2025 State of Mobile Gaming: IAP Trends of Leading Apps
Mobile Gaming in 2025: The Real Growth Drivers
While headlines focus on slowing installs, the truth is this: mobile gaming is evolving fast and profitably. Moloco’s 2025 report reveals how the top studios are scaling revenue, squeezing more value per user, and winning the battle for high-spending players.
🧠 What’s Really Fueling Growth?
- Installs are flat (–0.2% YoY), but payer conversion is up 6% and D90 ARPPU is rising—meaning top games are earning more from fewer users.
- iOS is crushing it, now making up 55% of global IAP revenue. In the U.S., the top 0.02% of iOS players generate a staggering 20% of global gaming revenue.
- Legacy games dominate: Apps older than 6 years now drive 50% of IAP revenue, but new titles like Whiteout Survival and Monopoly GO are scaling fast.
🔥 Genres Winning the War
- Puzzle, Strategy, Simulation, and Social Casino games are surging with deep IAP mechanics wrapped in casual UX.
- RPGs are struggling unless they lean into hybrid casual loops.
- Casual + monetization = goldmine. The best games blend broad appeal with long-term retention and monetization.
🎯 The Rise of High-Value Users
- The top 5% of payers deliver 48% of all IAP revenue.
- But these whales are expensive: iOS bid prices at the 99th percentile rose up to 140% in the U.S.
- Studios are now expanding into ROW and Emerging Markets, where ARPPU/CPP ratios still offer strong ROI.
🚀 Top 5 Advertisers Play It Differently
The top spenders in mobile gaming UA don’t just throw money—they optimize smarter:
- +20% spend outside the U.S.
- +19% budget into ROAS-driven campaigns
- 5x more spend on playables to hook users visually
- 3x more re-engagement spend, especially on “app opens”
🛠 Winning Strategy in 2025
Games that grow fast today share 4 things:
- Diverse monetization (battle passes, gacha, subs, starter offers)
- Frequent live-ops and seasonal content
- Social & competitive hooks (guilds, PvP, leaderboards)
- Personalized progression & dynamic rewards
🌍 What’s Next?
- Expect more hybrid monetization (IAP + IAA)
- Live-ops will go deeper, with more personalized offers and community loops
- U.S. remains the cash cow, but ROW is becoming a high-value frontier
- Interactive ads (like playables) are must-haves for UA in 2025
🕹️ TL;DR: In 2025, it’s not about getting more players, it’s about getting more out of each one. Casual is king, iOS is gold, and retention is the new acquisition. Game on.
