How to launch and scale puzzle & match 3 games | Adjust

The article highlights the resilience and profitability of puzzle and match 3 games, which saw 9.7 billion downloads in 2024 and a 14% YoY increase in IAP revenue, accounting for 14.9% of total gaming IAP revenue. Top studios like Dream Games, Peak Games, and King leverage data-driven UA and monetization strategies. Regional growth varies: LATAM and MENA show the strongest potential, with LATAM seeing 17% install growth and 25% session growth, while MENA recorded 30% session growth.

North America remains stable but complex. Retention rates are slightly declining, but session lengths are increasing, indicating deeper engagement among retained users. Key metrics show CTR improving from 9% to 11%, but CPI rising 18% to $0.45 and CPM up 12% to $3.75, emphasizing the need for efficient spend.

Actionable takeaways include: implementing incrementality testing to measure true ad impact, using predictive LTV (pLTV) to dynamically adjust UA budgets, and leveraging machine learning for churn prediction and personalized monetization. The article promotes Adjust's solutions: Measure for attribution, InSight for incrementality testing, and Recommend for pLTV modeling. For ad ops decision-makers, the core message is to focus on high-growth regions, adopt incrementality testing to avoid wasted spend, and use pLTV to bid efficiently on high-value users, ultimately maximizing ROAS.