Trends in Mobile Game Marketing for Q2 2025

According to Singular’s Q2’25 report, user spending on mobile marketing experienced a year-over-year growth of 40.3%. This growth reflects continued interest in mobile channels, though the distribution of marketing investment has shifted across app categories. While sectors like entertainment, finance, travel, and education have seen increased marketing budgets, other segments such as shopping, health, fitness, and particularly gaming have experienced a decline. Within the gaming category, marketing spend decreased by approximately 15% compared to the same period in 2024.

Platform Distribution and Revenue Share

Singular’s data indicates a clear division between install volume and revenue generation across platforms. Android continues to dominate in terms of volume, with 89.5% of all game installs occurring on Android devices. However, iOS users contribute disproportionately to monetization, accounting for 89.6% of total revenue from mobile games. This contrast suggests differing user behavior and spending patterns between the two ecosystems, which may influence how marketers allocate budget across platforms.

Trends in Mobile Game Marketing for Q2 2025

Genre-Specific Performance and Growth

On Android, puzzle, simulation, and action games lead in download volume, collectively making up 76% of all installs. These genres continue to attract a large user base, driven by their accessibility and broad appeal. Growth trends show significant year-over-year increases in several Android game categories, including match games, which grew by 171%, puzzles by 150%, action games by 140%, sports games by 135%, and kids’ games by 132%.

The iOS platform shows a slightly different genre preference, with simulation, puzzle, and sports games comprising 63% of all game downloads. Growth rates for iOS genres indicate notable increases, particularly in action games, which rose by 218% year-over-year. Educational games followed with a 210% increase, while card and board games grew by 177%, simulation games by 154%, and gambling apps by 136%.

Trends in Mobile Game Marketing for Q2 2025

Advertising Metrics Across Markets

Advertising performance metrics varied widely across regions and platforms. On Android, the highest cost per install was recorded in the United States at $3.25, followed by China at $2.30 and Japan at $2.05. These markets also showed differing engagement levels, with China reporting the lowest click-through rates. In contrast, Tier-3 markets delivered the highest CTR, indicating stronger ad engagement in emerging markets. The average installs per mille (IPM) across countries ranged between three to five installs, although China recorded a statistically significant drop, reflecting lower conversion efficiency.

On iOS, cost per install varied more dramatically by genre. Role-playing games (RPGs) were the most expensive to acquire users for, with a CPI of $36.50, while casino games followed at $16.69. iOS CTRs increased sharply in Q1’25, rising by 250% compared to the previous year. Despite this, CPMs only increased slightly by 2% and were 27% lower than in the previous quarter. Installs per mille on iOS declined by 4% year-over-year, indicating a potential saturation or inefficiency in user acquisition.

Trends in Mobile Game Marketing for Q2 2025

User Privacy and Opt-In Rates

User privacy settings continue to impact marketing effectiveness. Games maintain one of the highest App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-in rates on iOS, with 26.5% of users choosing to allow tracking. This relatively high opt-in rate compared to other categories offers game marketers additional data signals, which may aid in optimizing campaign performance under privacy restrictions.

Leading Ad Networks for Mobile Games

Singular identified the five most popular ad networks for mobile game advertising as Google, Meta, AppLovin, Apple Ads, and TikTok. These platforms continue to play a central role in the distribution and visibility of mobile games, shaping performance trends across both Android and iOS.

Trends in Mobile Game Marketing for Q2 2025

Final Thoughts

The mobile game marketing landscape in Q2’25 reflects a complex and evolving environment. While user spending in mobile marketing continues to grow, games have seen a relative decline in budget allocation. Android leads in installs, but iOS dominates in revenue, indicating a need for nuanced strategies depending on platform and region.

Genre performance and advertising efficiency show significant variations, which marketers will need to account for when planning future campaigns. Singular’s report provides a data-driven view of these trends, offering valuable insights for decision-makers in the mobile gaming industry.