Puzzle and shooter video games lead cell gaming advert alternative

The information: Mobile gaming in-app buy (IAP) revenues reached $21 billion worldwide in Q3 2025, per Sensor Tower—a quantity not seen since pandemic quarantines.

• Strategy, puzzle, RPG, and on line casino video games led the sphere, with every bringing in over $2 billion.
• Quarter-over-quarter progress tells a special story, nevertheless, with shooter sport revenues leaping 23.5%. Puzzle and simulation video games elevated considerably, at 7.8% and 6.9% QoQ, respectively.

Why it issues: Time and cash spent in gaming continues to rise, but solely 5% of media investments world wide go to gaming, per Dentsu. Brands that don’t spend money on gaming advertisements are leaving cash on the desk.

Gaming by the numbers: Advertisers have the chance to focus on quite a lot of cell players.

• 88% of players play for rest. Achievement, immersion, social, and thrill had been different high causes, per Dentsu.
• 67% of teenagers play video games on cell units, per Precise TV.
• 54% of players are excited about meals and drinks, and almost as many are excited about movie and TV, per Dentsu.
• Nearly half (45%) of Gen Z and millennials mentioned they’d purchase IRL objects whereas gaming.

Next steps for advertisers: To get entangled in cell promoting, begin with understanding the demographics for particular video games and even why players play these titles. Then start thinking about codecs.

• 64% of entrepreneurs see worth in ads that offer in-game rewards. Considering Gen Z performs Roblox for two.5 hours a day, per Dentsu, that title could be a superb start line. To capitalize on the revenues earned from puzzle video games, Candy Crush or comparable video games might be a superb entry.
• Other advert codecs embrace in-game adverts, interstitial ads, and adjoining adverts. Brands may entertain partnerships for in-game gear and mini video games.

The time is now to spice up promoting budgets for gaming platforms and titles as revenues develop.

Dive deeper: Read our In-Game Ad Spending Benchmarks report.