As mobile gaming ad spend climbs and user acquisition costs rise, brands pivoting to AI and immersive formats to sustain growth into 2026

VIETNAM, 27 November 2025 — XMP, the cross-channel intelligent media buying platform under Mobvista (1860.HK), today released its Global Mobile Gaming UA Trends & Strategy Report, revealing a year marked by explosive ad activity, rising interactivity, and the growing dominance of AI-generated creatives in mobile gaming. The report highlights how advertisers are leveraging AI to automate creative optimization and cross-channel campaign management, aligning with global trends in performance marketing. 

Interactive ad formats such as playable demos and hybrid video ads — once experimental — are now mainstream, blending entertainment with performance. Key global insights include: 

  • Global installs rose 7.4% YoY, reaching 38.9 billion downloads between Q1–Q3 2025.Android led with 80.8% of installs, while iOS accounted for 19.2%. Global gaming revenue (IAA + IAP) climbed 13.2% YoY to US$82.5 billion.
  • Hyper-Casual remained the most downloaded genre, while Puzzle and Action games continued to perform strongly across markets. On the revenue side, Shooting and Puzzle titles led the ad-driven monetization.
  • Video dominated ad formats, comprising 81% of all creatives, but hybrid formats — especially video-playable combinations — grew sharply, signaling advertisers’ embrace of immersive and interactive experiences.
  • South America emerged as the most active advertising region, generating the highest creative volume, with video creatives making up nearly 85% of all ads.
  • Meta maintained its global dominance in ad spend across both casual and hardcore genres, followed by Google and TikTok, reflecting advertisers’ continued reliance on large-scale, optimized ecosystems.
  • AI-generated videos and avatars are reshaping creative production, enhancing retention and conversion by personalizing engagement at scale.

Despite record growth, advertisers faced continued headwinds in 2025:

  • Rising user acquisition (UA) costs.
  • Data fragmentation challenges from cross-channel marketing.
  • The need for unified creative and enhanced performance visibility.

These challenges reflect a broader industry move toward automation and transparency as marketers look for ways to simplify cross-channel execution. To meet rising expectations for scale, speed and accountability, modern campaign workflows now emphasise four core capabilities:

  • Cross-Channel Management: Control campaigns across Meta, Google, TikTok, and SDK networks in one interface.
  • Unified Creative Management: Upload and manage video, image, and playable assets from a central hub.
  • AI-Powered Optimization: Automate bidding, budget allocation, and creative rotation based on real-time performance.
  • Full-Funnel Transparency: Integrate analytics from multiple sources to monitor ROI and performance across channels.

Zidan Tang, Head of XMP by Mobvista said: “As advertisers prepare for 2026, we’re seeing a clear shift toward more automated, cross-channel workflows that streamline planning, execution and measurement across major media networks. 2025 marked a turning point for mobile advertising as advertisers moved from volume-based campaigns to creative-led, performance-driven strategies powered by AI and cross-channel visibility, which shows that mobile gaming marketing has fully entered the intelligent era.”

“Advertisers are moving toward efficiency and precision. Our data shows that hybrid ad strategies and AI-driven optimization are now the rule, not the exception. XMP helps brands unify fragmented ecosystems and achieve measurable growth,” Zidan added.

As 2025 closes, the data points to a market that is both growing and evolving. With global ad spending and downloads both climbing, and interactive ads becoming a new creative standard, XMP’s findings provide a snapshot of how mobile advertising is redefining digital engagement worldwide.

For advertisers entering 2026, the message is clear: those who embrace AI, interactivity, and unified data visibility will lead the next wave of mobile growth.

Access the full report here.
About XMP
XMP is Mobvista’s cross-channel intelligent media buying platform that simplifies global app advertising. Integrated with top global media, including Meta, Google, TikTok, and SDK networks, XMP enables advertisers to manage campaigns, creatives, and data from one place, maximizing efficiency and performance. Learn more at xmp.mobvista.com.
Report Methodology
Sources of Information: The report draws on two primary sources: Insightrackr, which monitors global mobile advertising activity, and XMP, a cross-channel media buying platform providing aggregated platform data.
Coverage & Period: The data spans  January to September 2025 , covering 147 key global markets  (excluding Mainland China) and more than 150 advertising media .
Data Methodology: Some figures are estimated using Insightrackr’s algorithms and are for trend or comparative analysis only.