Casual Gaming Trends

Mar, 2022 Casual

Gaming Trends

Snapshot Report

March 2022

•
Using a
Category → Genre → Subgenre
hierarchy we are

able to differentiate games in a meaningful way and offer

accurate insights for all individual game types currently found

in the market

•
Our taxonomy is
created together with industry experts
and

is based on thorough testing and data-analysis of the market

•
In this report we are focusing on the latest Casual gaming

trends.

GameRefinery’s Genre Taxonomy

GameRefinery uses a three-layered

approach to categorize games

Competition in the Casual gaming market is fierce. Making it into the top-100 grossing charts

has never been more difficult, but keeping your place once you’ve made it into the charts is

even harder.

To stay afloat in this competitive market, mobile game developers are having to get creative as

they come up with new ways to keep players engaged and motivated. Mobile game players are

constantly looking for new ways to play, and casual game developers have responded with an

explosion of innovative ideas, many of which are transforming how we see traditional casual

game genres.

As an example, around 70% of the US top-100 grossing Match3 games feature meta elements,

allowing players to move outside of the core gameplay and dive into exciting new gameplay

mechanics, whether that’s platforming mini-games, collectibles or even RPG features.

Similarly, we’re seeing construction and renovation elements popping up in more Casual

games, as developers craft new features that satisfy player motivations to complete
milestones,

customize and decorate. Finally, social features and communities in casual mobile games
have

surged in popularity since COVID, and we see no sign of this trend slowing down.

Using data from the GameRefinery platform, this report shows which casual mobile games are

dominating the charts and why. If you’re a mobile game developer looking to add something

new into your casual game, you’ll find plenty here to inspire you.

Casual gaming trends overview

Key points

•
Mobile game developers are tapping into meta elements and experimenting with new gameplay features to increase

player retention and broaden appeal, all while opening up new monetization options.

•
All of the US top-100 grossing iOS games from the last two years utilize renovation elements.

•
Meta elements are now an essential part of successful casual games. 70% of the US top-100 grossing iOS games feature

meta elements.

•
Renovation and construction features are some of the most popular meta elements. Construction elements appear in

49% of the US top-100 grossing iOS Match3 games, compared to 7% six years ago.

•
Minigames and special playing modes are appearing more frequently in top-grossing Casual games, providing new

experiences and features to players outside of the core game mode.

•
Social features and building communities are becoming more popular in traditionally single-player genres. The best

performing Match3 titles have started increasing competitive elements in their games, resulting in a higher appeal to

competitive motivated players.

Market

What does the US Casual mobile gaming

market currently look like?

Top games and their current market share within the

Casual genre in US iOS

Key takeaway
: The top three Casual games have remained the same when we compare the Q4/2021 and Q4/2020 quarters, but as we

move down the list, we start to see changes. Back in Q4/2020, the top 10 list of Casual games included the Match3 game
Toy Blast
(2.14%

rev share) and the Customization game
Design Home: Dream Makeover
(1.56% rev share). However, they have had to make room for two

new Casual games during 2021, as
Royal Match
and
Project Makeover
have taken market share from other top Casual games.

Top games and challengers in the
Casual genre
(US iOS)

Key takeaway
: What all the US top-grossing 100 Casual games released in the last two years have in common is that every one of them

utilizes
renovation elements
. Also interesting is that of the Casual games released over the last 180 days, only
Beatstar
has been able to

sustain its position among the top-grossing 200 games in the long run
(Happy Clinic was released at the end of Jan 2022, and Merge Fable

has been in and out of the US top-grossing 200 since its release)
. This likely relates to new games’ scaling challenges in the post-IDFA world.

Beatstar has been able to utilize brands to push its marketing
(real song licenses)
.

30d average

top-grossing

rank

Days since release

1-100

100-200

730

0

“New Stars”

“Rising Challengers”

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Zen Match

Family Farm

Adventure

Royal Match

Project Makeover

Merge Mansion

Redecor – Home

Design Makeover

Beatstar

Solitaire

Home Design

Harry Potter:

Puzzles & Spells

Rush Royal

Tower Defense TD

Idle Mafia

EverMerge

Solitaire Cruise

Tripeaks Card

Manor Matters

Merge Fables

Happy Clinic

The Casual genre’s superhits in the past 12 months

– what are they all about?

Zen Match –

Relaxing

Puzzle

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Check out Zen Match’s full overview, including update history

and implementation images in the GameRefinery service

The Casual genre’s superhits in the past 12 months

– what are they all about?

Beatstar

(Part 1)

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Check out Beatstar’s full overview, including update history

and implementation images in the GameRefinery service

The Casual genre’s superhits in the past 12 months

– what are they all about?

Beatstar

(Part 2)

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Check out Beatstar’s full overview, including update history

and implementation images in the GameRefinery service

Meta elements have become a more essential part

of
Casual games

Traditionally, casual games have been all about core
gameplay:

●
Easy to learn → get into the game right away

●
Easy to hop in and out → a way of relaxing/spending time

●
They don’t require too much effort to play and enjoy

Moreover, their focus has been on monetizing the core game:

●
Boosters to reduce the difficulty

●
“Continues” to avoid losses

●
Extra lives/energy to continue playing

Now we’re starting to see meta elements become an essential

part of casual games. This is due to the maturation of the

casual mobile game scene and the popularity of
the hybrid

game design
.
Midcore elements especially have found their

way into casual games (and vice versa). That said, the core

game is still the primary focus in casual games, but introducing

more meta elements has opened ways to bring more sense of

progression and diversity for the players.

Over six years ago, over 90% of the US (iOS) top-grossing 100 Match3 Puzzle games did not

contain any meta-elements. Today, about 70% of the US top 100 Match3 games have

adopted at least some sort of meta elements as part of their gameplay (source: GameRefinery

SaaS).

The popularity of Match3 games
without
meta elements

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Why add
meta-elements
– three reasons to consider

Mobile games have now

established themselves among

“average consumers.” This means

that even the most casual gamers

are ready and looking for new

things and additional layers in

their games. Introducing meta

elements adds possibilities for

differentiation and a deeper

gaming experience.

1.
Differentiate and

surprise

Adding meta elements also opens

up doors for additional

monetization sinks. For example,

collections and customization

elements don’t affect the core

game, so there’s no fear of “pay to

win” or unbalance issues.

Increase “sinks”

and monetization

Meta layers can be used to bring

depth to the game by giving

players additional goals to achieve

and introducing additional

motivational drivers to boost

retention (e.g., escapism through

story elements, self-expression

through decorations). With

meta-elements, this motivational

“enrichment” can be done without

having to touch the core game.

2.

Broaden

motivational appeal

3.

Many top
Match3s
succeed by differentiating with new

motivational drivers

Fishdom’s collection/decoration meta brings
an extra

“motivational angle”
to compete against Candy Crush Saga, as

shown in this motivational emphasis graph.

In other words, Fishdom appeals to
a wider set of motivational

drivers
and is more likely to lure in new types of players driven

by
Exploration
and
Expressional
motivations.

Project Makeover found success by switching the angle to

“episodic” home design and a dress-up approach, which tap

heavily into both
Customization & Decoration
and

Role-playing & Emotions
.

Another major differentiator is the avatar system for players,

giving players a more direct sense of “you” in the game’s

world.

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Casual

Game Trends

What mobile game design trends

are buzzing in the market?

Trend #1: Renovation and construction elements have become one of

the most popular meta-features among the top-grossing
Casual games

Lily’s Garden

Project Makeover

Royal Match

Solitaire Home Design

June’s Journey

The number of top-grossing 100 Match3 Puzzle games that

have constructing meta mechanics has gone
from 7% to 49%
in

just over six years!

The popularity of construction mechanics in top Match3 games

(US iOS, source: GameRefinery Saas Platform)

Constructing mechanics
=
Constructing and/or upgrading permanent

buildings or areas (e.g., your base or city) is an important part of the game,

e.g., buildings can generate resources for players.

Renovation mechanics
=
Decorating permanent or non-permanent

buildings or areas is purely cosmetic, i.e., buildings do not give

additional benefits for players.

What is so great about
renovation and constructing elements
?

●
Meta layers such as renovating and constructing bring

gamers an additional sense of progression.

○
Taps into the psychological satisfaction players get

from progressing and completing long-term goals.

○
Players get to see their progression visually when

completing a renovation or constructing tasks.

●
The core idea of “cleaning up” or “getting things done”

is a powerful motivator for player engagement.

●
Broaden motivational appeal.

○
Renovation and constructing elements tap into

several top player motivations among Casual gamers.

●
Renovation meta fits almost any kind of core gameplay.

○
It doesn’t affect the balance of the core gameplay.

●
Renovation elements have proven to work great for ad

creatives.

Some of the Casual players’ key motivations that are behind the popularity of

renovation elements.

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

The popularity of
construction elements
among top-grossing

200 Casual games released in the last two years

30d average

top-grossing rank

Days since release

1-100

100-200

730

0

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Looking at the US top-grossing 200 games released over the last two years, we can see that eight of the 14 Casual games contain

construction elements (game icons with turquoise border). Four of the six Casual games in the US top-grossing 100 have

construction mechanics, and while
Redecor
and
Zen Match
do not contain construction elements, they can be classified as

renovation games as interior design plays an important role.
(See construction and renovation term descriptions on slide 15.)

= Game has

construction elements

Game icon has

turquoise border

= Game does not have

construction elements

Game icon has

brown border

Royal Match

Project Makeover

Zen Match

Family Farm

Adventure

Beatstar

Merge Mansion

Redecor – Home

Design Makeover

Harry Potter:

Puzzles & Spells

Solitaire

Home Design

Rush Royal

Tower Defense TD

Solitaire Cruise

Tripeaks Card

EverMerge

Idle Mafia

Manor Matters

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Royal Match

Royal Match is a polished Match3 game with

classical swapping mechanics and a cartoonish

“royalty” theme.

Completing puzzle levels with

various goals earns players stars, and these stars

are used to complete tasks (renovating different

rooms). When every task from a single room has

been completed, players can move to the next

one.

Compared to Homescapes, renovating rooms is

more simplified since there are no player choices

on how to renovate different rooms (vs.

Homescapes’ “choose from three options)”.

Examples of various
core + construction/renovation

meta combinations

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Solitaire Home Design

Solitaire Home Design is a solitaire puzzle game

where players renovate a mansion on an island,

engaging in narrative storytelling and completing

side game/event options. Players gain glovers by

playing solitaire-inspired card puzzle gameplay

levels, which they use to progress in the game’s

story and renovate the mansion/island.

The game’s twist is that the player only gets

glovers by having winning streaks on completing

levels, which taps into players’ loss aversion

motivation and encourages players to buy

boosters and chances to retry a failed level.

Examples of various
core + construction/renovation

meta combinations

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Zen Match

One of the newer Casual games

is Zen Match, a mahjong-style

puzzle game with renovation

elements. Players match puzzle

tiles together on a mahjong-like

board to collect currency, which

they use to design interior styles

for rooms. The game has a

relaxing atmosphere through its

audiovisuals and a realistic art

style in the designable rooms.

Examples of various
core + construction/renovation

meta combinations

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Rise of
renovation events
in mobile games

We are also seeing these renovation

elements implemented in games that you

wouldn’t typically associate with construction

or decoration. For example, the popular card

game,
Phase 10
, and the puzzle adventurer,

Best Fiends
, both use renovation elements in

their limited-time events.

Renovation meta doesn’t affect the balance

of the core gameplay and it works very well in

a limited-time format, so it can be fitted into

any type of game as a new project for players

to undertake. The desire to complete the

project in time taps into Casual players’ main

motivational drivers, so the option to

purchase “renovation pieces” is a great way

to monetize these events.

Construction

/renovation

meta

Event

format

Monetization

via

“renovation

pieces”

+

+

Renovation event example
– Card game Phase 10: World Tour

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Halloweenland

event

Phase 10: World Tours

– Halloweenland

In the event, players built a Halloween-themed

amusement park. Building or upgrading buildings

required event material items that players gained by

playing a special event gacha minigame and picking

pumpkins that contained either a trick or a treat.

Minigame tries were earned by playing the game’s

main mode, Journey.

The treats rewarded event materials, but if the player

got tricked, the minigame ended and the gained

rewards were lost. Failed games could be continued by

using Candies, a special event currency which could be

purchased with premium currency.

Building and upgrading various buildings awarded not

only “visual rewards” but also Stars, which unlocked

progressively reward chests consisting of boosters and

special decorative items.

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Renovation event example
– Puzzle RPG Best Fiends

Best Fiends –

Bea’s Hangar event

In Bea’s Hangar renovation event,

players helped Beatrice the

Hornet renovate her hangar.

Renovation requires Friendship

Bracelets, an event currency

acquired by completing normal

levels. The more the player

managed to renovate the

mansion, the better rewards

awaited – the top prize being

Beatrice herself joining your crew.

Trend #2:
Minigames and special playing modes

are popping up in the top-grossing games

Besides renovation events, the other big trend in

in-game event design is the utilization of core

gameplay mechanics that differ from the game’s

usual ones. Examples include
Fishdom
and

Township
, which use minigame events unrelated to

their regular gameplay.

The growing importance of these special game

modes among casual games further proves that

even casual players love to experience new things

and have different playing modes to choose from.

Special playing modes are an excellent way of giving

players more meaningful core game content, and

together with loose enough session length

restrictions, they drive engagement and stickiness.

Mixing up interesting core gameplay types adds variety
to

your game as well as a surprise element.

Great synergies with the event format as it allows for

experimentation.

Possible to include other game features: energy systems,

leaderboards, etc.

Minigames can be recycled across your portfolio.

Why do minigames and special playing

modes in events make sense?

Fishdom –

Road to Treasure event

Road to Treasure stages didn’t have

anything to do with Fishdom’s regular

core Match3 gameplay, as they were all

about getting a little vehicle across the

sea, using small platforms to build

bridges upon. Bridges were built by

holding down your finger, trying to

match the length of the bridge so that it

reaches the next platform (but doesn’t

go over it!). If the player managed to

reach the other side, they got Cups

which helped them climb the

leaderboard and win rewards.

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Minigame event example
– Match3 Puzzle game Fishdom

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Minigame event example
– Tycoon/Crafting game Township

Township –

Spooky Halloween event

In Township’s Halloween-themed

Match3/Renovation event, players played

so-called “blast/collapse” Match3 levels to get

tickets that were used to renovate the

“Halloween house.” To make the event more

engaging, the event featured narrative dialogue

to tie everything together. The event’s

monetization was the same as in all the game’s

previous similar Match3 events, meaning

players could purchase boosters/extra

moves/lives, basically your usual Match3

monetization. Rewards were handed out to

players when they reached certain milestones

in the renovation process.

Trend #3:
Social features and communities
are

becoming more popular and common in Casual games

Players are looking for social

interaction and a sense of

“digital togetherness,” which

has resulted in the popularity

of social gaming and playing

together with other people (→

communities). That is why

we’re seeing even

traditionally single-player

genres, like Casual Puzzle

games adding spaces where

people can interact with each

other.

The popularity of non-competitive co-op tasks in Match3 games

The popularity of guild mechanics in Match3 games

The popularity of chat/messaging feature in Match3 games

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Three reasons why add
social features
in your game

●
Having friends and

communities in the game

increases player retention,

even for casual gamers.

●
Social mechanics, e.g., sending

help to friends and communal

team tasks tap on the social

retention triggers of players,

meaning everyone wants to

carry their own weight so that

they don’t let others down.

●
Team and other co-op

mechanics are great ways to

add more content, e.g. through

communal events, co-op PvE

modes, and competitions.

●
More content opens up

possibilities for additional

monetization sinks.

●
Many of today’s casual gamers

enjoy social experiences in their

games

●
Social elements can be used to

bring depth and introduce

additional motivational drivers

to the game.

●
With social elements, this

motivational “enrichment” can

be done without having to touch

the core game.

They are one of the strongest

retention mechanics

1.

They enable new ways to

bring horizontal content

2.

They broaden the

motivational appeal

3.

Social features in Casual games
–

Time Management game Cooking Diary

Cooking Diary –

City Locations area

The social hangout area feature has been

almost a midcore-only feature, but it now has

made its way into the Casual space as well. In

November 2021, Time Management game

Cooking Diary introduced a new social hangout

area to its players called City Locations.

Cooking Diary’s meta elements had already

previously included decorating the player’s

avatar with cosmetic items. By introducing City

Locations, Cooking Diary added a new social

layer in the game by offering players the

possibility to present their player avatars to

other players. The hangout place is also an

excellent way for players to find new friends in

the game, increasing player engagement.

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Competitive game features
have started trending

among Casual games

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Royal Match – Lightning Rush

Homescapes – Instant Showdown

Candy Crush Soda Saga – Bear Brawl

Fishdom – Underwater Race

Zen Match – Tournament

Competitive game features
have started trending

among Casual games

Source: GameRefinery SaaS platform

Based on our player motivations

data, the best performing Match3

titles (for example,
Candy Crush

Saga
) have recently started to

increase competitive elements in

their games, resulting in
a higher

appeal to competitive motivated

players.

This is
a clear differentiating factor

between the best performing titles

vs. the other games within the

Match3 genre, indicating that top

games are acting on this new trend.

We Know Mobile Games

We answer not just
what
is happening on

the market but
why
and
how
it is happening

Did you find this report and data interesting? Want to know

more about mobile game genres, features and your

competitors?

Visit our website at
www.gamerefinery.com

and log in for

free!

You can also schedule a live demo by contacting yours truly

at
wilhelm
@gamerefinery.com

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