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 […]

At the end of last month, Destiny: Rising made its global debut, immediately claiming the No.1 spot on the U.S. iOS download chart and peaking at No.22 on the top-grossing list. Seven years have passed since NetEase invested $100 million in Bungie in 2018 and announced a new joint project. In that time, the mobile shooter landscape has been largely dominated by incumbents. Why, then, has Destiny: Rising managed to shake up the market—and what does this breakthrough mean for NetEase? 01.Why Destiny: Rising Stood Out Part of the success lies in the strength of the Destiny IP. The original Destiny launched in 2014 with first-day sales reaching $500 million, while Destiny 2 became the best-selling U.S. title of 2017 […]

In Sensor Tower's latest global revenue ranking, Kingshot joined Whiteout Survival at the top, securing both the No.1 and No.2 spots for Century Games. Meanwhile, its newly launched merge title, Tasty Travels: Merge Game, also entered the chart at No.29. The company has become nothing short of a hit factory. Riding its momentum, parent company Century Huatong's stock price has surged, with market capitalization surpassing ¥100 billion (≈ US$13.8 billion) in July 2025—cementing its status as a leading A-share gaming giant. Looking back, Century Huatong's ¥6.939 billion acquisition of Century Games from FunPlus was seen by many as a high-stakes gamble. A decade later, it is now considered a masterstroke. 1. A ¥6.9B Acquisition and the ¥2B Performance Gamble Rewind […]

Here is an analysis of the global non-gaming App user acquisition marketing trends for July 2025, based on ad data from 50 countries/regions and 28 global media platforms, according to AppGrowing's report. In July 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 26.16%. Beyond tools, the share of new advertisers also exceeded 10% in both the entertainment and education categories. From an ad volume perspective, entertainment once again topped the charts, with short-drama and novel apps maintaining large-scale ad placements. Yet when measured by the number of unique creatives, shopping apps retained the lead. Looking at creative formats and video length […]

The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for July 2025 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms. In July’s ranking of new game launches by genre, Casino, Casual, and Puzzle took the top three spots. Casino titles saw their share of new launches rise further to 45.27%, far ahead of other categories. Casual followed with nearly 30%, while Arcade titles accounted for 26.26% of new launches. By ad volume, Casual, Puzzle, and Role-Playing ranked in the top three. Puzzle titles recorded fewer ads than Casual games, but the gap in the number of unique creatives was relatively small. In terms of creative formats, video continued to dominate global mobile […]

Habby may not be a permanent fixture at the center of the mobile gaming industry, but whenever it drops a new title, the spotlight inevitably follows. Its latest release, Wittle Defender, launched globally in early June and quickly climbed into the top 10 on the iOS grossing charts across Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan of China. According to Sensor Tower, the game has generated $2 million in iOS revenue over the past two weeks. Following the successes of Capybara Go! and Archero 2, Wittle Defender marks Habby's third breakout title within a single year. It's almost as if the studio has cracked a repeatable formula for success—one that consistently delivers solid results. Despite feeling familiar in both gameplay and marketing […]

Generative AI is no longer just a buzzword—it’s becoming the backbone of a new wave of mobile apps. According to AppGrowing, active AI app campaigns jumped 20% from Q1 to Q4 2024, marking a clear acceleration in the space. As global competition heats up, Southeast Asia is gaining traction as a growth frontier. One standout is Vietnam’s XTECH, which made generative AI its strategic focus in 2024 and recently launched its flagship photo app, PixArt. In this exclusive interview, AppGrowing talks with XTECH’s CMO Minh Chau Pham and CGO The Anh Tran about the evolving role of generative AI in mobile, and how they’re building for both local users and global ambitions. The following is the edited transcript of the […]

Here is an analysis of the global non-gaming App user acquisition marketing trends for May 2025, based on ad data from 50 countries/regions and 28 global media platforms, according to AppGrowing's report. In May 2025, the global non-gaming app advertising landscape continued the trends observed last month. Tool apps remained the dominant category in terms of total active ad campaigns, with new entries accounting for a record-high 16.06%. Meanwhile, entertainment apps saw a surge in total ad impressions, overtaking shopping apps to claim the top spot. However, when measured by the number of unique creatives, shopping apps still led by a wide margin. 01.Top Non-gaming App Developers & Apps According to AppGrowing, this month's ranking of top global advertisers saw a […]

The following analysis of mobile games marketing trends for May 2025 is based on advertising data from AppGrowing across 50 countries and regions, and 28 global media platforms. In the latest AppGrowing data on mobile game ad distribution by category, Casual, Entertainment, and Puzzle games ranked in the top three. Entertainment remained the top genre for new creatives, accounting for 28.58% of all new ads. Casual games showed strong creative refresh momentum, with new creatives making up 26.93%, narrowing the gap with Entertainment. Meanwhile, Puzzle, Adventure, and Arcade also exceeded 10% in new ad share. In terms of total ad volume, Casual and Puzzle again led the pack, with nearly identical levels of ad output. RPG, Simulation, and Entertainment rounded […]

Over the past year, AI-powered apps have entered a phase of rapid growth. According to data from AppGrowing, the number of active AI app campaigns in Q4 2024 rose by 20% compared to Q1. While mature markets like North America and Europe remain key battlegrounds, emerging regions such as Southeast Asia are drawing increased attention for their vast untapped potential. As competition intensifies, the question for developers is how to seize the opportunities these emerging markets present. One answer may lie in the strategies of local players. Vietnamese developer Xtech began exploring the AI space in late 2023 and has since made generative AI its strategic priority for 2024. The company recently launched PixArt: AI Photo Generator (hereafter referred to […]

Following the breakout success of Whiteout Survival, which sparked a wave of enthusiasm for the "simulation management + 4X" hybrid model, a number of publishers rushed to get in on the action.Most recently, EWORLD's prison-themed 4X game Lands of Jail has made a strong showing. According to Sensor Tower data, the game's revenue surged 342% in April alone, surpassing $4 million in combined iOS and Android revenue over the past month. The United States emerged as the top-grossing market, accounting for 33% of total revenue, followed by Germany with 13%. So, how did Lands of Jail leverage the unusual appeal of a prison setting to stand out? And what else contributed to its breakthrough performance in an increasingly saturated genre? […]