From More to Better: What 2025 Quietly Changed in Mobile Gaming
If you’re a mobile game publisher, monetization lead, or brand planning media inside games, 2025 likely felt different from the years before it.
Not louder.
Not faster.
But more deliberate.
That’s the picture emerging from recent industry intelligence. In Newzoo’s Year in Review: 2025 to date, the games market is shown to be closing 2025 with steady engagement and sustained spending, even as growth drivers shifted compared to prior years and the full-year numbers will be finalized in early 2026.
Across industry reports, overall revenue forecasts suggest the market will finish the year at around $188–197 billion with players sticking in games longer and engaging more deeply. Instead of chasing more experiments and placements, many teams focused on refinement: thoughtful design, respect for play flow, and formats that feel like a part of the experience instead of an interruption.
This shift has shown up in how creators and media teams are thinking about monetization and engagement:
- Prioritizing placements that fit naturally into sessions
- Designing around player intent and session tempo
- Choosing formats based on experience fit, not only reach
At Prado, we’ve been leaning into that shift all year. Rather than piling on every new format or surface, we’ve centered our work on crafting ad experiences that feel intentional, aligned to real moments inside gameplay and respectful of player flow. That’s how you turn impressions into engagement that sticks. That mindset matters heading into 2026.
The next phase of growth will reward teams who refine what already exists, improving timing, context, and relevance within gameplay rather than expanding surface area. It will come from making existing ones work better, with smarter timing, clearer context, and a deeper understanding of when players are truly open to engagement.
So as the year winds down and planning for 2026 begins, here’s the question we’re carrying forward: In 2026, how will we lean further into better, not just more, design and engagement, and what intentional choices will you make to reflect that in your work? It’s a theme we’re looking forward to exploring together with our teams and partners as planning for 2026 takes shape.
