In 2025, the global mobile advertising market has continued its steady upward trajectory, with both mobile games and non-gaming apps showing significant year-over-year growth in active advertising apps. According to AppGrowing, nearly 50,000 mobile games launched ad campaigns in Q1 2025, marking a 30.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024.For non-gaming apps, the number of advertised products reached approximately 109,000, up 43.7% year-over-year. To mark its fifth anniversary, AppGrowing has officially released the Creative & Strategic Trends in Global Mobile Advertising（2025Q1), offering a comprehensive analysis of advertising trends across the global mobile landscape. This report explores major market developments in Q1 2025, spotlighting advertising strategies across both gaming and non-gaming verticals. It provides deep dives into emerging categories […]

If we were to rank the most popular gameplay styles of the year, "Loot & Extract" would undoubtedly be among the top. The impressive data from "Delta Force" with daily active users surpassing 30 million, alongside "Escape from Duckov" achieving a million evacuations, consistently confirms that this genre is in a period of explosive growth. What’s particularly noteworthy is that "loot & extract" is breaking the boundaries of traditional shooting games, beginning to penetrate the heavy category of SLG. Recently, AppGrowing observed that an increasing number of SLG developers are gravitating towards "Loot & Extract" gameplay. For instance, FunPlus launched "Bone War" last month, integrating a "top-down shooting + loot & extract" model similar to that in "Escape from Duckov," […]

Here is an analysis of the global non-gaming App user acquisition marketing trends for November 2025, based on ad data from 50 countries/regions and 28 global media platforms, according to AppGrowing's report. In November 2025, tool apps continued to account for the largest share of active advertisers among global applications, with the highest proportion of new advertisers as well, rising further to 25.39%. Beyond tools, categories with over 10% share of newly advertised apps include life, Health & Fitness, Entertainment, Educational. The top three categories for ad volume perspective were shopping and entertainment. Among them, the overall advertising volume for tools apps has increased compared to October, showing a month-over-month growth of 49.15%, rising to third place in the current […]

The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for November 2025 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms. In the ranking of overseas mobile game advertising by category, casino, casual, and puzzle games occupy the top three spots. Among new app releases, casino games maintain the lead, accounting for 46.26%. Casual games come second, with over 30.00% of new app releases. Notably, although the overall number of arcade game ads is relatively small, new arcade apps constitute 19.11%, ranking third. The top three in advertising volume are puzzle, casual, and role-playing games. However, when considering creative material count after de-duplication, casino games surpass role-playing titles. In terms of Ad Creative […]

In recent years, South Korea's influence in the global anime-style games market has gradually increased, with several high-performing titles emerging, such as "Goddess of Victory: NIKKE" and "Limbus Company." Among them, SmileGate's "Epic Seven" stands out particularly, as it has remained at the top of the Korean Google Play IAP charts since its launch in 2018, according to data from AppGrowing. Source:AppGrowing Last month , SmileGate's new title "Chaos Zero Nightmare", launched in multiple regions worldwide.On its launch day, the game topped the iOS free charts in multiple countries including the U.S., Japan, and South Korea. Within just ten days of release, "Chaos Zero Nightmare" is expected to generate over $10.95 million in revenue. Source:AppGrowing Game producer mentioned in a […]

Here is an analysis of the global non-gaming App user acquisition marketing trends for October 2025, based on ad data from 50 countries/regions and 28 global media platforms, according to AppGrowing's report. In October 2025, tool apps continued to account for the largest share of active advertisers among global applications, with the highest proportion of new advertisers as well, rising further to 27.55%. Beyond tools, categories with over 10% share of newly advertised apps include life, Health & Fitness, Food & Drink, Entertainment, Educational. The top three categories for ad volume perspective were Shopping, Entertainment, and Books & Reference. Short-drama app continued its growth trend in October after an uptick in ad volume in September. In contrast, the volume of […]

The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for September 2025 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms.In the ranking of overseas mobile game advertising by category, casino, casual, and puzzle games occupy the top three spots. Among new app releases, casino games maintain the lead, accounting for 53.85%. Casual games come second, with nearly 27.31% of new app releases. puzzle games account for 16.76%. Notably, although the overall number of arcade game ads is relatively small, new arcade apps constitute 22.46%, surpassing puzzle titles. The top three in advertising volume are puzzle, casual, and role-playing games. However, when considering creative material count after de-duplication, strategy games surpass action titles. […]

"Foreign players are learning Song Dynasty history through the game." Since its global launch on November 7, NetEase's MMORPG "Sword of Justice" has generated trending discussions across major social media platforms worldwide. In the game, players explore the Hongqiao Bridge in Bianjing, experiencing the scenery of 'Qingming Shanghe Tu'. Through interactive storylines, they also engage with classical Chinese poetry. This international release has successfully introduced traditional Chinese cultural elements and aesthetic values to global gaming audiences. From the very first day of launch, the game dominated charts in multiple countries, topping the free sections of App Store and Google Play in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and other nations.   01. Light Character Progression + Heavy Social Interaction As a highly culturally […]

In recent years, Bilibili's ACG games have struggled, with more than 10 titles discontinued. Among the shutdowns are notable titles like "Strode," featuring 3D aerial combat, and "千年之旅:ELF," known for its extreme ML theme. Recently, AppGrowing found that Bilibili's casual ACG game Trickcal: Chibi Go released overseas on October 9 and quickly climbed to the top of the iOS free charts in Japan. The game has already surpassed $1 million in revenue, with over 60% coming from the Japanese market. The success of 'Trickcal: Chibi Go' appears to be breaking the stereotype of Bilibili's 'ACG Game Depression.'   01. Korean Audience Base + Differentiated Themes Actually, the achievement of 'Trickcal: Chibi Go' should not be entirely unexpected. You might not […]

The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for September 2025 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms.In the ranking of overseas mobile game advertising by category, casual, entertainment, and puzzle games occupy the top three spots. Among new app releases, entertainment games maintain the lead, accounting for 48.11%. Casual games come second, with nearly 29.67% of new app releases. puzzle games account for 18.72%. Notably, although the overall number of arcade game ads is relatively small, new arcade apps constitute 24.09%, surpassing puzzle titles. The top three in advertising volume are casual, puzzle, and role-playing games. However, when considering creative material count after de-duplication, puzzle games surpass casual titles. […]

On September 11th, American casual game developer Hitapps Games officially launched Solitaire Associations: Words. According to AppGrowing, the game reached the Top 2 in the US iOS free charts within just two weeks of launch. Source: AppGrowing Solitaire Associations: Words clearly indicates its core gameplay integrates two elements: “Solitaire” and “Word” . Both genres have substantial download volumes and high DAU in overseas markets, representing large user-base game categories. Meanwhile, Hitapps Games, the developer behind Solitaire Associations: Words, has long specialized in word-based games, having launched several hit titles. These include the word puzzle game Figgerits, which surpassed 2 million downloads in a single month, and the word association game Associations, which has amassed 10.4 million downloads on Google Play. […]