Mobile game advertising continued to intensify through 2025, according to a joint analysis from SocialPeta and Reforged Labs. Drawing on ad creative data collected between January 2024 and October 2025, the report covers activity from roughly 6 million advertisers and tracks more than 1.6 billion individual ad creatives. The findings point to a market where creative output is growing steadily, refresh cycles are shortening, and advertisers are relying on a wider mix of formats and tools to stay competitive.
Across 2025, mobile game advertisers ran an average of 123 active creatives per month, marking a year-over-year increase of 19.4 percent. More than half of these assets were newly launched, with the share of new creatives averaging 58 percent and reaching nearly 61 percent by October. This sustained level of creative turnover suggests that continuous testing has become a baseline requirement rather than an optional strategy.
Regional Differences Shape Creative Output
Creative volume and refresh behavior varied noticeably by region. Advertisers in North America, along with Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, recorded the highest number of creatives per advertiser, averaging 117. Europe led in terms of creative renewal, with new assets accounting for 46.4 percent of all creatives, followed by South America at 44.4 percent and North America at 44 percent. Africa reported the lowest share of new creatives at 34.7 percent, indicating slower creative replacement cycles compared to other regions.
These regional differences highlight how market maturity, audience size, and advertising costs continue to influence creative strategies in mobile gaming.
Genre-Specific Creative Strategies
Not all game genres approach advertising with the same level of intensity. 4X strategy games topped the chart in creative volume, averaging 325 creatives per advertiser each month. RPGs followed closely with 291 creatives, while board games averaged 276. These genres typically operate in highly competitive submarkets, where frequent creative testing is used to identify winning concepts and manage rising acquisition costs.
When looking at creative freshness rather than volume, casino games stood out with the highest share of new creatives at 65.6 percent. RPGs and arcade games followed with more than 60 percent each. The data suggests that genres relying on long-term player value or volatile performance metrics are more likely to rotate creatives aggressively.
Platform Trends and Audience Targeting
Android continued to dominate mobile game advertising in 2025, accounting for 77.6 percent of all creatives, while iOS made up the remaining 22.4 percent. Despite this imbalance in volume, the share of new creatives was relatively close between platforms, with iOS at 57.9 percent and Android at 55.8 percent.
Hardcore and midcore titles showed a stronger presence on iOS compared to casual games, reflecting differences in audience behavior and monetization potential. Android, by contrast, remained the primary platform for large-scale creative distribution, particularly for casual and puzzle-focused titles.
Video Remains the Primary Creative Format
Video continued to be the dominant ad format across both major platforms. On Android, video accounted for 78.1 percent of creatives, while iOS reported a slightly lower but still substantial 73.9 percent. Puzzle games relied most heavily on video, with more than 83 percent of their creatives using the format. Casino games, while still video-focused, recorded the lowest share at just over 61 percent and made greater use of static image ads than other genres.
The most common video length fell between 15 and 30 seconds, representing just over 43 percent of all video creatives. This range remains a practical balance between delivering gameplay context and maintaining viewer attention.
Games with the Highest Creative Activity
When ranked by the number of unique creatives globally, Vita Mahjong, Lands of Jail, and Block Blast led creative activity on iOS throughout 2025. On Android, Vita Mahjong also claimed the top spot, followed by Tile Explorer and Lands of Jail. The overlap across platforms suggests that the most active advertisers are investing consistently in cross-platform creative strategies rather than tailoring entirely separate approaches.
What Top Campaigns Reveal About Creative Design
Long-running hits like Royal Match continued to rely on well-established creative formulas. Since its first recorded ad in 2020, Royal Match has released nearly 100,000 creatives, with video making up more than 85 percent. Its “Save the King” series remains the most recognizable format, built around repeated failure scenarios that highlight puzzle mechanics.
MONOPOLY GO!, which began advertising in mid-2022, took a different approach. With more than 178,000 creatives released, the game frequently downplayed its traditional board game roots in favor of showcasing unusual mini-games and alternative mechanics. Video represented nearly 80 percent of its creatives, with strong reliance on Google Ads and YouTube across platforms.
Kingshot, a newer entrant first recorded in 2024, showed yet another creative direction. The game released over 45,000 creatives, mostly video, but largely avoided fail mechanics. Instead, its ads focused on calm, straightforward demonstrations of early gameplay, suggesting a deliberate attempt to set player expectations early.
AI Tools and Mini-Games Gain Ground
By 2025, more than 90 percent of mobile game advertisers were using AI tools to assist with creative production. This widespread adoption helped support higher creative volumes and faster iteration cycles. At the same time, mini-games remained one of the most effective creative formats in terms of click-through performance, reinforcing their role as a reliable engagement driver in mobile game advertising.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are mobile game creative trends in 2025?
Mobile game creative trends in 2025 include higher volumes of ad creatives, faster refresh cycles, heavy reliance on video formats, and widespread use of AI-assisted creative production.
Which platforms dominate mobile game advertising?
Android accounts for the majority of mobile game ad creatives, with over three-quarters of total volume, while iOS represents a smaller but strategically important share.
Which game genres use the most ad creatives?
4X strategy games, RPGs, and board games lead in creative volume, while casino and arcade games show the highest rates of creative refresh.
What ad formats perform best for mobile games?
Video remains the dominant and most widely used format, particularly 15–30 second clips. Mini-game ads continue to generate strong engagement.
How are AI tools used in mobile game advertising?
AI tools are used to generate, localize, and test ad creatives at scale. By 2025, more than 90 percent of advertisers incorporated AI into their creative workflows.
