Mobile gaming market shows tentative signs of growth again

The mobile gaming market shows positive signs of life in early 2025, according to the latest report from analytics company Adjust. The company released its Gaming App Insights 2025 report, which gives insights on the trends in the mobile gaming market for the last year. According to Adjust, that market is showing signs of growth and recovery following a challenging time, in part thanks to shifts in monetization strategy.

Adjust’s findings show that global gaming app installs grew by 4% year-over-year in 2024. One of the big takeaways from the report is that there are new growth opportunities in the mobile market, in part thanks to new AI-driven in-game experiences increasing personalization. It’s also apparently shifting user acquisition strategies by helping studios quickly identify the top-performing ad creatives.

One of the major sources of growth were in emerging markets — specifically in LATAM and MENA, where installs grew by 9% and 7% year-over-year in 2024, respectively. Adjust’s report also notes that hyper-casual games had the highest install share at 27%, though they only held 11% of sessions given their tendency towards high churn rates. Strategy games, on the other hand, had the highest install growth at 83%.

Tiahn Wetzler, director of content and insights at Adjust, said in a statement, “After a period of market volatility, mobile gaming is back on a growth trajectory. As mobile-first adoption accelerates in regions like LATAM and MENA, game developers and marketers that prioritize long-term player relationships over short-term acquisition will reap the rewards.”