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. From a creative format perspective, […]

According to AppGrowing, industry giants like such as Lilith, 4399, Bilibili, and FunPlus have successively launched their own Palworld-like mobile games. What’s notable, however, is the emerging design trend: a lightweight blend of "Palworld-like elements + refined gameplay mechanics." Monster-chatching is no longer the core gameplay by itself; instead it becomes an important module that drives game systems. Multiple “Palworld-like” combinations keep entering the market. This evolution is also reshaping UA: simply showing the “capture moment” in ads is no longer enough to attract users. Creative selling points are moving toward greater diversity. The Strategic Shift: Beyond Simple Cloning Rather than simply cloning the open-world framework of Palworld, most publishers choose to embed creature-collection mechanics into established genres to reduce development […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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. […]

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 […]

Recently, Acecraft: Sky Hero broke into the upper ranks of the U.S. iOS download charts. The title is published by Moonton, best known globally for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. What sets Acecraft: Sky Hero apart is its distinctive retro rubber hose animation style, a visual choice rarely seen in today’s mobile market. This article draws on AppGrowing data to examine the game’s advertising strategy. Advertising Overview According to AppGrowing, the Android version of Acecraft: Sky Hero launched a total of 13,255 ads, spanning 74 regions and 13 platforms. In-Feed ads dominated placements with over 56%, followed by Rewarded Video (21%) and Native (11%). From a creative perspective, videos made up nearly 69%, including 23% standard video and 45% vertical video, […]

Destiny: Rising is a sci-fi RPG shooter mobile title jointly developed by NetEase and Bungie, based on the Destiny IP and set in a parallel timeline during the post-Dark Age. The game launched its first closed Alpha test on November 1, 2024, and was officially released worldwide on August 27, 2025. This article draws on AppGrowing data to analyze Destiny: Rising’s advertising strategy. Advertising Overview According to AppGrowing, the Android version of Destiny: Rising ran a total of 1,829 ads, spanning 26 regions and 11 platforms. In-Feed ads accounted for over 71%, followed by Rewarded Video (17%) and Native (6%). In terms of creative format, videos made up nearly 80%, with standard video ads exceeding 40% and vertical video close […]