- iOS CPIs stand at $4.83 from March 2023 to March 2024 while Android maintains a CPI of $0.65
- Progressive offers are on the rise, alongside the use of alternative app stores
Casual games dominate mobile installs with 74% of midcore installs coming from ads in casual games. Hyper-casual games contribute 29% of installs across all genres while puzzle games account for 37% of casual game installs with simulation and lifestyle games each driving 8% of total installs.
This data comes from Liftoff’s 2024 Casual Gaming Apps Report which also shows that around 70% of the top 25 US casual games use a progressive offer feature, with about 50% having introduced it in the past year.
“Great limited-time offers combine high-value content with a tight deadline, but urgency isn’t the only way to drive conversions,” says Mona Hietala, a game analyst at GameRefinery. “Current offer trends give players a choice and more control. They allow players to accrue value for themselves by engaging. Or, they lay a clear path to the best offer by providing increasingly attractive options while still letting the players decide.”
The report further details annual user acquisition cost benchmarks, showing iOS CPIs at $4.83 from March 2023 to March 2024 while Android maintains a CPI of $0.65. Also, games such as Triple Match 3D and Tile Match 3D now have a market share that’s among the top 500 grossing iOS titles that soared from $2.95 million in Q4 2022 to $15.25 million in Q4 2023.
Casual games embrace alternative web stores
Liftoff‘s report also finds that casual games are increasingly leveraging external web stores to enhance player engagement and deliver added value. Traditionally used by midcore titles the report details that these web stores allow players to access special deals on in-game items directly from developers or publishers, bypassing fees from platforms such as Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
Besides cost efficiency, web stores foster community loyalty by offering rewards, personalised value bundles, and dedicated loyalty programs. The report cites Scopely’s Yahtzee With Buddies! Online and Mattel’s UNO! web stores as examples.
Liftoff’s VP of global accelerate sales Joey Fulcher comments, “Although the mobile gaming market took some hits post-pandemic, revenue from evergreen gaming genres are trending up, and there’s room for growth.”
The report is based on data from 355 billion ad impressions, 36 billion clicks, and 90 million installs from January 1st, 2023, to January 1st, 2024.
You can read the full report here.
