The 2025 Mobile Gaming Loyalty Index

Source: Mistplay & AppsFlyer Report

Loyalty has become mission-critical for mobile gaming success, requiring publishers to adopt a holistic approach, drawing on insights from varied genres and collaborating across teams to foster retention, engagement, and monetization.

Mistplay’s 2025 Mobile Gaming Loyalty Index, created in collaboration with AppsFlyer, sheds light on how loyalty drives sustainable growth, underpinned by four key metrics and insights from over 4,500 mobile gamers across Android and iOS, revealing the real factors behind player loyalty.

Uncover insights such as:

• Puzzle takes the lead across both monetization and engagement to become the loyalty champion with a loyalty rating of 85.
• With nearly half of mobile gamers (49%) playing their favourite title for more than a year, it’s clear that fostering a deep connection with players can reap long-term rewards for publishers.
• The biggest reason for post-purchase regret is limited utility/impact of purchases in-game (46%), or misaligned advertising around the value of the item (34%).

“Winning loyalty in mobile gaming requires a holistic strategy that integrates advertising, onboarding, engagement, and monetization. Publishers and marketers must invest in adaptive experiences, dynamic pricing, and robust loyalty programs to ensure players remain engaged for the long haul.”
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– Adam Smart, Director of Product, Gaming at AppsFlyer

3 Key Insights From the Report

1. Puzzle is the champion of player loyalty in 2025

Puzzle takes the lead across both monetization and engagement to become the loyalty champion, partly due to the tremendous share of spenders (D30) growth across both platforms. Puzzle inherently offers more innovation and growth potential due to their casual audience, bite-sized gameplay, and strong avenues to encourage progression through both engagement and monetization avenues.

2. Player loyalty is powerful and long-lasting

With nearly half of mobile gamers (49%) playing their favourite title for more than a year, it’s clear that fostering a deep connection with players can reap long-term rewards for publishers. Plus, 42% of loyal gamers refer three or more friends in that time, proving that the power of loyalty can not only drive engagement but also cost-effective word-of-mouth growth.

3. Publishers must improve the utility of IAP to increase spending

The biggest reason for post-purchase regret is limited utility/impact of purchases in-game (46%), or misaligned advertising around the value of the item (34%). Publishers should focus on re-evaluating the perceived cost-to-value ratio and consider offering more bundles and in-game currency for players to use at their leisure.