Top Mobile Game Ad Networks

By Juegostudio | Mobile Game Development | July 27th, 2022

Top Mobile Game Ad Networks

Is your customer acquisition budget continuously being wasted on the wrong people? Is your mobile game lacking in terms of engaged, committed, & monetizable users? If these are the nagging questions you are unable to find a convincing answer for, then you must find out the ad networks which are appropriate for your user acquisition campaign of yours first. These networks are categorized into brackets on the basis of in-app purchases, KPI retention rates that are observed, growth rates, and retargeting possibilities.

Based on the observed key performance indicators (KPIs), ad networks are divided into distinct categories: retention rates, in-app purchases, advertising revenue, retargeting potential, and growth rates.

Likewise, are you having trouble attracting new users with the depreciation of Apple’s IDFA(Identifier for Advertisers)? In that case, you can consider the SKAN rankings for a turnaround. You can also check out the list of the best ad networks for non-gaming applications if you’re looking for the same ranks.

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Top Game Ad Networks:

The Retention Index Power Ranking (Android):

These are the best ad networks to use to attract long-term Android gamers.


  • AdWords by Google

In this year’s survey, Google Ads again took the top spot for the retention of Android users. In nearly every mobile gaming category, the advertising network was the best at keeping players engaged. The tech giant paid a lot of attention to the App Campaign tool, regular updates, and machine learning to achieve the distinction.

It is possible to advertise your mobile game on Google’s domains, including Google Play, the Display Network, YouTube, AdMob, and their search partners, as well as in other apps using Google’s App Campaigns.

In general, Google Ads allows you to target people based on various factors, including geographic area, language, mobile platform, system software, interests, or subjects.

  • Unity Ads

Unity Ads has maintained its dominance in the so-called Gaming Triopoly (Unity Ads, AppLovin, ironSource) while maintaining Android users.

This ad network was a huge success in various mobile gaming genres. If you’re addicted to video games based on racing, this is the finest in that category out there. Likewise, this ad network is in the top two when it comes to action, arcade, hyper-casual, and adventure games.

Since Unity Ads is a mobile game advertising network, there is nothing surprising about its high scores when it comes to user retention. Users can be targeted based on their interest in a specific type of game on this network.


  • Facebook –

When it comes to advertising networks, Facebook is a perennial frontrunner.

In this year’s Retention Index, it appears that Facebook has done an excellent job of retaining players with the highest levels of commitment. It performed exceeding well in the retention of hardcore gamers in Eastern Europe, Continental Europe, Latin America, & North America.

Facebook has one of the most effective ways to target users which includes the following factors:

 Location

Focus on users in the areas where your game can be downloaded, such as a specific country, city, or region.

Demographics

Find your audience based on age, gender, and other demographics. Different types of game ad variations can be tested for various user groups.

Interests

Contact those who have shown an interest in something connected to your game, and see if you can get their attention.

Behaviors

You can, for example, locate folks who have already purchased games of a similar genre.

Platform

Aim your app at consumers of the Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore.

Devices

Allows for the selection of both: the kind of device and device models.

Connection

Only focusing on those who have access to a WiFi network.

Other game-specific ad types are supported by Facebook, including rewarded video ads & playable advertisements. By using this kind of marketing, game publishers can connect with customers who are both valuable and eager to buy.


  • Mintegral –

This ad network couldn’t be in the top fifteen in the previous Retention index. However, it’s now in fourth place, just ahead of three other advertising heavyweights in mobile games.

Mintegral was the top performer across six regions in three different types of mobile games: music, simulation, and mid-core. There are certain reasons behind this sudden turnaround. Mintegral is an ad network that began in Asia and has since spread throughout the globe. It has above 26,000 app partners and participates in over 20 foreign ad exchanges. It serves as a marketplace for mobile publishers and advertisers to trade goods and services. There is no need to search for a “smart” platform for mobile advertising because you have Mintegral. Mintegral is programmatic and interactive, which is the most essential factor to bear in mind going in.


  • AppLovin –

AppLovin has come down by one place in the Retention Index from the ranking released the previous year. Despite this, it’s the runner-up in the Gaming Triopoly race. The primary goal of this network is to locate high-quality users by analyzing campaign data. Interstitial advertisements, banner ads, app install ads, and video commercials are some of the ad forms available on this platform. You can experiment by mixing various formats until you discover the optimal combination for your business. CPI and CPC campaigns are supported by AppLovin when it comes to bidding strategies.

Top Game Ad Networks: The Retention Index Power Ranking (iOS):

This Index for this year didn’t include mutual ranks for Android and iOS. This was due to the privacy changes made by Apple creating huge impacts on iOS rankings. Hence its ideal to observe the list separately. The complete list is provided below:

  • Unity Ads
  • Vungle
  • Apple Search Ads
  • Facebook
  • AppLovin
  • Google Ads
  • ironSource
  • Mintegral
  • TikTok for Business
  • Liftoff
  • MOLOCO

Unity Ads is widely regarded as a source of high-quality mobile gamers. The ad network had the highest success with casual, puzzle, hyper-casual games, and action genres for iOS users. Interestingly, most of these genres are popular among non-professionals. You should consider Unity Ads when targeting this demographic for your game’s advertising.

The SKAN Index

In a Post-IDFA scenario, it has become more difficult than ever to acquire iOS users. As changing times necessitate new analysis, AppsFlyer also examined Apple’s SKAdNetwork in this issue (SKAN). Because of privacy concerns, Apple’s option for attribution, SKAN, is somewhat restricted. Therefore, retention, lifetime value measurements, behavior tracking of users, etc have become extremely difficult.

This Index does not distinguish between gaming and non-gaming apps, but it still benefits everyone who uses it.

Let’s take a look at the impressive performers in the top ten:

  • TikTok for Business
  • Facebook
  • AppLovin
  • Google Ads
  • Unity Ads
  • ironSource
  • Twitter
  • Liftoff
  • Snapchat
  • Jampp

TikTok for Business, as per the Index, was the ad network best adapted to the post-IDFA age. According to the SKAN Index, Facebook has long held a dominant position on the iOS platform but has fallen to second place.

Top Game Ad Networks: The IAA Index (Android):

With the help of the IAA Index, we can assess those game ad networks which are more effective at attracting people who engage with in-app advertising. When it comes to getting Android users to interact with adverts, the following ten ad networks consistently rank at or near the top:

  • Unity Ads
  • Facebook
  • Google Ads
  • AppLovin
  • ironSource
  • Tiktok for Business
  • Snapchat
  • Mintegral
  • Mopub Acquire
  • Tapjoy

Advertising with Unity Ads is the most effective means of attracting users who can monetize effectively with in-app. The ad network’s success is mostly due to its top three spots in the hyper-casual, casual, and mid-core categories.

Top Game Ad Networks: The IAA Index (iOS):

Android’s top 10 in-app ad users differ significantly from those on iOS. Ad networks from the Gaming Triopoly lead the way here, with AppLovin at the top of the list. Unity Ads & ironSource are the two other game titans that follow it. Facebook is just behind these two. Far behind in 8th place, you’ll find Google.

Top Game Ad Networks: The IAP Index (Android):

Users who are prone to go for in-app purchases can be identified with the IAP Index. Android’s most popular ad networks are as follows:

  • Google Ads
  • Facebook
  • Snapchat
  • MOLOCO
  • Blind Ferret
  • Unity Ads
  • Chartboost
  • Mopub
  • Aarki
  • AppLovin

Google Ads has demonstrated its capacity to deliver high-quality, paying consumers for mobile games.

Top Game Ad Networks: The IAP Index (iOS):

Getting to know paying iOS users was complicated, especially in the light of recent privacy enhancements. For iOS, these are the finest ad networks for locating real players who pay:

  • Facebook
  • Apple Search Ads
  • Unity Ads
  • Google Ads
  • Snapchat
  • AppLovin
  • ironSource
  • Ocean Engine
  • Mintegral
  • TikTok for Business

The best place to get high-value consumers for iOS gaming apps is still Facebook, despite the recent privacy adjustments. This was largely due to its successes in the puzzle, role-playing, simulation, and strategy game genres.

Apple’s ad network came in at a close second place as a result of Apple’s recent privacy reforms. This ad network still has accurate data regarding user attribution. Because of this, it has an edge in attracting users with high value.

Best Game Ad Networks for Remarketing:

Remarketing data is available only for Android based applications in this index which stresses performance. These are all the ad networks to consider if you want to retarget users for your game:

  • Facebook
  • Remerge
  • Google Ads
  • Liftoff
  • Aarki
  • Adikteev
  • Twitter

In online retargeting, Facebook has long been considered the go-to source. Remerge, a company that specializes in remarketing comes next.

Fastest-Growing Ad Networks

Only Android users can access the fastest-growing mobile gaming ad network list. This is because comparing iOS results to the prior Index would be misleading. If you’re looking for non-gaming apps, you can use this list. The names of the most promising ad networks are stated below:

  • Adjoe
  • Bigo
  • Xiaomi
  • Vivo
  • Digital Turbine
  • MobWonder
  • MOLOCO
  • Simeji
  • Voluum
  • Chartboost
  • Jampp

The Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia markets were key areas behind the success of Adjoe.

Last word on Game Ad Networks

Advertising for mobile games will look very different in 2022. As the circumstances change, some ad networks adapt better than others. As a general rule, finding the correct advertising network for your game is one of the most important aspects of user acquisition. The rankings show that gaming ad networks perform differently depending on the KPI. In most rankings, the likes of Google and Facebook remain at the top of the heap. This year’s top ad networks were from the gaming triopoly: Unity Ads, ironSource, and AppLovin. What rankings will the next Index bear? Will there be a major shuffle or will the positions remain undisturbed? Rankings are expected to stay stable in Android peppered with certain breakthroughs by up and coming ad networks. On iOS, the rankings hinges on the ways in which networks adapt to updates regarding privacy.

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Takeaway

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