2025 Mobile Gaming Across Markets Report, surveys 6,000+ gamers, and shows that localized UA, engagement and monetization strategies must be market specific to succeed
MONTREAL, QC–Mistplay, the pioneer of play-and-earn in the rewarded ad space, today released its “2025 Mobile Gaming Across Markets Report“, uncovering foundational differences in how players discover, play, and spend across the US, UK, Korea, and Japan – four of the world’s most valuable mobile gaming markets. This research can inform decisions about similar products and strategies around the world, including Canada. One of the key findings is that while 85% of players in every market surveyed log in multiple times per day, the depth of loyalty is split between East and West. Japan (52%) and Korea (67%) focus on 1–3 core titles, while most US and UK players rotate across 4+ games per week.
Based on a Mistplay survey of over 6,000 gamers aged 18+, and with commentary from industry experts throughout, the 2025 Mobile Gaming Across Markets Report demonstrates that localizing in-game content is not enough to meet market needs. The report explores player behavior, discovery, UA, engagement and monetization strategies across the four increasingly competitive markets. In each case, the report finds global success hinges on tailoring each component to meet individual market needs.
Report key findings:
- Discovery is hyper-local – In the East, app store exploration is especially strong in Japan (53%) and Korea (46%). In the West, Facebook (US 77%, UK 79%) and Instagram (US 37%, UK 45%) dominate discovery. For publishers, success hinges on meeting players exactly where they are.
- DTC web shops gain traction in Asia, lag in the West – Web shops are gaining meaningful traction in Asia, where close to half of Korean players (43%) and over a quarter of Japanese players (27%) have used them for purchases. In the West, awareness and adoption remain low, with many unfamiliar with the concept altogether.
- Bonuses hook players in the West, stories and events in the East – In the West, 60% of players cite login bonuses as a top reason to return to a game, with nearly half (45%) re-engaging after churn through similar incentives. By contrast, players in Japan (47%) and Korea (34%) are more motivated by story-driven experiences, limited-time events, and exclusive content. To succeed globally, publishers must design retention hooks that reflect these cultural preferences.
- Spending culture peaks in Japan – Japanese players represent a valuable spender base in mobile gaming, with both the highest share of paying users and the greatest spend per purchase. A significant portion make multiple purchases a month (38%), and a third (33%) regularly spend more than the equivalent of $10 per IAP – far outpacing Western markets where fewer than 1 in 10 spend at that level.
Suzie Kim, General Manager of APAC at Mistplay, said: “When it comes to UA, LTV and retention, mobile gamers are making it clear to publishers that one size does not fit all. To successfully capture player attention and spend, publishers must go beyond surface-level strategies and deeply understand the unique habits, motivations, and discovery behaviors shaping each market. By tailoring UA, monetization, and engagement strategies to these local preferences, publishers can unlock growth in every region while building lasting player loyalty.”
Mistplay is a pioneer of play-and-earn, providing rewarded advertising and monetization solutions to mobile game and app publishers worldwide. These solutions help drive sustainable growth by leveraging Mistplay’s proven Helios AI engine and play-and-earn model, most recently ranking as a top Global Scaled Ad Partner (Android) in Singular’s 2025 ROI Index. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Montreal, Mistplay partners with publishers to unlock scalable rewarded engagement.
