See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
August 2025 - August 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Gaming cost-per-app-install (CPI) for All countries available tracked generally below the global benchmark across this 13‑month window, but the narrative is one of punctuated spikes and deep troughs rather than steady drift. The Gaming series averaged roughly $19.0 per install versus a baseline average of about $21.8, yet Gaming showed far larger relative swings month-to-month and a more jagged cadence of peaks in August 2025 and mid‑2026. 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 available compared to the global benchmark.
The Gaming CPI started at $13.34 in July 2025 and finished at $95.93 in July 2026 — a roughly 620% rise from start to finish. Across the period the Gaming median was $18.99; values ranged from a low of $4.44 (December 2025) to a high of $95.93 (July 2026). The global baseline began lower at $9.95 and ended slightly higher at $96.91, averaging $21.83 and ranging from $9.36 to $96.91.
Key movements: Gaming jumped to a local peak near $29.0 in August 2025, then eased back into a December trough under $4.5. A quieter Q1 2026 followed with sub‑$8 CPIs (January–May), before CPI climbed again to ~$27 in June and exploded to ~$96 in July 2026. Month-to-month absolute changes in Gaming averaged about $11.6 — comparable to the baseline’s average monthly movement (~$11.5) — but Gaming’s intra‑period range (roughly 21.6x trough-to-peak) was about double the baseline’s (~10.4x).
The series shows a softer late‑year pocket (December 2025) where CPI hit its nadir, then a muted early Q1 where installs were relatively inexpensive for Gaming. By late spring the market warmed: June 2026 showed a pronounced uptick and July 2026 produced the large industry-wide spike that also appears in the baseline. August 2025 stands out as an early spike, suggesting episodic bursts of competition or bidding pressure. Overall rhythm: low late‑year/early‑year CPI, punctuated by mid‑year surges and a dramatic end‑point spike in July 2026.
Across the 13 months Gaming in All countries available trailed the global benchmark in ten of thirteen months. Gaming exceeded the baseline only in July 2025, August 2025 and June 2026. The most extreme divergence occurred in February 2026 when the baseline was ~$30.13 while Gaming was ~$5.40 — a roughly 5.6x gap. By July 2026 the gap narrowed to near parity (Gaming ~95.93 vs baseline ~96.91, within ~1%), underscoring synchronized market pressure at that terminal point. Overall, Gaming sat slightly below average across the period but exhibited higher episodic amplitude.
Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-app-install in Gaming across All countries available gives a clear read on seasonality, spikes, and how industry ad performance maps against global CPM and CPC trends and broader country-specific ad costs.
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.
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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