- iOS CPIs are at $4.83 from March 2023 to March 2024, while Android maintains a CPI of $0.65
- Progressive offers are on the rise, along with the use of alternative app stores
Mobile installs are dominated by casual games, with 74% of midcore installs coming from ads in casual games. Hyper-casual games contribute to 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 is from the 2024 Casual Gaming Apps Report by Liftoff. The report also reveals that about 70% of the top 25 US casual games use a progressive offer feature, with approximately 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 also provides benchmarks for annual user acquisition costs, showing iOS CPIs at $4.83 from March 2023 to March 2024, while Android maintains a CPI of $0.65. Games like Triple Match 3D and Tile Match 3D now rank among the top 500 grossing iOS titles, with revenue increasing from $2.95 million in Q4 2022 to $15.25 million in Q4 2023.
Casual games adopting alternative web stores
The report from Liftoff reveals that casual games are increasingly utilizing external web stores to enhance player engagement and deliver added value. These web stores, traditionally used by midcore titles, allow players to access special deals on in-game items directly from developers or publishers, bypassing platform fees from app stores like Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
In addition to cost efficiency, web stores promote community loyalty by offering rewards, personalized value bundles, and dedicated loyalty programs. Examples mentioned in the report include Scopely’s Yahtzee With Buddies! Online and Mattel’s UNO! web stores.
Joey Fulcher, Liftoff’s VP of global accelerate sales, comments, “Although the mobile gaming market experienced challenges post-pandemic, revenue from evergreen gaming genres is on the rise, indicating 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 access the full report here.
