In June 2024, Honor of Kings by Tencent surged to #2 in worldwide downloads growth thanks to its global launch on June 22, gaining 21 million downloads outside China. Manage Supermarket Simulator by Zego Studio topped breakout downloads with 28.6 million total downloads. Free Fire remained #1 in absolute downloads.
On the revenue side, Dungeon & Fighter Mobile led breakout and absolute revenue growth, generating $251 million in China alone. 三国:谋定天下 ranked #2 in revenue growth. Honkai: Star Rail had top in-app events.
The MOBA subgenre generated $1.2 billion in Q2 2024, showing strong market performance.
Whiteout Survival led global mobile game revenue in June 2026, driven by strategic live-ops events. Key revenue drivers include themed updates, IP collaborations (e.g., MONOPOLY GO! with Simpsons), and real-world sports tie-ins (FIFA World Cup). Downloads were led by ROBLOX and Free Fire, with directional puzzle games gaining traction. For ad ops, targeting during event-driven spikes and leveraging cultural moments can optimize campaign performance. Note that third-party Android data is excluded.
Casual gaming UA costs doubled to $2.17 CPI, with iOS at $4.83 vs Android $0.65. LATAM has lowest CPI ($0.44) but lower ROI. New genres like 3D Match and monetization trends like web stores are emerging.
Short drama apps are reshaping mobile entertainment, surpassing 850M downloads in Q1 2026 (up 140% YoY) with IAP revenue reaching $750M. Growth is concentrated in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and India, where these apps outpace traditional OTT in user acquisition. Engagement is surging: daily time spent grew 85% to 25 minutes globally, nearing OTT levels in Southeast Asia. For ad ops, the shift toward ad monetization in addition to IAP opens new inventory opportunities. Key players like FreeReels, NetShort, and Melolo are scaling via localized content and paid acquisition, creating competitive ad markets.
First-party data, collected directly from users with consent, is crucial for marketers due to privacy regulations limiting third-party data. It enables accurate personalization, compliance, and cost savings. Key steps include ethical collection, maintaining clean data, and using it internally for product/marketing optimization and externally via commerce media networks.
Non-gaming apps can reduce CAC by advertising on gaming platforms, reaching 3.3 billion monthly players. Creative formats like playable and rewarded video ads boost conversions. Key challenges include identifying high-value users and allocating sufficient budget for algorithm optimization. Successful examples include Buddy AI and food delivery apps.
Digital banking ad impressions surpassed 50B quarterly with spend above $350M by Q1 2026, driven by mobile-first adoption. Neobanks like Nubank lead downloads, while traditional banks modernize apps. SeaBank's integration with Shopee exemplifies ecosystem-driven acquisition. For ad ops, key takeaways: prioritize mobile channels, leverage partnerships for scale, and balance reach with trust-building to sustain engagement.
Sports betting apps face high acquisition costs and ad saturation. Success requires unbiased attribution via MMP, cross-channel cohesion, and off-season engagement through personalization and gamification. Avoid ad fraud and optimize ATT opt-ins.
Halloween boosts app usage across gaming, shopping, and entertainment. Marketers can leverage themed visuals, ASO, in-app events, and omnichannel campaigns to drive growth and re-engage users.
The 2026 Sports Report reveals key trends for ad ops: FIFA World Cup drove record sports app downloads (137M in Q2 2026)...
The Sensor Tower MCP server bridges AI chatbots to Sensor Tower and Pathmatics data, enabling ad ops teams to query app ...
Live sports streaming is driving significant user engagement and ad revenue for platforms like Peacock, Fox Sports, Para...
Digital banking ad impressions surpassed 50B quarterly with spend above $350M by Q1 2026, driven by mobile-first adoptio...
Whiteout Survival led global mobile game revenue in June 2026, driven by strategic live-ops events. Key revenue drivers ...
Digital retail maturity shifts focus from downloads to omnichannel experiences, engagement, and ecosystems. Key data: 8....