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Mobile Gaming Insights for Global Growth
Valuable users can be found in unexpected places. For many mobile gaming marketers, it can feel comfortable to focus on familiar regions where they may have seen success in the past. However, new research suggests that stepping outside of the comfort zone can offer marketers an opportunity to rethink user acquisition strategies and unlock incremental growth.
Key findings
$29bn
projected UA spend by mobile gaming IAP marketers in 2025
71%
of UA spend is concentrated in 10 markets, with 40% in the U.S.
70-85%
of IAP revenue is driven by the top 10% of payers of across countries and genres
The largest markets for user acquisition spending have some of the highest-value mobile gamers (D7 ARPPU), including South Korea ($21), Japan ($19), and the U.S. ($17). However, this landscape changes significantly by genre, and high-value users can be found across a wide range of markets.
Paid user acquisition strategies can efficiently drive growth beyond major markets — including, but not limited to, Brazil, Greece, Iceland, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
What we’ll cover
How market size and paid user acquisition dynamics vary across regions and genres
01
How total in-app purchase revenue and user value differ in various regions and genres
02
How targeted paid user acquisition efforts can support expansion efforts
03
01
Stuck in the comfort zone? The concentration of user acquisition spend
Mobile gaming marketers are expected to spend $29 billion on user acquisition (UA) in 2025, according to Moloco estimates. Let’s examine how spend is allocated across different regions and genres to set the groundwork for new global expansion opportunities.
TIP
Hover over highlighted words for their definitions.
User acquisition (UA) refers to the process of attracting and acquiring new users for a mobile app, often through paid marketing efforts.
The familiar places where user acquisition spend is concentrated
UA spend is heavily allocated to a handful of countries. Surprising? Not really. It’s common for marketers to prioritize regions where they’ve already seen success and have a strong understanding of the UA landscape. As a result, over 70% of total mobile gaming UA spend is concentrated in just 10 countries.
The U.S. receives the largest share of UA investment, capturing 40% of total spend from mobile gaming marketers across the world focusing on in-app purchases (IAP). That’s seven times more than the next country on the list. Globally, when looking at operating systems (OS), Android has a greater overall share of UA spend, but this trend reverses in countries with higher iOS adoption, such as the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
User acquisition (UA) refers to the process of attracting and acquiring new users for a mobile app, often through paid marketing efforts.
User acquisition dynamics are unique across genres and markets
User acquisition may be concentrated in just a handful of countries, but the full story goes deeper. For mobile gaming marketers, genre plays a pivotal role. This means UA spend isn’t just about targeting the right locations — it’s finding the right markets for each specific game.
Role-playing games (RPG) invest 41% of their UA budgets in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Alternatively, for genres like Match and Casino, the U.S. and the U.K. lead with over 50% of the investment. Hypercasual games see higher spend in developing markets, with Brazil, India, and Indonesia holding an outsized share of 14% compared to 4.5% in other genres.
The tendency to spend close to home
Language, culture, and other market dynamics play a role in shaping how mobile gaming marketers allocate UA spend. For many, including U.S.-based companies, this often means directing more of their budget to domestic markets. But not everyone follows this path.
Consider export-focused Chinese mobile gaming marketers — they adopt a more global strategy, with only 36% of their UA spend directed toward North America and allocate a larger share of their budgets across Asia-Pacific (APAC), Europe, and other international markets.
02
Overlooked opportunity? The hidden high-value users
For mobile gaming marketers, the name of the game is finding high-value users. By exploring country-level metrics like average revenue per paying user (ARPPU), marketers can better understand where their next big opportunity may lie.
Average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) measures the average in-app spending of users, giving marketers a clear sense of where the most valuable players are. It accounts for all sources, both attributed and unattributed.
The connection between marketing spend and in-app purchases
At first glance, UA spend (across all paid sources) and total in-app purchase revenue (across paid and organic sources) seem closely aligned. Countries with the highest UA investments, like the U.S., also hold the largest share of total IAP revenue, seemingly suggesting that marketers are directing spend effectively.
However, total IAP revenue far outpaces the share of UA spend in countries like South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Why? Unique local dynamics can make it harder for non-domestic marketers to break through. These markets present an opportunity for those who can adapt to better meet local preferences.
Global variations in user value
Recognizing differences in ARPPU across genres is key to understanding the potential of various markets. Each genre attracts distinct types of players with varying spending behaviors that significantly impact ARPPU in different countries.
For instance, casual games like Match tend to have lower ARPPU compared to other genres. But in countries like Israel, Norway, Switzerland, and the U.S., user value in this genre is still relatively high compared to other parts of the world. In contrast, East Asia Pacific markets, including Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, consistently lead ARPPU in higher-spending genres like RPG and Strategy.
A framework to segment user value and global opportunity
When expanding globally, marketers should consider categorizing countries based on factors like growth potential, user value, localization needs. The world map below demonstrates one way to organize expansion opportunities to serve as a starting point for marketers.
By grouping countries with similar languages, we could streamline our creative process and scale our campaigns faster while still delivering relevant, localized experiences to users.
— Sami Khan, CEO, Atlas Reality
03
Global expansion: Capturing high-value users with paid user acquisition
The road to long-term, profitable growth starts with finding high-value users. By strategically targeting and engaging these audiences, marketers can tap into new avenues for expansion.
Machine learning-powered UA is the key to finding high-value users
For marketers, the formula is simple: finding high-value users at the most efficient cost possible. This is where advanced machine learning comes into play. By leveraging vast amounts of real-time data and continuously learning over time, machine learning-powered UA can precisely find and target valuable users that might otherwise be overlooked. Understanding the relationship between acquisition cost, user value, and total IAP revenue opportunity is essential – navigate the chart below to explore this relationship across various regions, markets, and genres.
Note: All metrics are relative, and successful campaign outcomes are achievable in markets of any size. The insights below are meant to serve as a starting point for new UA strategies.
It’s tempting to focus on large markets because they’re familiar and marketers are used to advertising there. However, there is significant opportunity beyond these traditional markets where the competition is lower and hitting your KPIs can be much more efficient.
— Sarah Yamanouchi, Head of Growth Marketing at Rec Room
Big world, opportunity awaits
Before marketers enter new markets, it's important to remember that every app is unique and requires a customized approach. However, below are some general best practices to consider when thinking about international UA efforts.
Best practices for geo expansion
Segment countries
Consider grouping similar markets based on language, market opportunity, and user behavior to optimize targeting and budget utilization.
Localize assets
After you segment countries, tailor creative assets based on language and cultural considerations to maximize engagement with regional audiences.
Diversify for soft launch
If your app is considering a soft launch, think about testing in a diverse set of markets to gain regional learnings for scaled paid UA efforts.
A soft launch is a limited release of a product or app in select markets to test performance and gather feedback before a full-scale hard launch.
Stay patient
Machine learning models need time to learn and optimize to maximize value. Evaluate performance only after models exit the learning phase.
High-value users are spread across the globe and aren't confined to just a few familiar markets. By expanding user acquisition into new regions, marketers can tap into unrealized potential and take their apps to new heights.
The next big win isn't hidden — it's out there, waiting to be captured when you explore beyond borders.
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