorer
Word
Snake.io
Action
Magic Tiles 3 –
Piano Game
Music
Roblox
Action, adventure
Ludo King
Family, board
Roblox
Action, adventure
Roblox
Action, adventure
Garena Free Fire
Action
Garena Free Fire
ActionRoblox
Action, adventure
GLOBAL
Hole.io
Sports, casual
Hole.io
Sports, casual
Hole.io
Sports, casual
Indian Bikes Driving 3D
Action
Clash Royal
Strategy
Clash Royal
Strategy
Clash Royal
Strategy
Dream League

Soccer 2026
Sports
Snake Clash!
Simulation
Geometry Dash Lite
Arcade
Subway Surfers
Action, casual
APAC EUROPE LATAM MENA NORTH AMERICA
Top 10 mobile games by downloads, 2025
EA SPORTS FC™
Mobile Soccer
Sports
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Source:
Block Blast!
Puzzle
Block Blast!
Puzzle

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Globally, app sessions increased 1% YoY in
2025� MENA reported 2% install growth
and a 7% rise in sessions� In Europe and
LATAM, installs dropped 7% and 9%, while
sessions increased 3% and 0�4%� APAC and
North America declined just slightly across
both metrics�
Gaming app install and session growth percentages
YoY 2024 – 2025
-10% -8%-6%
-4% 0%
-2% 2%
4% 6%
8%
Installs
Sessions
1%
-7%
Global APACEurope LATAM MENANorth America
2%
7%
-1% 3%
-5%
-2%
0.4%
-9%
-0.4%
-3%

The gaming app insights report
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In 2025, hyper casual games continued to account fo
r the
largest share of gaming installs, at 29�1%, up from 27% in 2024�
While its contribution to sessions (15%) was compar atively
smaller, this is a big YoY jump from 11%, showing t hat player
retention in a genre known for high churn is, as tr ends suggest,
increasing� Similar to the hybrid casual vertical, hyper casuals
are increasingly incorporating light progression sy stems and
in-app purchase mechanisms to increase session leng ths and
revenue per user�
Casual and hybrid casual games each had just over 1 0% of
installs, along with 7% and 8�5% of sessions, respe ctively� Puzzle
games made up 10% of installs but achieved a higher 12�9%
share of sessions� Action games showed a similar pa ttern, with
8% of installs but more than double that share in s essions at
17�1%� Simulation games accounted for 8�5% of insta lls and 5%
of sessions, while sports games had 3% of installs and 6�8% of
sessions� The strategy, RPG, and racing genres each remained
under 3% of total installs�
Genres such as action and puzzle generate a larger share
of sessions relative to installs� These games are s tructured
around repeat play and long-term progression, which supports
hybrid monetization models that combine in-app purc hases
and ad revenue�
1%
1%
1% 1%
2%
3%
1%
2% 1%
1%
1% 3%
1%
2%
1%
3%
1%
1%
3%
2% 1%
1%
Installs Sessions
1%
Gaming app installs and sessions by subvertical 2025 (Global)
Action
Card
Casual Casino
Adventure
Arcade
Board
Trivia Hybrid casual Puzzle
Racing
StrategyRPG
Simulation
Sports games
Music Word
Family Slots
Swap
Hyper casual
5%
4%
13%
7%
5%
7%
15%
17%
9%
5%
8%
2%
3%
10%
10%
29%
9% 10%

The gaming app insights report
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Gaming app session growth percetanges by subvertical
YoY 2024 – 2025 (Global)
Gaming app install growth percetanges by

subvertical YoY 2024 – 2025 (Global)
Strategy topped all subverticals with a 57% rise in sessions� Casual sessions grew 37%, and
hyper casual sessions increased 31%� Simulation and card games both saw dou ble-digit session
growth of 18% and 15%, while puzzle and racing rose 15% and 14%� Sports sessions g rew by 8%�
In 2025, YoY install growth was highest for slots games at 46%, followed by cas
ino (22%) and
casual games (19%)� RPG and simulation saw smaller increases of 9% and 7%, wh ile hyper casual
and word games had gains of 4% and 2%, respectively�
Casino
CardCasual
Casual
Hyper casual
Hyper casual
Puzzle
Hybrid casual
RPG
Racing
Simulation
Simulation
Slots
Sports
Word
Strategy
0% 0%
20%
15%
10% 5%
30%
25%
40%
35%
50%
60%
50%
40% 30%20%
10%
70%
45%
2%
46%
7%
9%
4%
19%
22%
37%
11%31%
15%14% 18%
8%57%
15%

The gaming app insights report
15
BrazilDACH
France IndiaMexico
Turkey
0%2%
1%
4%
3%6%
5%
8%
7%
When looking at session growth at the
subregion and country levels, Turkey had
a YoY increase of 7%� France and DACH
followed with 4% and 3%, while Brazil, India,
and Mexico saw 1% boosts� Gaming app session growth percentages YoY

by country 2024 – 2025

The gaming app insights report
16
Gaming paid-to-organic ratios climbed across
almost every gaming subvertical from 2024 to
2025, with the global median increasing from
2�07 to 3�33 (+61%)�
Casino titles had the highest ratio (11�05), up
223% from the 2024 figure� Slots and casual
games also saw large jumps, increasing 139%
and 446%, respectively� Hyper casual grew
from 3�39 to 4�56 (+35%)�
Gaming app paid/organic ratio 2024 – 2025 (Global)
0
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino Card
Family
Casual
Hybrid casual
Swap
Idle RPG
PuzzleMusic
Racing
TriviaRPG
Simulation
Sports
Strategy
Word 6 82 41210
2024 2025
Hyper casual

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17
In 2025, the paid/organic ratio grew across all
regions� APAC had the biggest jump, up 45%
from 2�05 to 2�97� North America followed
with a 28% increase (2�76 to 3�52)� Europe’s
ratio increased 26%, from 2�53 to 3�18� LATAM saw a 10% rise (3�86 to 4�23), and MENA’s
ratio climbed from 3�02 to 3�4 (+13%)�
Looking at individual countries, India
experienced a 32% increase (2�89 to 3�81)
and the U�S� saw a 27% increase (2�79 to 3�53)
Brazil had the highest ratio at 5�32, (+31%),
and Turkey’s ratio grew 10% YoY to reach 4�28
in 2025�
Gaming app paid/organic ratio by region and country 2024 – 2025
0
Global
Malaysia Japan
Indonesia India
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
Europe
Vietnam
DACH
U.K. & Ireland France
LATAM Brazil
Mexico MENA
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
North America UAE
U.S. 4 51 2 3 6
2024 2025

The gaming app insights report
18
02025 30 35
5 10 15 50
40 45
2024 2025
Time in minutes
Gaming app session lengths 2024 – 2025 (Global)
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino Card
Family
Casual
Hybrid casual Hyper casual
Swap
Idle RPG
PuzzleMusic
Racing
TriviaRPG
Simulation
Slots
Sports
Strategy
Word
Notable changes in gaming session lengths
include: Strategy getting the biggest boost,
up 18% from 31�72 to 37�51 minutes� Racing grew by 17% to 16�33 minutes, while casual and hyper casual games increased by 15% and
13%�
Music, sports, word, trivia, hybrid casual,
and puzzle game sessions all grew between
4% and 8%� Although session lengths for
action games decreased slightly, it still had
the longest average session length at 43�8
minutes, followed by strategy�

The gaming app insights report
19
In MENA, gaming app session lengths
increased 3%, rising from 29�99 to 30�88
minutes� Turkey saw the largest gain in the
region, up 5% from 31�14 to 32�64 minutes,
followed by Saudi Arabia: up 3% to 28�23
minutes�
LATAM had a YoY increase of 2%, reaching
25�44 minutes� Brazil and Mexico grew 3% and 2% (26�43 and 25�54 minutes)�
In 2025, Europe’s session length hovered
around 27�15 minutes, while North America’s
averaged 24�65 minutes� Gaming session
lengths in APAC declined 4% YoY, dropping
from 34�48 to 33�14 minutes�
0 2025 30 35
10 15 50
40 45
Gaming app session lengths by region and country 2024 – 2025
Global
Malaysia Japan
Indonesia
India
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
Europe
Vietnam
DACH
U.K. & Ireland France
LATAM Mexico Brazil
MENA
Saudi Arabia Turkey
North America UAE
U.S.
Time in minutes2024 2025

The gaming app insights report
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Gaming app day 0 sessions per user were
stable at 1�65 in 2025, with most subverticals
seeing only small changes of about 1% up
or down�
Family games jumped 10% from 1�6 to 1�76
sessions per user� Music, sports, and trivia
saw small declines, while genres like arcade,
hyper casual, puzzle, racing, swap, and word
increased by about 1%�
2024
2025
Gaming app sessions per user per day on day 0
2024 – 2025 (Global)
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino
Card
Family
Casual
Hybrid casual Hyper casual
Swap
Idle RPG
Puzzle
Music
Racing
Word
Trivia
RPG
Simulation
Sports
Slots
Strategy
02
1.2 1
0.8 0.6
0.4 0.2 1.8
1.6
1.4

The gaming app insights report
21
Most regions saw slight YoY growth, with
increases ranging from 1% to 3%� APAC
increased from 1�69 to 1�70, but some countries
outperformed the regional average� Japan
saw a 3% jump, growing from 1�76 to 1�81�
Singapore and Thailand also posted 3% gains,
while Indonesia, South Korea, and Vietnam
each grew by 2%�
Europe climbed from 1�67 to 1�69, with DACH
and the UK & Ireland up 2%� LATAM increased
from 1�62 to 1�64 and MENA saw a 2% increase�
North America moved 1�59 to 1�6�
2024
2025
Gaming app sessions per user per day on day 0 by region and
country 2024 – 2025
1.45
1.85
1.65 1.6
1.55 1.51.8
1.75 1.7
Global
Malaysia
Japan
Indonesia India
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
Europe
Vietnam
DACHU.K. & Ireland France
LATAMMexico MENA
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
North America UAE
U.S.

The gaming app insights report
22
Overall, the day 1 gaming app retention rate
remained stable YoY in 2025 (27%), with
most subverticals following the same pattern�
Family games had the most growth, rising
five percentage points from 18% to 23%�
Action (18% to 19%) and arcade (19% to 20%)
also increased�
Hybrid casual and hyper casual had the
highest day 1 retention rates in 2025,
both 27%�
2024
2025
Gaming app day 1 retention rate 2024 – 2025 (Global)
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino
Card
Family
Casual
Hybrid casual Hyper casual
Trivia
Idle RPG
Puzzle
Music
Racing
Word
Slots
RPG
Simulation
0%
30%
20% 15%
10%
5%
25%
Swap
Sports
Strategy

The gaming app insights report
23
2024
2025
Gaming app day 1 retention rate by region and country
2024 – 2025
Global
Malaysia
Japan
Indonesia
India
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
Europe
Vietnam
DACH
U.K. & Ireland France
LATAMBrazilMexico MENA
Saudi Arabia Turkey
North America UAE
U.S.
0%
30%
20% 15%
10%
5%
25%
In most regions and countries, day 1 retention
rates were stable in 2025, with APAC at
20%, Europe at 21%, LATAM at 20%, and
North America at 19%� MENA increased from
19% to 20%� In Saudi Arabia and the UAE
individually, rates rose to 21%�
Within APAC, several countries increased
YoY� Japan jumped most and had the highest
overall rate (25%)� Singapore reached 23%,
Thailand and Indonesia 21%, and South

Korea 20%�

The gaming app insights report
24
PART 2

Cracking the
code on cost and
performance
Cost per install, impression,
and click + partners per app

The gaming app insights report
25
Globally, installs per mille (IPM) for gaming apps increased from 8�59 in 20
24 to 8�62 in 2025�
Racing games declined, but still had the highest IPM among all subgenres at 1 6�2� Casino
games had the biggest increase, growing 65% to 5�13� Word games climbed fro m 5�97 to 7�52,
and card games from 4�18 to 5�2� Swap, family, board, and slots also increase d�
2024
2025
Gaming app IPM 2024 – 2025 (Global)
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino
Card
CasualFamily
Hybrid casual Hyper casual
Trivia
Idle RPG
Puzzle
Music
Racing
Word
Swap
RPG
Simulation
Sports
Slots
Strategy
0
25
20
15
10 5
The genres most successful at
turning impressions into installs are
those offering clear value and fun
personalized/on-message gameplay�
This boost in efficiency is partly due
to studios using GenAI to rapidly test
new gameplay ideas, ad creatives,
and localized content� Machine
learning has also played a critical role
in identifying audiences most likely to
install and engage, enabling smarter,
more focused campaigns�

The gaming app insights report
26
IPM decreased in most regions and countries, but increased in APAC by 5%, fro
m 7�59 in 2024
to 8 in 2025� Within APAC, Singapore grew 10%, reaching 3�23, South Korea incr eased by 9%,
reaching 6�13, Indonesia reached 8�58 (+8%), and Japan reached 5�27 (+4 %)�
In Europe, DACH grew by 1% to 4�92, while the U�K� and Ireland increased by 4% to 5�4 6� In
MENA, the UAE rose 7%, from 6�06 to 6�49�
2024
2025
Gaming app IPM by region and country 2024 – 2025
0
14
6 42
12
10 8
Global
Malaysia
Japan
Indonesia India
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
Europe
Vietnam
DACH
U.K. & Ireland France
LATAMBrazilMexico
MENA
Saudi Arabia Turkey
North America UAE
U.S.

The gaming app insights report
27
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino
Card
CasualHybrid casual Family
Hyper casual
Trivia
Idle RPG
Puzzle
Music
Racing
Word
Swap
RPG
Simulation
Sports
Slots
Strategy
2024 2024
2025 2025
Gaming app CPC 2024 – 2025 (Global)
Gaming app cost per click (CPC) increased overall in 2025, rising from $0�0 3 to $0�04 (+33%)
globally� Strategy saw the largest percentage increase, climbing fr om $0�03 to $0�07 (+133%)�
Slots more than doubled from $0�17 to $0�35 (+106%) and accounted for the hig hest CPC�
Card declined 11%, and swap recorded the largest decrease, from $0�09 to $0� 06 (-33%)�At the regional level, North America recorded the highest CPC and the bigge
st increase� The
region rose from $0�07 to $0�12 (+71%), with the U�S� individually up from $0 �07 to $0�13 (+86%)�
Europe also increased, moving from $0�02 to $0�03 (+50%)�
In APAC, CPC remained flat overall at $0�02, but several countries saw sign ificant increases�
LATAM and MENA remained stable at $0�01 overall� Gaming app CPC by region and country 2024 – 2025
0 0
0.4
0.14
0.06
0.04
0.35
0.3
0.02
0.25
0.2
0.15 0.1
0.05 0.12
0.10
0.08
Global
Malaysia
Japan
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
EuropeDACH
U.K. & Ireland France
LATAM
Mexico
Brazil
MENA
Saudi Arabia
North AmericaUAE
U.S.
$USD
$USD

The gaming app insights report
28
Global gaming cost per install (CPI) increased
to $0�56 in 2025, representing 30% YoY
growth� The largest increases were recorded
in slots, which hit $4�47, idle RPG ($3�19), and
strategy ($1�03)� CPI, however, declined in the
casino, family, and swap subverticals�
2024
2025
Gaming app CPI 2024 – 2025 (Global)
0 5 4
3.5 3
2 1
2.5
1.5
0.5 4.5
$USD
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino
Card
CasualHybrid casual Family
Hyper casual
Trivia
Idle RPG
Puzzle
Music
Racing
Word
Swap
RPG
Simulation
Sports
Slots
Strategy

The gaming app insights report
29
Gaming app CPI by region and country 2024 – 2025
03
2
1.5
1
0.5 2.5
$USD
2024
2025
Global
Malaysia
Japan
Indonesia India
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
Europe
Vietnam
DACH
U.K. & Ireland France
LATAMBrazilMexico MENA
Saudi Arabia Turkey
North America UAE
U.S.
CPI in APAC rose 29%, increasing from $0�21
to $0�27� Within APAC, Singapore saw the
largest jump, up 82% to $2�49� Europe’s CPI
grew 47% overall ($0�36 to $0�53), and the DACH region increased by 34% ($1�27 to
$1�70)� LATAM grew 40% to $0�14, while
Brazil and Mexico individually grew by 50%
and 40%�
MENA is up 15%, Turkey and the UAE by
43% and 54%, and Saudi Arabia by 5%� In
North America, CPI went up 31%, from $1�28
to $1�68, with the U�S� increasing from $1�31
to $1�71�

The gaming app insights report
30
Global gaming cost per mille (CPM) increased
from $3�63 in 2024 to $4�34 in 2025, a 20%
YoY rise� However, some genres decreased�
Music dropped 31% from $2 to $1�39, racing
by 19% ($2�85 to $2�32), sports 17% ($5�79 to
$ 4�83), and family 15% ($8�41 to $7�16)� Idle
RPG decreased 9% ($6�33 to $5�78), while
RPG and simulation dropped 4% and 3%,
respectively�
Casino increased 17% to $12�22, and slots rose
13% to $11�65, staying among the highest CPM
categories overall�
Gaming app CPM 2024 – 2025 (Global)
0 4 6 $USD
2
14
1210
8
2024 2025
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino Card
Casual Family
Hyper casual
Hybrid casual
Trivia
Idle RPG
PuzzleMusic
Racing
SwapRPG
Simulation
SportsSlot
Strategy
Word

The gaming app insights report
31
LATAM experienced a CPM decline from
$1�43 to $1�41, with Brazil decreasing 3%�
MENA dropped 3% overall ($1�54 to $1�49)�
UAE had the biggest increase in the region,
climbing 55% to $3�25�
North America stayed the highest-cost
region, with CPM rising from $15�35 to $15�98,
(+4% increase)� Europe saw an 18% overall
increase, rising from $4�35 to $5�12� APAC increased by 19% ($1�59 to $1�89), with
Singapore seeing the biggest jump (93% to
$8�15)� India dropped by 3% ($0�34 to $0�33)�
$USD
Gaming app CPM by region and country 2024 – 2025
12 14 16
2
4 6 8 10 18
2024 2025
Global
Malaysia Japan
Indonesia
India
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
Thailand
South Korea
Europe
Vietnam
DACH
U.K. & Ireland France
LATAM Brazil
Mexico MENA
Saudi Arabia Turkey
North America UAE
U.S.

The gaming app insights report
32
In 2025, gaming apps partnered with an
average of 5�3 networks, a drop from 6 in
2024� Hybrid casual, idle RPG, and simulation
genres grew their partner networks to 9�8, 6�7,
and 6�8, while casual, slots, hyper casual, and
swap genres reduced to 4�3, 4�3, 5�5, and 5�2�
0
12
86 4 2
10
Gaming partners per app 2024 – 2025 (Global)
2024
2025
All
Adventure Action
Board
Arcade
Casino
Card
Casual
Hybrid casual Family
Hyper casual
Trivia
Idle RPG
Puzzle
Music
Racing
Word
Swap
RPG
Simulation
Sports
Slots
Strategy

The gaming app insights report
33
APAC averaged 6 partners per app in 2024
and 2025� Within the region, Singapore
increased from 8 to 8�1, South Korea from
6�5 to 6�8, Indonesia from 5�8 to 5�9, and the
Philippines from 5�8 to 6� Vietnam and India
both decreased to 5�5�
Europe, LATAM, and MENA all remained
stable at 6 overall, while DACH increased
from 7�5 to 7�8, and the U�K� & Ireland climbed
from 7�5 to 7�7� Brazil declined from 6 to 5�6,
and the UAE increased from 6�7 to 7� North
America and the U�S� both dropped to 6�
With user acquisition costs rising,
teams are focusing a smaller share of
channels that bring in users with the
highest pLTV� Only once a channel is
fully optimized does it make sense to
expand the mix�
0 9
8
6 5 4 3
2 1
7
Gaming partners per app by region and country 2024 – 2025
2024
2025
Global
Malaysia
Japan
India
Indonesia
APAC
Singapore
Philippines
ThailandVietnam
South Korea
EuropeDACH
U.K. & Ireland France
LATAM Mexico
Brazil
MENA
Saudi Arabia Turkey
North America UAE
U.S.

The gaming app insights report
34
The future is bright for mobile gaming, but not without
challenges� Acquiring new users is competitive and
expensive, facilitating an increasing focus on everything
that happens after an install, from streamlined onboarding
to sustained user engagement and retention� Once a user
is acquired, it’s essential to keep them until ROI is met
and exceeded� Games need to offer experiences that are
valuable, from live ops and rewards to tie-ins and features
that drive urgency and repeat sessions�
Part of the challenge is navigating an extremely busy space;
reaching users with creatives that cut through the noise and
speak to the right users at the right time� The ecosystem itself
is also evolving, with paths to conversion spanning multiple
channels and players interacting and gaming across multiple
devices and platforms� Users are still gaming at stable and
even growing rates, but expectations for top tier experiences
are high, and have to be met�
Holistic, reliable, and actionable data has always been
needed to navigate mobile growth and especially so to move the needle in gaming UA, where margins can be
incredibly slim� Now, with more data than ever available, but
fragmented inputs and growing costs, accurate measu
rement
and a truly reliable data source is make-or-break� Advertisers
need clarity on where users originate, which channels are
delivering high-value, ROI-positive installs, and which
sources provide users that remain engaged long term� With
the right data, you know how investments translate into long-
term value and can determine exactly which steps to take
next for immediate campaign optimization as well as future
strategic planning�
With Adjust’s attribution and measurement, mobile gaming
studios can consolidate acquisition, engagement, an d
spend + revenue data into a single platform� Thanks to our
AI-powered Growth Copilot, you can easily query data in a
natural language interface, and with deep linking, you can
create experiences that seamlessly guide users to the right
destinations� Marketers can then spot high-value pl ayer
segments sooner, test creatives faster, and allocate budgets
with confidence rather than guesswork�
CONCLUSION
Winning the next chapter of mobile gaming
Request a demo
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to learn more about
Adjust’s attribution, next-
generation solutions, and AI
capabilities, and how we can
accelerate your app growth�

ABOUT ADJUST
Adjust, an AppLovin (NASDAQ: APP) company, is trusted by marketers
around the world to measure and grow their apps across platforms,
from mobile to CTV and beyond� Adjust works with companies at every
stage of the app marketing journey, from fast-growing digital brands
to brick-and-mortar companies launching their first apps� Adjust’s
powerful measurement and analytics suite provides visibility, insights
and essential tools that drive better results�
adjust�com
Learn more about Adjust at:
www�adjust�com
@adjustcom
This report is based on aggregated and anonymized data from apps tracked by Adjust between January 202 4 and January 2026�
Results may vary by vertical, region, and business model� Forecasts are based on third-party industry estimates and are subject to
change� This report does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice� All trademarks are the property of their respective owners�