74% of Midcore Mobile Game Installs Come from Ads in Casual Games, Liftoff's Casual Gaming Apps Report Reveals

Liftoff's Casual Gaming Apps Report covers three main sections: an annual breakdown of benchmarks for advertising costs and revenue, the mobile game genres and subgenres driving the most installs, and the latest trends shaking up the casual gaming market. Key findings from the report include:

Casual games lead the install charge, as 74% of midcore installs come from ads Casual games are still the primary driver of installs for other casual games, followed by sports and driving games at 5%, with casino games contributing the least at 2%. In the sample, 74% of midcore installs came from ads in casual games. Hyper-casual games are a significant driver of installs across all genres at 29%, while puzzle games remain popular with 37% of casual game installs. Simulation and lifestyle games each drive around 8% of total installs.

Half of top US casual games embrace progressive offers in just one year
Around 70% of the top 25 casual games in the US use a progressive offer feature that offers players a sequence of free and paid rewards. Approximately 50% of these games have introduced this feature in the past year.

Mobile Game install costs on iOS rise to $4.83
The report also includes an annual breakdown of user acquisition cost benchmarks. Notably, CPIs on iOS reached $4.83 between March 2023 and March 2024. However, the data presents a potential mitigating factor as regional cost differences may affect results. For example, regions with the highest CPIs, such as North America, also exhibit the highest Day 7 return on ad spend.

3D match games surge 411%, carving lucrative niche in puzzle market
Titles like Triple Match 3D and Tile Match 3D have scaled impressive performance, carving out a lucrative niche in the crowded puzzle market. GameRefinery data reveals a meteoric rise in the US market share of these games within the top 500 grossing iOS titles. Market share surged from $2.95 million in Q4 2022 to $15.25 million by Q4 2023.

Casual games embrace external web stores for enhanced player engagement
Casual games are increasingly turning to external web stores to boost player engagement and offer more value. Previously used mainly by midcore titles, web stores allow players to score attractive deals on in-game items through direct purchases from the developer or publisher. This bypasses the fees from app stores like Apple's App Store and Google Play, which typically take a cut of each transaction. Beyond cost savings, web stores can also cultivate loyal communities by offering exclusive rewards, value bundles tailored to player preferences, and dedicated loyalty programs. Examples of this approach include Scopely's Yahtzee With Buddies! Online and Mattel's UNO!™ web stores.

Joey Fulcher, Global VP, Accelerate at Liftoff, said: "The market is still adjusting after the pandemic, but we are seeing that certain types of games, such as casual games, are doing well in generating revenue. This indicates that there is still potential for growth, particularly in the mobile gaming industry. Casual games are not only a favorite among players but also a useful tool for attracting users to midcore titles. This highlights the interdependence of the mobile gaming industry and the importance of understanding your target audience for successful app development."

For more details about Liftoff and to download the full report, visit here.

Methodology

All report data comes from GameRefinery and Accelerate, Liftoff's programmatic advertising solution. It also draws from Liftoff's data from January 1st, 2023, to January 1st, 2024. This spans 355 billion ad impressions and 36 billion clicks across 90 million installs to deliver key takeaways on casual gaming app engagement worldwide.

About Liftoff

Liftoff is the leading growth acceleration platform for the mobile industry, helping advertisers, publishers, game developers, and DSPs scale revenue growth with solutions to market and monetize mobile apps.

Liftoff's solutions, including Accelerate, Direct, Influence, Monetize, Intelligence, and Vungle Exchange, support over 6,600 mobile businesses across 74 countries in sectors such as gaming, social, finance, e-commerce, and entertainment. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Redwood City, CA, Liftoff has a diverse, global presence.

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