Summary
The 2026 State of Gaming highlights a major shift in gaming monetization: mobile downloads fell but IAP revenue grew for a third consecutive year, signaling a pivot from new-user volume to lifetime value. Ad spend on YouTube for mobile increased, aligning with this focus on high-value audiences, while PC/console YouTube share declined. On PC, Steam broke records in premium game revenue and downloads, driven by AA/AAAs and indies like Black Myth Wukong.
The shooter market saw intense competition with Battlefield 6 as top seller, Marvel Rivals and Delta Force disrupting, but incumbents Fortnite and CS2 retain MAU leadership. Strategy games drove mobile revenue gains, led by Last War and Whiteout Survival. Friend-group-targeted indies like R.E.P.O.
and PEAK exploded via content creator clips, leveraging low prices and viral moments. Key takeaways for advertisers: invest in retention and reactivation over UA, target high-value mobile users via video channels, exploit strategic genre growth, and leverage creator-driven co-op games for viral reach. PC/console remains premium-focused, with Steam leading downloads.
Analyst Note
The article signals a clear inflection point in mobile UA strategy: the era of volume-driven install campaigns is giving way to monetization-focused retention. This aligns with the broader industry shift toward privacy-conscious measurement and post-IDFA attribution challenges. For UA teams, the implication is that campaign optimization must now prioritize in-app purchase revenue and engagement metrics over raw installs, especially on iOS where the App Store commands 75% higher IAP revenue despite fewer downloads.
Competitive angle: Steam's record-breaking growth, fueled by AA/AA+ titles like Black Myth Wukong, underscores a bifurcation in PC/Console: indie developers are scaling to AAA production values, blurring genre boundaries. For mobile-first ad networks, this means PC/Console budgets are migrating to social and video channels like YouTube and Instagram, while mobile ad spend increasingly concentrates on app networks. The key signal is YouTube's declining share of PC/Console spend and rising share on mobile, indicating a strategic pivot toward high-value mobile users rather than broad reach.
Practical impact for monetization: Strategy genre's dominance across all regions (only genre growing downloads) highlights a shift in consumer spending toward deep, long-term engagement. Ad ops should expect higher eCPMs from strategy titles and consider rewarding rewarded video placements in 4X games. Meanwhile, the rise of low-cost indie co-op hits (R.E.P.O., PEAK) demonstrates that viral content-driven acquisition can bypass traditional UA channels. For monetization, these games' low price points and high shareability create inventory that relies on volume rather than high IAP, requiring different ad load management.
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