Mobile gaming user acquisition has evolved at lightning speed, and if you're still relying on last year's playbook, you're already behind. The newly released Global Mobile Gaming UA Trends & Strategy Report (Q1–Q3 2026) from Mobvista's XMP and Insightrackr reveals the latest developments in ad formats, creative strategies, media mix, and regional dominance.

Regional Dominance: South America Leads the Way

Between January and September 2026, global mobile game downloads hit a staggering 38.9 billion (excluding Mainland China). Android took the lead with more than 80 percent of those installs. Hyper-Casual, Puzzle, and Action titles drove most of those downloads, but revenue told a different story. Games in Shooting, Strategy, and Puzzle performed better financially, particularly with ad-supported monetization models.

Creative Formats: Video Dominates, But Playables Are Growing

Video remains the dominant format in mobile game advertising, accounting for 80.9% of creatives globally in Q1–Q3 2026. Image creatives followed at around 14 percent, while playable ads reached 5 percent and are growing steadily. The rise of hybrid formats – ads that combine video and playable elements – is also gaining traction. These formats provide both narrative and interaction, making them more engaging and conversion-friendly.

Regional Creative Strategies: A New Reality

South America led all regions in total ad creative volume during the first three quarters of 2026, with video accounting for nearly 85 percent of those creatives. Europe followed with a notable tilt toward playable formats. North America and Southeast Asia showed more balanced distributions, pointing to region-specific creative strategies.

Meta Remains Top Dog: What Marketers Should Know

Meta remains the top media channel for ad spend across mobile game genres, outpacing all competitors in media investment. Google, Mintegral, TikTok, and AppLovin also appeared in the top five, depending on the genre. If you're in mobile gaming UA and not allocating serious spend to Meta, you're likely missing out on the platform's optimization capabilities and scale.

Actionable Takeaways for Marketers

Here are four actionable takeaways for UA leaders and performance marketers:

  1. Add Hybrid Formats to Your Testing Roadmap: Ads that combine video and playable formats are becoming more effective. Use them to deliver context with interaction, especially for puzzle and casual genres.
  2. Lean into AI Creatives: AI-generated avatars and animations are boosting performance while reducing costs. Case studies like Word Search Explorer and Screwdom 3D show how AI is being used to scale and localize creative efficiently.
  3. Rethink Regional Creative Strategy: South America, Europe, and Southeast Asia each have distinct format trends. Use regional performance data to guide where and how you localize creative formats, not just language or copy.
  4. Watch Your Platform Mix: Meta still dominates, but it shouldn't be your only focus. Track spend and returns on TikTok, Unity, and Google to avoid overdependence on a single channel.

Conclusion

Mobile gaming user acquisition is more complex than ever, but also more performance-driven. Growth in 2026 is being led by a shift toward hybrid creatives, regional format optimization, and platform-specific media strategies. To compete in 2026, marketers must stay adaptive – that means testing more formats, embracing automation tools like AI creatives, and tuning your media mix based on genre and region. The opportunity is still huge — but only for those willing to evolve with the market.