The cell gaming panorama has shifted dramatically for the reason that pandemic increase, with an enhanced deal with person privateness and rising prices posing formidable challenges for cell entrepreneurs and builders alike. In consequence, informal gaming apps have needed to evolve quickly to fulfill the market’s shifting calls for, launching new subgenres, gameplay mechanics, and monetization methods to drive income and engagement.
The Liftoff 2024 Informal Gaming Apps Report, created with insights from GameRefinery and Liftoff ML-powered Speed up, explores what’s modified within the informal gaming market over the past 12 months. It contains every thing from the must-know tendencies and person acquisition ways to a full rundown of person acquisition prices.
Don’t fear. We all know your time is of the essence, so we’ve gathered the important thing information from the report that app and cell recreation entrepreneurs must know.
Android is considerably cheaper for UA in informal gaming apps
Are you seeking to drive down advertising and marketing prices? Based mostly on the info we’ve gathered, we will’t think about you’ll be the one one. Our 2023 Informal Gaming Apps Report discovered that acquisition prices had been regular at $0.98. This yr’s report has a really completely different outlook, with acquisition prices doubling to $2.17 per set up.
A lot of this expense stems from iOS, the place cell entrepreneurs nonetheless take care of the challenges arising from Apple’s enhanced deal with person privateness. The common value per set up (CPI) for informal video games on iOS between March 2023 and March 2024 was $4.83 per set up, a rise of $2.50 in comparison with the identical interval a yr prior.
Nonetheless, there may be some excellent news. It’s enterprise as traditional on Android, costing simply $0.65 per set up (round eight instances lower than iOS). However earlier than you rush in the direction of all issues Google, simply do not forget that iOS video games take pleasure in a barely greater common D7 ROAS at 5.9% (an 0.8% enhance over Android).
iOS acquisition prices enhance between April and June
Acquisition prices on iOS will not be solely considerably greater than on Android, however they’re additionally extra variable. Between March and Could 2023, iOS acquisition prices spiked significantly, with April being the costliest month of the yr at $5.35 per set up. Comparatively, costs fell within the latter half of the yr, dropping as little as $4.20 per set up in December.
On Android, prices held fairly regular all year long, though there was a slight bump within the latter half of the yr, peaking at $0.81 per set up in October and December. It’s price noting that the other applies to D7 ROAS, with iOS hovering round 5.5% to six% for many of final yr, whereas Android noticed far more fluctuation, peaking at 6.1% in July however falling as little as 4.2% in October.
These variations could possibly be associated to completely different promotions and occasions, particularly given the huge variety of cell video games incorporating seasonal content material into their LiveOps methods. Whatever the trigger, cell entrepreneurs ought to contemplate constructing bespoke campaigns for every platform to take advantage of cheaper durations and plan their UA campaigns properly earlier than the vacation interval to get a headstart.
LATAM continues to exhibit the bottom CPI
Probably the greatest methods to achieve the crowded informal gaming market is to focus on essentially the most economical areas. North America (NAMAR) is perhaps widespread, but it surely had the very best CPI final yr at $6.78. Compared, Europe, the Center East, and Africa (EMEA), and Asia-Pacific (APAC) got here in at round $1 per set up, nearly six instances decrease. Latin America (LATAM) got here in even cheaper at simply $0.44 per set up.
Nonetheless, there may be one caveat. The areas with the bottom CPI supply essentially the most negligible ROI. D7 ROAS, LATAM got here in at 4.6%, whereas NAMER was notably greater at 6%. Arguably, EMEA and APAC supply the very best center floor, with a D7 ROAS of 5.3% alongside comparatively low set up prices.
Simulation gamers are the most affordable to accumulate
The informal gaming market includes varied genres and subgenres, notably puzzle, arcade, way of life, AR/location, and hyper-casual. A few of these genres are far more widespread than others, that means that you simply’re prone to encounter drastically completely different prices relying on which you goal.
Puzzle, way of life, and simulation are the three informal genres that drive essentially the most perennial curiosity. Simulation video games supply the bottom person acquisition prices at $1.77 per set up, whereas way of life is sort of double the worth at $2.95. Puzzle is the biggest phase of the informal market and averages round $2.23 CPI, providing an excellent steadiness between scalability and worth.
Informal video games drive installs throughout the board
Informal video games proceed to be the most important driver of installs in different informal video games at 91%. If we break this down additional into particular informal genres, puzzle video games take the highest spot at 37%. In second place are hybrid-casual video games, that are answerable for driving 29% of informal recreation installs. Lastly, way of life and informal video games take third place, driving 8% of installs.
A extra shocking development is that informal video games are additionally the powerhouse behind midcore recreation installs, with our pattern displaying {that a} staggering 74% of recent midcore gamers found their video games by advertisements inside informal titles final yr. Comparatively, different midcore titles drove simply 10% of installs, whereas sports activities & driving introduced in 13%.
Rising informal cell recreation genres
Given the extent of competitors within the cell market, it could take time for brand spanking new titles to interrupt by. All of the extra spectacular, then, that these three dynamic new genres have not too long ago managed to make their mark on the informal market:
- 3D Match: Triple Match 3D based the 3D match style in 2022, and it’s since exploded in recognition. Based mostly on GameRefinery information, market share for 3D match video games within the US iOS prime 500 grossing grew from $2.95M to $15.25M between This fall 2022 and This fall 2023.
- Mahjong Solitaire, a well-liked puzzle recreation in China that makes use of tiles moderately than enjoying playing cards, has gained a lot traction on cell. This gameplay motif started with Zen Match, launched in 2021, but it surely’s been adopted up extra not too long ago by Tile Busters and Tile Household—each of which entered the US prime 200 grossing final yr.
- Hybrid-casual video games are surging in recognition, with a number of titles breaking into the top-grossing charts. These video games mix parts of midcore and informal video games to create the last word mix of accessibility and long-lasting engagement. The added gameplay complexity additionally unlocks a broader vary of monetization alternatives.
Rising tendencies in informal gaming occasions
Dwell occasions are one of many greatest drivers of engagement amongst informal video games, with thrilling new content material, objects, and offers protecting gamers returning for extra week after week. It’s hardly shocking that builders all the time search for new occasion sorts to retain gamers’ consideration. Listed below are three that stood out to GameRefinery:
- Minigames (small aspect video games that differ from an app’s traditional gameplay mechanics) have develop into a staple within the LiveOps technique of most informal video games. One of the crucial widespread minigames is the Digging Occasion, the place gamers use tokens to dig by a grid to disclose hidden objects and minor rewards. Minigame implementation is a superb response to UA and participant retention in a post-IDFA world.
- Social win streak occasions pit 100 gamers towards one another in a race to clear ranges with out dropping. Gamers are step by step eradicated from the occasion as ranges are cleared, with solely a gifted few making it to the top to share a pool of rewards.
- Accomplice occasions had been pioneered by Monopoly GO! and have appeared in lots of titles since. These occasions contain teaming up with buddies or random gamers to finish duties for shared rewards.
Informal gaming monetization tendencies
Along with making an attempt to innovate by new occasion sorts, cell recreation studios are consistently experimenting with new monetization strategies and IAP provides. Over the previous yr, three ways specifically have picked up a variety of steam throughout the informal gaming market:
- Choose-one bundles supply gamers a alternative. They’re provided a number of completely different bundles to select from however are restricted to only one buy. The catch is that there’s often a bonus possibility to choose up all of the bundles directly for a particular discounted charge for an additional engaging saving.
- Progressive provides current gamers with a string of offers that alternate between free-to-claim rewards and real-money purchases. Customers can solely declare the provides one after the opposite of their order of look. Out of the US prime 25 informal video games, roughly 70% have some type of progressive supply.
- Engagement provides are a brand new, dynamic IAP format that rewards gamers for finishing particular in-game duties. Rewards embody entry to particular provides, elevated reductions, premium rewards, and extra content material added to purchases.
Net shops unfold to the informal video games market
Over the previous couple of years, many cell apps have launched devoted exterior shops on their web sites. Whereas they require a bit extra effort to entry on the person’s half, these exterior shops supply unique bundles and reductions that you would be able to’t get instantly throughout the app. The profit to builders is that, as a result of these shops aren’t throughout the confines of iOS or Google Play, they circumvent any platform holder charges.
Beforehand, it was primarily midcore cell video games that featured exterior net shops. Nonetheless, we’ve encountered a number of informal video games leaping on the development, equivalent to Scopely’s YAHTZEE With Buddies and Mattel’s cell card video games.
In case you loved this submit, obtain Liftoff’s 2024 Informal Gaming Apps report back to be taught extra concerning the greatest cell tendencies and monetization methods →