When you’re working consumer acquisition for a cell sport in 2025, you already know the drill; CPIs are rising, privateness modifications have reshaped focusing on, and the times of counting on a single “hero” channel are lengthy gone.
The excellent news? Progress continues to be attainable. The studios profitable immediately are those diversifying, mixing conventional advert networks with new, privacy-friendly, and performance-driven channels that attain gamers in additional significant methods.
This information will stroll you thru how you can construct a various UA combine, beginning with the foundations and transferring towards revolutionary options like rewarded UA and programmatic DSPs that may future-proof your technique.
Why Diversification Issues Extra Than Ever
In a market the place practically 70% of complete app installs come from paid sources, counting on one or two channels is dangerous. Every community, whether or not it’s Meta, Google, or TikTok, has its personal algorithmic biases, artistic norms, and viewers overlaps.
A diversified UA technique spreads threat, expands attain, and ensures your campaigns aren’t on the mercy of a single platform’s efficiency fluctuations or coverage modifications.
Past that, diversification improves incrementality, reaching customers you wouldn’t have acquired by way of different channels. The end result? A stronger, extra steady development engine.
Begin With the Basis: Conventional UA Channels Nonetheless Work
Earlier than experimenting with new channels, it’s important to get your fundamentals proper. The mainstay networks nonetheless drive large quantity and studying alternatives when used strategically.
Meta Advertisements (Fb & Instagram)
Meta stays a powerhouse for cell sport UA due to its unparalleled viewers attain and inventive flexibility. Its Benefit+ App Campaigns have made it simpler to automate focusing on and bidding whereas optimizing for set up and in-app occasions.
What works now:
- UGC-style and TikTok-inspired creatives are outperforming polished studio belongings.
- Deal with broad focusing on — Meta’s algorithm does the heavy lifting post-IDFA.
- Rotate creatives regularly to forestall fatigue and keep CTRs.
Challenges: Rising CPMs and restricted visibility into user-level efficiency imply you possibly can’t rely solely on Meta for predictable scale.
Google App Campaigns
Google’s energy lies in its cross-platform ecosystem (Search, YouTube, Play Retailer, and Show) permitting you to succeed in gamers throughout discovery, engagement, and reactivation levels. One telling metric: many advertisers report that Google App Campaigns make up a big share of their ad-spend “pockets” particularly amongst these spending much less (e.g. underneath US$250K/month), with estimates from benchmarks placing them within the ~34-37% share of spend amongst such advertisers.
Ideas for optimizing Google App Campaigns:
- Section by monetization mannequin (IAP vs. IAA) to assist the algorithm study sooner.
- Use value-based bidding to prioritize high-LTV gamers.
- Leverage YouTube Shorts and video belongings for upper-funnel consciousness.
Whereas automation helps scale rapidly, do not forget that Google’s “black field” method limits transparency. Complement it with channels the place you’ve got extra granular management.
Unity Advertisements (and IronSource)
For gaming-specific audiences, Unity and IronSource stay go-to companions. Their advert placements — particularly rewarded video and interstitials — offer you direct entry to gamers already engaged with related titles.
Greatest practices:
- Check rewarded and interstitial codecs collectively; rewarded typically drives higher retention.
- Use segmentation by style — e.g., puzzle vs. shooter gamers behave in another way.
- Observe engagement post-install to determine high-quality publishers.
Unity’s energy is contextual focusing on — one thing that’s turning into more and more invaluable within the privacy-first period.
The Shift: Why You Want Different UA Channels
Even when your campaigns carry out properly on Meta or Google, overdependence is harmful. Algorithms fluctuate, prices spike, and audiences overlap.
Furthermore, post-IDFA sign loss has made it tougher to search out new, high-intent gamers by way of conventional focusing on strategies. That’s why extra studios are embracing different UA channels — ones that concentrate on consumer engagement, worth change, or data-driven optimization.
Rewarded fashions, programmatic DSPs, and OEM placements are now not “experimental.” They’re the brand new development engines.
(In response to Sensor Tower’s State of Cell 2025 report, rewarded adverts now account for over 27% of complete gaming advert impressions — a 40% YoY enhance.)
Different Progress Channels That Ship
Rewarded UA: Worth-Change That Drives High quality Installs
Rewarded UA, together with Rewarded Playtime and offerwall-based fashions, lets customers earn in-game foreign money or perks by playtime or process completion. Not like conventional advert impressions, these customers actively select to have interaction, making them extra invested and extra more likely to keep.
Why it really works:
- Gamers strive your sport willingly, not passively.
- You pay for actual engagement (e.g., playtime or degree completion), not simply installs.
- Excessive retention and LTV, particularly for informal and mid-core titles.
AppSamurai’s Rewarded Playtime connects builders with gamers who wish to uncover new video games and get rewarded for enjoying them longer. This mannequin aligns completely with each consumer intent and advertiser KPIs, driving longer classes and higher monetization outcomes.
Rewarded UA bridges the hole between efficiency and participant expertise, one thing conventional UA channels can’t all the time ship.
Take a look at how Gram Video games achieved 40% D1 retention charge with Rewarded Playtime!
Programmatic DSPs: Scale with Precision
When you’ve tapped into engagement-based channels, it’s time so as to add programmatic promoting to your combine. A Demand-Facet Platform (DSP) permits you to purchase advert stock throughout hundreds of publishers in actual time, utilizing information, context, and algorithms to search out your supreme gamers. eMarketer forecasts programmatic will account for practically 9 out of 10 digital show advert {dollars} worldwide in 2025, which implies DSP-driven shopping for is how most patrons scale effectively and entry various stock past single networks. That issues for studios who need each scale and management.
Why DSPs matter:
- You’ll be able to optimize for particular KPIs like ROAS, retention, or LTV.
- You achieve visibility into efficiency throughout a number of advert exchanges.
- Programmatic provides you entry to audiences past walled gardens.
The most effective half? DSPs can run branding, UA, and retargeting campaigns all underneath one roof. Meaning you possibly can re-engage dormant customers or convey lapsed gamers again to your sport, one thing that’s turning into more and more vital for long-term profitability.
AppSamurai DSP, for example, gives full-funnel programmatic options, from consciousness to reactivation, powered by machine studying and backed by transparency. It helps studios keep regular development whereas controlling effectivity.
Different Channels to Contemplate
OEM Channels and Pre-Installs
Preloading your app on units (through OEM partnerships) may be particularly efficient in rising markets. These campaigns construct long-term visibility and assist attain first-time smartphone customers.
Related TV (CTV)
Cell video games promoting on CTV is a rising development. IAB’s 2025 video advert studies put digital video share of TV/video advert spend close to ~58% in 2025, and CTV is a rising channel for brand-led installs and enormous launches. For video games with an enormous launch finances or model story, CTV (with QR or deep-link activations) can prolong attain past mobile-first channels.
It’s good for high-budget launches or model storytelling. With interactive QR codes and cross-device measurement, studios can now monitor installs pushed from TV screens.
Easy methods to Construct the Proper UA Combine
Consider your UA combine like an funding portfolio. You desire a mix of steady performers and high-growth alternatives.
Right here’s a pattern construction many studios use:
- 40–50%: Conventional channels (Meta, Google, Unity)
- 25–30%: Programmatic DSPs
- 15–20%: Rewarded / engagement-based UA
- 5–10%: Experimental (CTV, OEM, influencer)
Ideas for balancing and optimizing:
- Check one new channel at a time; isolate learnings earlier than scaling.
- Use constant artistic frameworks to match outcomes pretty.
- Observe incremental raise, not simply installs, however true contribution to development.
- Modify budgets month-to-month primarily based on cohort efficiency and market shifts.
A various UA combine doesn’t simply unfold threat, it additionally makes your acquisition technique extra resilient, adaptive, and data-driven.
Measuring Success Throughout Channels
When working campaigns throughout a number of platforms, success measurement turns into advanced, but additionally extra insightful.
Deal with three key metrics:
- Incrementality — How a lot distinctive development every channel provides past natural or different paid campaigns.
- ROAS / LTV — Consider return primarily based on lifetime participant worth, not day-one metrics.
- Engagement depth — Retention, session time, and buy frequency are higher indicators of participant high quality than installs alone.
Use probabilistic attribution or data-driven modeling to grasp blended efficiency. And don’t neglect artistic analytics, the identical asset might carry out wildly in another way on Meta vs. DSP.
Key Takeaways
In immediately’s fragmented advert panorama, there’s no single “profitable” UA channel. The true benefit lies in diversification, mixing tried-and-true networks with new, engagement-driven and data-optimized options.
- Meta and Google nonetheless kind the inspiration, however over-reliance limits your development.
- Rewarded UA provides high quality and engagement, turning installs into long-term gamers.
- Programmatic DSPs convey transparency, scale, and KPI-based optimization.
- Rising channels like OEM and CTV assist future-proof your technique.
The aim isn’t to desert conventional UA, it’s to develop it. Construct a portfolio that balances attain, engagement, and effectivity.
And should you’re prepared to start out, AppSamurai’s Rewarded Playtime and DSP options might help you scale intelligently, connecting your sport with actual gamers who stick round and spend.
