AppLovin MAX Earnings for Casual Game Apps

Typical ad setup for this category

These are the modelling defaults for the category, used in every table on this page.

Sessions per user per day

3.5

Typical session length

8 minutes

Retention day 1 / 7 / 30

38% / 14% / 6%

Typical iOS share

35%

Rewarded video

3 per user / day

Interstitial

3 per user / day

Banner

6 per session

Native

Off by default

App open

Off by default

Casual games balance ads against in-app spending

Match-3, merge and light simulation titles keep players for weeks or months rather than days. Sessions are short but frequent: a few levels on the bus, a few more before bed. That longer lifespan changes the maths. Each player is worth protecting, and some of them will pay for boosters, lives or a starter pack, so advertising has to earn alongside purchases without undercutting them. Casual eCPMs sit a touch under the typical-app baseline in our tables, at 0.95, yet a well-retained casual game usually earns more per player over its lifetime than a hypercasual one simply because people stay.

Rewarded video is the natural centre of a casual ad plan, because the economy already has scarce things to offer. Extra moves when a board is nearly cleared, a refill of lives or doubled coins after a level all give players a reason to opt in. Interstitials work at the end of a level or on return to the map, though frequency matters more than in simpler games: the regulars you annoy are the ones you can least afford to lose. Banners on map or menu screens add a small, steady top-up without touching play.

The awkward question is cannibalisation. If rewarded ads hand out too many free lives, fewer players buy them. Watch purchase conversion next to ad revenue whenever you change reward values, and consider switching off forced ads for anyone who has paid. The rewarded versus interstitial guide explains how to test the mix rather than guess at it.

Estimated monthly earnings by audience size

Monthly estimates for the typical setup above, balanced region split.

Where the money comes from

Split of the $12,585 estimate at 10,000 daily users (blended Android and iOS).

Rewarded video carries 45% of the total, so its placement and frequency matter most for this category.

Region makes the biggest difference

The same app at 10,000 daily users with three audience splits:

Moving from an emerging-market audience to a Tier 1 audience multiplies the estimate by about 2.4.

Revenue per install

Using the category’s typical retention curve, one install produces about 4.4 active days in its first 30 days and 7.0 in 90 days.

Ad revenue per install, first 30 days

$0.18

Ad revenue per install, first 90 days

$0.29

Compare these figures with your cost per install before buying users. They exclude in-app purchases.

How AppLovin MAX fits this category

For Rewarded video, the Tier 1 eCPM in our AppLovin MAX table is $14.50, about 21% above the middle of the eight mobile networks. For Interstitial, the Tier 1 eCPM in our AppLovin MAX table is $9.80, about 21% above the middle of the eight mobile networks. For Banner, the Tier 1 eCPM in our AppLovin MAX table is $1.10, about 33% above the middle of the eight mobile networks. Modelled fill is 90% for AppLovin MAX against an average of 83% across the mobile networks, which adds a little to every format.

You create an account, add each app with its store ID and generate ad units in the MAX dashboard. The integration manager lists the SDK and adapters for each network you pick, and each of those networks needs its own account before it can bid. Add AppLovin's lines to the app-ads.txt file on your developer website so buyers can verify your inventory, then use the mediation debugger to confirm every adapter loads. Compare outcomes on the AppLovin MAX revenue calculator.

How AppLovin MAX ranks for this category

All eight mobile networks, same category and audience (10,000 daily users, balanced).

AppLovin MAX ranks 1 of 8 here, 22% ahead of Google AdMob.

Practical tips

• Remove interstitials automatically for players who make any purchase, since their goodwill is worth more than the impressions.
• Offer extra moves through rewarded video on near-miss failures, where motivation is highest and the reward feels earned.
• Recheck reward values every time you rebalance the economy so free rewards do not quietly replace paid ones.

About AppLovin MAX

AppLovin MAX is a mediation platform built around in-app bidding, with AppLovin's own demand competing alongside other networks in each auction. It posts the highest central estimates in our mobile tables, about $14.50 for Tier 1 rewarded and $9.80 for interstitials on Android, and the highest blended fill at roughly 90%.

All figures come from our benchmark tables: Android eCPMs by tier, category or niche multipliers, modelled fill and the iOS multiplier. They are estimates for planning, not quotes.