Unity (NYSE: U), a leading real-time 3D content creation and growth platform, has released its ‘2025 Mobile Game Trends Insights,’ outlining its predictions for the mobile gaming industry. The report includes expert analysis of key trends, advertising monetization strategies expected to drive growth this year, and forecasts about changes developers will encounter.
Unity experts highlighted six primary insights: the expansion of rewarded marketplaces, increased use of rewarded advertising, the growing importance of long-format playable ads, accelerated adoption of ad models in subscription apps, a resurgence of mid-market games, and accelerated global expansion by Asia-Pacific developers.
Eyal Hendleman, Senior Director and Head of Business and Strategy for Unity Offerwall, noted that rewarded experiences have significantly increased across apps and networks in recent years. Advertisers experiencing the effectiveness of rewarded ads are allocating larger budgets, leading to rapid growth. Hendleman expects rewarded marketplaces to expand beyond games and mobile apps to include non-gaming apps and the web. Hybrid casual games are also anticipated to dominate the mobile advertising market, influencing shifts in advertising strategies.
Samantha Benjamin, Director of Growth & LiveOps at Unity Supersonic, emphasized that hybrid casual games provide scale, quality, and diversity, making them essential advertising channels. Advertisers are increasingly leveraging rewarded video (RV) ads featuring immersive storytelling to boost performance. Benjamin also highlighted the popularity of hybrid subgenres like puzzle, simulation, and action games, predicting that differentiated advertising strategies tailored to audience characteristics will become critical. Long-format playable ads will be especially important for expanding puzzle game user bases.
Svitlana Matlay, Design Team Lead and Creative Consultant at Unity, explained, “Typical short-form ads quickly redirect users to the store after a few interactions, whereas long-format playable ads maintain user engagement by prompting downloads at peak immersion moments, such as right before completing a challenge or level.” Matlay also highlighted the significant role AI-generated creatives will play in sustaining user engagement. Video ads lasting up to 60 seconds (and up to 120 seconds on certain networks), as well as playable ads allowing over 20 interactions or 1-2 minutes of gameplay, effectively immerse users and introduce core game mechanics.
Sandra Amir, Senior Director of Growth Partnerships at Unity, expects subscription apps to increasingly integrate advertising models. With market saturation and heightened consumer price sensitivity affecting subscription profitability, consumers are more open to ads in exchange for discounts or additional features. Amir anticipates a shift toward freemium models, offering basic services free while monetizing premium features to generate additional revenue and long-term growth.
Stuart Knox, Senior Director of Partner Success for Games at Unity, noted the resurgence of mid-market PC and console games, occupying a niche between major blockbuster titles and indie games. Developers are increasingly focusing on sophisticated storytelling, immersive worlds, and high-quality content tailored to player preferences. Knox expressed enthusiasm for the diverse mid-market game releases anticipated this year.
Eric QI, General Manager of APAC Growth at Unity, shared optimism about the global expansion of mobile game developers from the Asia-Pacific region. Developers from China, Korea, and Japan are growing their presence beyond domestic markets, influencing global mobile gaming trends significantly. Innovations such as new game mechanics, immersive storytelling, and AI-driven gameplay are setting new industry standards, and QI expects more developers to achieve substantial global growth.
Unity’s ‘2025 Mobile Game Trend Insights’ can be found on the official website (link) .
