Insightrackr has released the Mobile Game Downloads and Revenue Rankings for April 2025, based on its monitoring data of the global mobile market.
The rankings are divided into the Top 15 Mobile Games by Downloads and the Top 15 by Revenue, with an analysis of the advertising and ad creative strategies of popular games for the month.
Top 15 Mobile Games by Downloads
In April, the top spots in the global mobile game download rankings remained stable, with Block Blast!, Roblox, and Subway Surfers holding the Top 3 positions.
The fastest-growing title was Cookingdom from Vietnamese studio ABI Game, which saw a staggering 1200.64% MoM increase, landing it at #9. This cooking simulation game incorporates the viral capybara trend and has become a breakout hit in the casual gaming space with its soothing gameplay.
The cricket-themed sports game Dream 11: Fantasy Cricket App maintained its popularity from March, with a slight 7.07% MoM increase in downloads in April. Boosted by the ongoing 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), another game in the same genre, My11Circle, saw a significant 79.44% surge, jumping to #6 in the rankings.
Brainy Prankster by TheSunStudio entered the Top 10 with an 8.29% MoM growth. This prank-themed puzzle game features gameplay inspired by the popular Chinese “spot-the-difference” mechanics.
Overall, most of the games in the Top 15 mobile downloads for April experienced a MoM decline compared to March.
Top 15 Mobile Games by Revenue
In terms of revenue, Playrix’s Township and Supercell’s Clash of Clans held steady at the top, ranking first and second respectively in April.
EA SPORTS FC Mobile Soccer by EA Sports emerged as the leading title in the football simulation genre, with revenue soaring by 525.43%. The game jumped 27 spots to reach #7, making it the fastest-growing title in April’s Top 15 revenue chart.
Two social casual games from SuperPlay, Domino Dreams and Dice Dreams, both saw solid revenue growth in April, with improved rankings as well.
Domino Dreams, which combines social mechanics, match gameplay, and domino elements, ranked #5, with revenue up 111.47% from March.
Dice Dreams, featuring a social dice-rolling mechanic, came in at #11, with a MoM revenue increase of 84.61%.
In addition, Pokémon TCG Pocket and Niantic’s Pokémon Go both saw a decline in revenue in April compared to March, dropping by 20.82% and 7.51%, respectively — signaling a weakening in the Pokémon IP’s monetization power.
Pokémon TCG Pocket, a trading card game launched in November 2024, had strong initial performance in both downloads and revenue (click to review).
Pokémon Go, nearing its 10th anniversary, remains a long-standing top-grossing title. Recently, Niantic’s gaming division was officially acquired by Scopely, bringing Pokémon Go under the Scopely portfolio.
Mobile Game Advertising Case Analysis
01 Cookingdom
Cookingdom officially launched in March. This casual game combines several trending elements such as cooking simulation, ASMR relaxation, and capybaras. It has received high ratings on both the App Store (4.7) and Google Play (4.6).
According to Insightrackr data, the game surpassed 1 million downloads in its launch month, and exceeded 10 million downloads in April. The majority of downloads came from Western and Southeast Asian markets: The U.S. (10.04%), Brazil (8.19%), Indonesia (7.40%).
In April, the ad creatives placements for Cookingdom closely aligned with its download distribution, focusing primarily on Western and Southeast Asian markets. The United States accounted for 5.15%, followed by Japan (4.18%) and Thailand (4.09%).
Creative volume significantly ramped up from late March, with the number of active creatives peaking at over 400 per day by the end of April.
According to real ad traffic data monitored by Insightrackr, AppLovin was the dominant ad channel, accounting for 60.97% of total impressions, followed by Mintegral at 35.02%.
At the sub-channel level, Cookingdom ads were mainly served on popular casual games such as Block Blast! and Happy Color, as well as creative and utility apps like CapCut and ZEDGE. This indicates a clear targeting strategy focused on users with a need for light entertainment and a strong aesthetic preference during fragmented time slots.
In terms of creative strategy, Cookingdom favors a “video + playable ad” combination format. The videos often showcase first-person gameplay, prominently featuring a real player’s hand interacting with the game. The cozy fireplace background helps create a warm, relaxing atmosphere, effectively resonating with casual simulation players who seek a soothing, stress-relieving gaming experience.
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The playable ad closely mirrors the gameplay interface shown in the video, allowing for a seamless transition from passive viewing to active interaction. It features over 10 interactive steps, covering tasks from rinsing rice and cooking to peeling and chopping vegetables, delivering a rich and detailed hands-on experience.
In terms of monetization, according to Insightrackr data, Cookingdom primarily generates revenue through in-app advertising (IAA), with most of its income coming from European markets such as Russia, Germany, and France.
02 Brainy Prankster
Brainy Prankster was launched on Android in February this year. Its gameplay revives the puzzle-solving mechanics popular in China last year—reminiscent of quirky "brain teaser" mini-games. The game is characterized by diverse scenarios, absurd puzzles, and unexpected solutions that surprise and entertain players.
According to Insightrackr data, the game exceeded 10 million downloads in April. Its top three download markets were India (9.55%), Indonesia (8.16%), and the United Kingdom (6.8%).
Brainy Prankster has been ramping up its ad creatives. In April, the number of active creatives steadily increased—from an average of nearly 300 daily creatives in March to a peak of around 500 per day.
The ad creative placements were evenly distributed across regions, covering both Western markets like the United States and Turkey, as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia.
According to real ad traffic data monitored by Insightrackr, Mintegral is the primary ad channel for Brainy Prankster, accounting for 81.15% of total ad impressions. Unity and Fyber also contribute a smaller portion of the traffic.
At the sub-channel level, Brainy Prankster’s ads are primarily shown in relaxation-focused casual games like Hole.io, Fashion Stylist, and Money Run 3D, as well as in visual editing apps like CapCut and web novel platforms like WEBTOON. These placements suggest the game is targeting users seeking stress relief and emotional recharge.
In terms of creative strategy, one standout video ad features a spot-the-difference scenario, but intentionally leaves out an obviously incorrect detail. This deliberate omission serves as a hook to pique viewer curiosity and drives them to try the game for themselves.
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In the playable ad, players are first drawn in by a stack of babies piled high on screen. They're then guided to match each baby with a caregiver. Interestingly, even a dog is assigned to care for a baby, yet there still aren’t enough caregivers. This mirrors the video ad’s creative setup—leaving viewers with a sense of incompleteness, which fuels a strong desire to download the game and resolve the challenge themselves.
As for revenue, Brainy Prankster primarily monetizes through in-app advertising (IAA). Its top earning markets in April were the UK (14.07%), Germany, and France.
03 EA SPORTS FC Mobile Football
EA SPORTS FC Mobile Football, formerly known as FIFA Mobile, changed its name after ending its partnership with FIFA in 2023.
According to Insightrackr data, the game’s revenue in April exceeded $143 million, primarily driven by in-app purchases. The majority of the revenue came from the U.S. market, accounting for 84.96%, followed by Indonesia and Russia, which contributed only a small portion.
In April, EA SPORTS FC Mobile Football recorded over 8.7 million downloads, with the majority coming from emerging markets such as Indonesia (13.61%), Egypt (9.92%), and Brazil (7.63%).
On the user acquisition side, the game’s ad campaigns were closely aligned with in-game event schedules. The “LaLiga Event” ended on April 16, followed by the return of the annual highlight “Team of the Season (TOTS)” on April 18. This event featured fan-voted top players, new weekly missions, and various promotional offers.
According to Insightrackr, the volume of active ad creatives steadily increased in April, with a sharp rise in the latter half of the month—daily active creatives jumped from around 400 to approximately 1,200. The ads were mainly targeted at users in the U.S., Brazil, and Indonesia, though the distribution remained relatively balanced across these markets.
In terms of traffic channels, real advertising traffic data monitored by Insightrackr shows that AdMob was the primary channel for EA SPORTS FC Mobile Football’s ad impressions, accounting for 78.81%, followed by Moloco at 20.54%.
At the sub-channel level, the highest share of ad impressions came from the football game Champion Soccer Star, which contributed 13.98%. Other key sources included the popular casual game Stumble Guys and the video editing app CapCut. Additionally, other sports games such as 8 Ball Pool and NBA LIVE Mobile Basketball were also major traffic sources.
In terms of creative content, both video and image ads are fairly conventional. They primarily use highlight moments of scoring goals in the game to evoke emotional responses from viewers. Additionally, slogans like "Build Your Ultimate Team" are used to encourage downloads and promote player engagement.
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It is evident that the breakout hits in April were predominantly casual IAA games, with the continued success of reusing and “stitching together” popular gameplay mechanics and trending elements.
These games ramped up their user acquisition efforts during the initial launch phase, focusing heavily on programmatic ad platforms like AppLovin and Mintegral. By targeting traffic pools from other popular casual games, image editing tools, and general entertainment apps, they effectively reached a broad base of casual gamers—a key strategy behind their successful user growth and acquisition.