The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for February 2025 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms.
In this period's ranking of global mobile game advertising distribution by category, casual, puzzle, and casino games secured the top three positions.
In terms of new apps, casino games led with a 31.76% share, followed by casual and arcade games. Additionally, adventure and puzzle genres also saw new ad proportions exceeding 10%.
Casual and puzzle games continued to dominate in ad volume, claiming the top two spots, while RPGs reclaimed the third position on the leaderboard.
Video remains the dominant ad format, accounting for 72.38% of all materials, with image ads making up 27.55%, maintaining a similar distribution as the previous period. Among video ads, 16-30 second clips were the most popular, comprising 55.93% of total creatives.
01.Top Mobile Game Developers & Mobile Games
According to AppGrowing, Oakever Games claimed the No.1 spot among mobile game advertisers in February, overtaking TG Inc. (Top Games), which fell to second place. Meanwhile, Vita Studio significantly ramped up its ad spend, breaking into the top five.
The latter half of the rankings saw notable shifts, with several hyper-casual and hybrid-casual developers climbing the ranks. Notably, Voodoo secured the 28th spot, primarily advertising Mob Control.
Among the top 30 advertisers, 10 were Chinese game developers, with their key product genres spanning casual, strategy, and RPGs.
On the Top Advertised Games list, Evony maintained its No.1 position, followed by Vita Mahjong and Jigsawscapes®, all of which are developed by Chinese publishers.
Notably, most of the top 30 games saw a decline in ad volume compared to the previous period, likely due to February having fewer days.
However, One Line (Ranked 17) and Block Blast! (Ranked 29) bucked the trend, recording an over 100% surge in ad volume.
Looking at genre trends, the latter half of the ranking featured more casual card, text-based, and coloring games.
Among advertisers, Oakever Games stood out as the top mid-core & casual publisher, with three titles making the list: Jigsawscapes®, Zen Word®, and Zen Color.
02.Top Download & Pre-registering Games
The top-ranking games on Google Play remained relatively stable, with familiar titles like Block Blast!, Roblox, and Free Fire maintaining strong positions.
However, Helix Crush, a newly ranked music game, took the No.1 spot this period.
Meanwhile, Voodoo's hyper-casual hit Hole.io also made the list, reflecting the ongoing popularity of the "black hole devouring" gameplay, as seen in the rising success of All in Hole.
Ranking by month-over-month download growth, Gravity's new RO Ragnarok IP game, Ragnarok Idle Adventure Plus, debuted at No.1, while another IP-based title, Ragnarok M: Classic, landed in fifth place.
VNG's new SRPG, 創世紀戰M：阿修羅計畫 secured the 15th position, appealing to anime-style strategy fans.
Several titles significantly increased pre-registration ad spend, leading to multiple games ranking on both App Store and Google Play charts.
Draconia Saga GLOBAL (the global version of Zilong Game's 龙之国物语) claimed No.1 on both platforms and officially launched on March 6.
量子行動, a cyberpunk MMORPG from SPGAME, ranked second on the App Store and fourth on Google Play, having just launched in Japan.
不休旅途：繪卷世界, a card-battle & monster-catching game by 4399, ranked seventh on the App Store and sixth on Google Play, with pre-registration focused on Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
03.Gravity Global Advertising Layout
Gravity is best known for its Ragnarok Online (RO) IP, and AppGrowing 's “Top Publishers” Insights reveals that its top-advertised games in February were Ragnarok M: Classic and Ragnarok Idle Adventure Plus.
The publisher concentrated its ad spend in Southeast Asia, with Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore as the top five regions.
According to AppGrowing data, Ragnarok Idle Adventure Plus officially launched on February 19, maintaining a daily ad volume of over 1,000 placements. In the final seven days before launch, its ad spend surged, with daily placements exceeding 4,000 at peak levels.
Ragnarok Idle Adventure Plus retained the original IP's art style, blending idle mechanics with MMO elements to provide a relaxed, casual-friendly experience, catering to the modern trend of "fragmented entertainment."
From a creative perspective, the game leveraged "IP nostalgia" as a key engagement hook. Given the game's PVP focus, many ads incorporated real person elements, including KOL endorsements and real scene, to emphasize its social aspects and attract competitive players.
For instance, one ad opens with a real scene, depicting a crowd eagerly gathering and waiting for the game's launch. The enthusiastic cheers from the audience subtly convey the game IP's strong influence and widespread player recognition, quickly establishing a positive brand impression. This is followed by a showcase of the game's visuals and key gameplay highlights. Finally, in the call-to-download segment, the incorporation of real person elements enhances the ad's overall appeal.
