HONG KONG, Oct. 15,2025/10 Game Review/– On the eve of 2025 ChinaJoy, AppsFlyer, the global marketing measurement and experience management platform, has officially released the “2025 Gaming App Panoramic View Report”.
Drawing on massive data insights from 180,000 global apps and 184.8 billion cumulative installs, the report clearly outlines a new landscape where the global gaming market is transitioning from “incremental expansion” to “stock game competition.” The report highlights that the hybrid monetization model has become dominant, Chinese developers continue to lead global game exports, and emerging markets are key growth engines.
Global Market Hits Plateau, Efficiency Replaces Wild Growth
Data from the report indicates that after nearly a decade of rapid expansion (a 397% increase compared to 2016), the growth in total global game installs has stagnated. In the first half of 2025, the total install volume for Chinese games going global saw a mere 1% year-on-year increase, signaling the market’s full entry into the “stock era.” The focus of competition is shifting from acquiring new users to refined operations and efficiency improvement for existing users.
Hybrid Monetization Becomes Mainstream, Casino Games Lead in Paying User Ratio
Regarding commercialization, the report reveals a clear trend: single monetization models are becoming ineffective. As of Q1 2025, the share of hybrid monetization (combining In-App Purchases IAP and In-App Advertising IAA) has reached 52%, a significant 27 percentage point increase from 2023, establishing it as the absolute mainstream.
Concurrently, the willingness of global gamers to pay has generally increased, with the share of paying users jumping nearly 30% over the past year. Among them, Casino games demonstrated exceptionally strong monetization capability, with a paying user ratio of 4.89%, significantly leading other genres. This indicates that well-designed payment pathways and user tiered operations are becoming key to boosting revenue in this new phase.
Chinese Power Tops Export Charts, Gains National-Level Policy Support
The position of Chinese game developers in the global market has solidified further. In H1 2025, China accounted for 32.6% of the global market, firmly maintaining its position as the world’s largest game exporter, followed by Israel (15.6%) and Russia (9.4%).
Behind this achievement is robust policy support at the national level. The report notes that 2025 marks the first time the gaming industry has been explicitly listed as a key focus for “digital globalization” in the multi-ministry joint “Go-Global Expansion Initiative Action Plan (2025 Edition).” Matching special funds and support policies in cities like Guangzhou, Beijing, and Chengdu signify that game globalization has been elevated from corporate initiative to a national strategy.
Emerging Markets Drive Growth, IOS Remarketing Value Surges
From a regional perspective, while the Asia-Pacific region remains the largest market by download volume, its share is gradually declining. Meanwhile, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America experienced the most rapid download growth, becoming the new growth engines attracting global attention.
Regarding platform strategy, the report identified a significant shift: although advertising investment for new user acquisition on iOS has been slow to recover, its share in remarketing (re-engaging activated users) has nearly tripled in three years, reaching 16.5% in Q1 2025. This shows advertisers are shifting budgets towards retaining high-value existing users, making remarketing a core method for maximizing user lifetime value in the post-ATT era.
Report Conclusions and Industry Outlook
This AppsFlyer report provides a strategic blueprint for global game developers and publishers to navigate the current cycle: success in the “stock era” will depend on the deep integration of hybrid monetization models, precise capture of opportunities in emerging markets, and leveraging data-driven methods for extreme user operation efficiency. For Chinese developers, riding the tailwinds of national policy and leveraging their already mature global distribution and operational capabilities positions them favorably within the future new world order of global gaming.
Quote from AppsFlyer’s Global Head of Gaming Business:
“The ‘2025 Gaming App Panoramic View Report’ clearly depicts a global gaming market landscape that is more complex yet full of opportunities. Future winners will be those manufacturers who can agilely adapt to changes, deeply understand regional markets, and skillfully leverage social power to build player trust. Precisely measuring the value of every marketing investment across the entire user journey is more critical than ever.”
Access the Full Report:
To gain an in-depth understanding of the detailed data and insights from the “2025 Gaming App Panoramic View Report,” please visit:
https://app-u.jingsocial.com/surl/bqGKPda
Note to Editors:
This press release is based on the publicly available AppsFlyer report and is intended to communicate core industry trends.
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