Based on advertising data from 50 countries/regions and 28 global media platforms, AppGrowing analyzed the key characteristics of global mobile game user acquisition activity in August 2026.
In August, casual games returned to the top position in terms of the number of active advertised apps, with newly advertised apps accounting for 25.45%, indicating strong category momentum. Puzzle and arcade followed, with the share of newly advertised apps in the arcade category rising further to 37.01%.
In terms of ad volume, the Top 3 categories remained puzzle, casual, and simulation. These categories also ranked among the Top 3 in the number of deduplicated creative assets, suggesting that creative testing and iteration continued at a high level.
August Mobile Game Advertising Status
From a creative format perspective, video ads remained the dominant format in mobile game campaigns, accounting for 72.78% of total creatives in August, though this represented a slight decline from July. Image ads also decreased to 19.78%, while the share of other formats, including playable, web, and carousel creatives, rose to 7.44%.
Regarding video duration, 16–30 second creatives remained the primary format, although their share fell further to 37.01%. At the same time, both short-form videos under 15 seconds and long-form videos of 60 seconds or more continued to grow, accounting for 17.22% and 6.53%, respectively.
01. Top Mobile Game Developers & Mobile Games
According to AppGrowing, the Top 3 developers by advertising activity in August were Oakever Games, Hungry Studio, and Voodoo. Another Voodoo developer account, VOODOO, also ranked fourth, reflecting the company’s continued advertising intensity in the casual games segment.
August Top Mobile Game Developers
Among the ranked developers, increased activity from Korean publishers was also notable. In addition to Supercent, Inc., which ranked seventh, ACTGames Co., Ltd. appeared at No.24. Its primary advertised title was Hello Kitty My Dream Store, a casual match-2 mobile game based on the Sanrio IP. The Chinese version of the title is published by FriendTimes, and its second beta test began in May.
Within the Top 30 advertised products, six games recorded month-over-month ad volume growth of more than 100%.
August Top Mobile Games
Among them, Gossip Harbor, published by Microfun, posted 317.21% MoM growth, rising to No.3 in the product ranking. This increase also helped Microfun enter the Top 10 developer advertising ranking.
Hello Kitty My Dream Store entered the ranking directly within the Top 15, while TopTop debuted at No.25. Developed by Chizicheng Technology, TopTop is a mini-game aggregation and voice-room app primarily targeting the Japanese market. The product launched in Japan in April last year and, according to media reports, generated 5 million in revenue in December, indicating solid monetization performance.
Another title worth noting was Block Out! - Color Sort Puzzle, which ranked No.28 and achieved 497.72% MoM growth in ad volume, reflecting a significant increase in campaign investment. Developed by Turkish publisher Grand Games A.Ş., the game reportedly surpassed Color Block Jam by 50% in revenue when compared within a similar launch period and under a single-channel benchmark.
In addition to these fast-growing new entrants, two established titles also recorded more than 100% MoM growth in ad volume: Whiteout Survival and Candy Crush Saga.
02. Top Pre-registering Games & Creative Selling Points
The pre-registration rankings in August continued to be dominated by RPG titles, most of them published by Chinese developers. The main pre-registration markets were concentrated in South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Taiwan region, Southeast Asia, and selected Western markets.
August Top Pre-registering Games
Transformers: Eternal War ranked No.1 on both the App Store and Google Play pre-registration charts. Backed by the globally recognized Transformers IP, the title’s pre-registration creatives were mainly targeted at Western markets, with a clear focus on converting franchise audiences.
Published by Bilibili, BanG Dream! Our Notes ranked No.2 on the App Store pre-registration chart and No.4 on Google Play. The title entered beta testing in August and is expected to launch later this year. Its pre-registration campaign covered 53 markets globally, including South Korea and Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Taiwan region of China.
Another Bilibili title, Lumi Master, also entered the pre-registration ranking. Positioned as a creature-collection simulation management game, it reflects continued market interest in hybrid gameplay structures that combine collection mechanics with light management systems.
From a content theme perspective, the August pre-registration ranking suggests that, in addition to well-known IP-based titles and creature-collection themes, xianxia/cultivation-themed games continued to maintain market traction. Two such titles entered the ranking this month: Sword of Reborn and 半夜別修仙.
From a creative strategy standpoint, the leading pre-registration campaigns this month generally relied on three major selling points:
- Established IP recognition, which helps accelerate user awareness and pre-launch conversion
- Theme-driven appeal, particularly in fantasy RPG, cultivation, and creature-collection segments
- Multi-market rollout, enabling developers to expand pre-registration scale while testing creative effectiveness across regional audiences
03. Microfun Global Advertising Layout
According to AppGrowing, Microfun’s key advertising markets in August were the United States, South Korea, and Japan, all of which are high-value Tier 1 markets. Its flagship product, Gossip Harbor, accounted for 92.11% of the company’s total ad volume, indicating a highly concentrated advertising strategy.
Microfun Global Ad Deployment
As one of the most prominent female-oriented merge games in global markets, Gossip Harbor has demonstrated strong monetization capability. According to Sensor Tower, the title has ranked No.1 in overseas revenue among Chinese mobile games for seven consecutive months.
Advertising Strategy Case: Gossip Harbor
AppGrowing data shows that in August, the game maintained more than 20,000 active ad creatives, with a new wave of ad expansion emerging in the second half of the month. At its peak, daily ad volume approached 50,000 creatives.
According to the platform’s Marketing Timeline feature, this surge was mainly driven by the rollout of a new in-game event, Escape from Raccoon Beach.
In terms of creative strategy, Gossip Harbor continued to center its ads on the familiar “rescue the struggling mother and daughter” storyline, while further diversifying execution through live-action commentary, short-drama-style packaging, and stronger emotional framing.
Source: AppGrowing
One representative creative opens with a first-person animation of squeezing ketchup onto a hot dog to quickly capture user attention, then highlights three core value propositions: “no ads,” “completely free,” and “super satisfying.” It subsequently adopts a presentation style commonly seen in short-drama app advertising, organizing the game’s narrative like an episodic series before transitioning into merge gameplay footage. The creative then reiterates the “no ads” message and concludes with a new-user reward incentive to strengthen download intent.
Overall, the case illustrates a broader shift in mobile game advertising: high-performing creatives are increasingly built not only on gameplay demonstration, but also on the combination of emotional storytelling, cross-category creative references, and clear value communication.
