See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Across all countries, Gaming app install costs spent the year on a rollercoaster: exceptionally low in early 2025, climbing steadily into a late‑summer spike, cooling in Q4, then rebounding sharply in January 2026. Compared to the global, all‑industry benchmark, Gaming generally ran below market for most of 2025, briefly moved above market in late summer, and finished with a pronounced January surge. Volatility was a defining feature, with several outsized month‑to‑month swings.
This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for Gaming in all countries compared to the global benchmark.
For context, the global, all‑industry CPI averaged $13.58 over the same period, peaking at $23.76 in June and bottoming at $7.10 in January 2025. Gaming’s range ($1.27–$28.87) was wider than the global range ($7.10–$23.76).
The rhythm was clear:
The global benchmark followed a gentler arc: a mid‑year crest in June, moderate Q3, and a seasonal Q4 cool‑down with a smaller January bounce.
Relative performance shifted throughout the year:
While this report centers on cost per app install, it sits within broader Facebook Ads benchmarks that also track CPC trends, CPM analysis, CTR performance, and country‑specific ad costs to contextualize industry ad performance.
Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per app install in the Gaming industry across all countries helps advertisers evaluate acquisition cost dynamics against global patterns and interpret how seasonal surges and slowdowns shape CPI over the year.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. In the Gaming industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
iOS CPIs often range from $2 to $5 or more. Android is usually cheaper, between $1 and $3. Your CPI will depend on geo, creative, and optimization goal.
Some regions like the US, UK, and Canada have higher competition and stricter privacy regulations, which drive up costs. Countries with lower purchasing power typically have cheaper CPIs.
Short videos showing app benefits, UGC-style content, and localized messaging tend to perform best. Clear CTAs and fast-paced visuals help lower your CPI.
Optimizing for installs gets volume, but optimizing for actions like signups or purchases brings higher quality users. It depends on your goals and how much post-install behavior matters.
Align your creative with the app experience, avoid misleading ads, and exclude users who already installed. You can also test lookalike audiences based on high-quality users, not just all installers.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
Cost per lead across different markets
Average cost per purchase benchmarks across industries
See how much it costs to get users to install an app