Game Retention Cheatsheet

To improve retention, it’s necessary to deconstruct the factors influencing it.

Here’s a cheatsheet on how to keep players engaged from the start:

I. Short-Term Retention (Day 1-3)

1) Onboarding:

🎯 Clear objectives
🧠 Minimal cognitive load
⚡ Immediate action

2) First Impressions:

🎨 Strong graphics and good readability
🖱️ Intuitive UI/UX
📜 Compelling story hook

3) Core Gameplay Loop:

🎮 Fun & engaging gameplay
📏 Easy-to-understand rules
🎁 Rewarding sessions

II. Mid-Term Retention (Day 3-30)

1) Game Depth:

♟️ Diverse strategies
🆕 New mechanics
🗺️ Side quests

2) Live-Ops:

🔄 Regular updates
🎉 Events
⏳ Limited-time content

3) Progression & Difficulty:

🏆 Balanced challenges
📈 Satisfying progression

4) Engagement Mechanics:

🎁 Daily bonuses
🗓️ Quests
🔔 Push notifications

III. Long-Term Retention (Day 30-360)

1) Meta and Long-Term Goals

📑 Narrative
🏡 Decor
👤 Character customization
🎨 Cosmetic items

2) Endgame content and loop 🏁

3) Social engagement

👪 Community Features:
🛡️ Guilds and Clans
🏅 Leaderboards
🤝 Co-op, PvE & PvP events

4) Balanced economy ⚖️

5) Technical Stability

🛠️ Continuous optimization
🐛 Bug fixes

IV. Monetization

💸 Fair in-app purchases
🎥 Balanced ads
🏷️ Sales and offers

There is no single correct approach to retention. The factors influencing it can be interpreted in different ways.

However, this cheat sheet contains the most common approaches to retention.