The mobile game landscape has evolved into what is now the most profitable gaming ecosystem, surpassing PC and console. It has become a global phenomenon, captivating the hearts and screens of billions of players worldwide and the mobile game ads strategies are following its path to success.
With a staggering variety of games available at your fingertips, understanding the key categories of mobile games is essential for anyone diving into this immersive world.
In this article, we delve into the seven main categories that define this dynamic industry and the mobile game ads that engage players.
Each of these categories, and their relative mobile game ads, offers a unique gaming experience, and they cater to a wide range of player preferences and emotions, from excitement and relaxation to mental stimulation and creativity.
This diversity is what makes the world of mobile gaming, and mobile game ads, so captivating and appealing to a global audience.
- Simulation Mobile Games
- Hypercasual Mobile Games
- Puzzle Mobile Games
- RPG Mobile Games
- Action Mobile Games
- Interactive Story Mobile Games
- Match Mobile Games
- The World of Mobile Games Ads
Simulation mobile games are characterized by their immersive replication of real-world experiences, offering players the opportunity to engage in diverse themes such as farming, city-building, cooking, and more and try out activities they might not have the opportunity to do in real life by making strategic decisions and progress through upgrades.
As the storyline is the main attraction point of these mobile games, their mobile game ads tend to highlight the exciting plot and the fascinating characters that guide the player. This is best displayed by a video ad that shows the first chapters of the story, in order to captivate the users and make them wonder how the plot goes forward.
Some examples of mobile games that have followed this kind of user acquisition campaign are Roblox, Cooking Madness and Family Farm Adventure.
Roblox is a user-generated content platform and game creation system that allows players to create and play games developed by other users. As there are more than 50 million games available in the Roblox universe, the user is able to experience all sorts of situations and gameplays.
Cooking Madness is a time management game where players run their own restaurants and cook a variety of dishes under time constraints. Cooking Madness can evoke a sense of achievement as players successfully make quick choices and manage their virtual restaurants to serve delicious dishes to demanding customers.
Lastly Family Farm Adventure is a farming simulation game where players grow crops, raise animals, and expand their farms. Players can engage in the slow-paced, soothing activities of farming and experience the satisfaction of watching their virtual farms flourish.
Hyper-casual games have a simple and accessible gameplay characterized by short sessions and enjoyable basic game mechanics, so that users return frequently to the game during breaks or commutes. These games prioritize fun and instant gratification, aiming to capture players' attention with their easy to understand and fast-paced nature.
As the captivating mechanics of the game are the winning aspects of these mobile games, a mobile game ad for an hypercasual game should feature an engaging playable, so that potential users can try the gameplay firsthand and choose whether they like this kind of mobile game structures or not.
This can be seen in the mobile game ads of some of the most profitable hypercasual mobile games of the year.
For example, Mob Control is a puzzle strategy mobile game where players control a group of characters and navigate them through challenging levels by solving puzzles.
It features in its mobile game ad, first a short video that shows how the game works, then a mini game in order to make the viewer accustomed to the mechanics of Mob Control.
A similar layout, formed by a video and then a playable, has been followed by Traffic Escape in their mobile game ads. Traffic Escape is an endless runner game where players control characters that must navigate through busy traffic, with the goal of avoiding collisions and obstacles for as long as possible.
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Puzzle mobile games provide a mentally stimulating and rewarding gaming experience, catering to those who enjoy exercising their minds and overcoming brain-teasing obstacles.
These games frequently include a wide range of challenges, ranging from basic jigsaw puzzles to complex riddles and logic games.
Their mobile game ads are usually similar to the hypercasual mobile games ones. The playable in the ad features a puzzle that lies on the line between being too easy and too difficult: if the mini game is easier than what the user has expected, he will infer that the whole puzzle game is too easy for him and not challenging enough, and will not install the mobile game. If the playable instead is too difficult, the viewer will feel discouraged, and will not install the game.
Some notable examples of puzzle games are Block Blast Puzzle Game and Words of Wonders.
They both feature intriguing and brain teasing puzzles, but while Block Blast Puzzle Game is a match-2 puzzle game where players clear the game board by matching two or more blocks of the same color, Words of Wonders is a word puzzle game where players form words by connecting letter tiles on a game board.
Another very successful puzzle mobile game ad is Twisted Tangle.
Twisted Tangle is a mobile puzzle game where players connect matching tiles by swiping in various directions to create colorful, twisting patterns. The objective is to clear the board by strategically connecting tiles, with each move increasing the complexity of the tangle.
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If you pay close attention to current gaming trends, you will occasionally stumble across RPG games.
RPG (Role-Playing Game) mobile games are known for their immersive storytelling, character development, and strategic gameplay.
These mobile games typically invite players into rich, fictional worlds where they assume the role of a character, often with customizable attributes, skills, and appearances, and dive into epic narratives, quests, and character interactions that allow players to make choices affecting the game's outcome.
The optimum mobile game ad needs to feature all these characteristics, in order to captivate the players thoroughly. A long video that both sets the foundation of the plot and explains the structure of the mobile game is the best choice for user acquisition managers. If the viewers are not captivated by the storyline of the mobile game ad, they will not install the game, so the ad must be engaging and able to create a connection between the user and the characters.
In this game category we can find top grossing games, such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, or rising gems like Isekai: Slow Life.
Genshin Impact is an action RPG that features an incredible world open to exploration. Players control characters with elemental abilities and engage in real-time combat, complete quests and uncover the game's intriguing lore.
Honkai: Star Rail is a gacha-style RPG mobile game where players collect and upgrade characters to battle various enemies. It features turn-based combat, a compelling storyline, and anime-style visuals.
Isekai: Slow Life instead focuses on story and character development, as players navigate through a fantasy world, make decisions, and interact with characters to shape the narrative, often experiencing a sense of escape to a different world.
Action mobile games cater to gamers seeking thrilling and dynamic experiences, and they often require quick reflexes and strategic thinking to succeed. The fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping gameplay is the main characteristic, together with a focus on real-time combat, agility, and reflexes.
Players engage in intense battles and the objective is typically to defeat opponents, complete missions, or survive as long as possible.
To engage potential players, the mobile game ads must share the excitement and intensity of the gameplay in the first seconds of the ad. To emotionally involve the users, a video that explains the basics of the plot, like which great cause you are fighting for or which terrible evil you are thwarting, is the best choice. After that a playable could make the viewer try first hand how the game works.
Some notable examples of action mobile games are Tomb of the Mask and Galaxiga Arcade Shooting Game. The first is a Hypercasual Action mobile game and the second a Shoot'em Up adventure.
Tomb of the Mask is an arcade-style game where players control a character through a maze-like tomb. The gameplay involves navigating through levels, avoiding traps, and collecting items and the player ends up feeling both excitement and frustration, as the game increases in difficulty.
Galaxiga Arcade Shooting Game is a classic arcade-style shooter game where players control a spaceship and battle waves of enemy ships in a space environment. The retro graphics of the mobile game can elicit nostalgia in the players, who feel comforted in this known gameplay.
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Interactive story mobile games are defined by their narrative-driven gameplay, where the gamer’s choices directly impact the storyline's progression and outcome. This results in an engaging and immersive narrative experience, with choices that can range from moral dilemmas to strategic decisions, offering a sense of agency in the story's development.
In mobile games like these, in which the story must be the center of attention from the start, the goal is to entice someone to play the game by pulling them into the narrative.
This is best achieved in a mobile game ad with a video that makes the viewers emotionally connected with the characters and makes them curious about their destiny.
It is particularly favorable in mobile game ads showing both possible outcomes of a decision, with one being very good and the other very bad, so that the user will want to “save” the characters.
Most people are already acquainted with some interactive story mobile games. The best example is Chapters, which is a classic interactive story game where players make choices to influence the story's outcome. The sense of immersion and empathy is heightened, as the story follows romance and drama narratives.
Love Sparks is a dating simulation mobile game where players create their own character and make decisions to pursue romantic relationships with other characters. The virtual dating scenarios completely foster the sense of romance and emotional involvement.
Millions of gamers worldwide have spent countless hours matching and connecting colorful gems, candies and other objects in Match 3 mobile games, making them an institution in the video game industry.
Match mobile games are known for the casual and addictive puzzle-solving gameplay, centered around matching identical or similar objects, often three or more, to clear them from the game board.
Mobile match games prioritize gameplay mechanics over storylines, so their ads should reflect this. To entice potential players, using a playable demo that grabs their attention right away is crucial. This lets users experience the thrill of successfully clearing a game board, which often compels them to keep playing.
Additionally, including a video showing a failed scenario with irrational moves in the ad can further engage players by making them think they can do better, prompting them to install the game and prove their skills.
Most of the top grossing mobile games of the year are part of the Match-3 category.
Gardenscapes is a match-3 puzzle game combined with a storyline. Players restore a neglected garden by completing match-3 levels, earning rewards, and making decisions about garden improvements, boosting the creativity of the player when dealing with design choices.
Candy Crush is without a doubt the most popular match-3 puzzle game. It offers various objectives, boosters, and power-ups as players match colorful candies to clear levels. The addictive gameplay contributed to its rise to fame, making it reach over $20 billion in 2023.
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In conclusion the mobile game world has caught the hearts of billions of gamers worldwide with its numerous categories, each giving a distinct experience. Whether you're looking for intense storytelling in RPGs, quick and enjoyable gameplay in hyper-casual games, mental challenges in puzzle games, or other gaming experiences, the mobile gaming ads market continues to fascinate a global audience, shaping the future of interactive entertainment.
