See how your app install costs compare. Explore mobile acquisition cost benchmarks by industry, region, and platform
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Across a noisy year, Gaming’s cost-per-app-install (CPI) in All countries available moved with sharp swings and a late surge. 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.
Gaming’s CPI began June 2025 at about $10.40 and finished June 2026 at roughly $29.03 — a near +179% lift from start to finish. The 13‑month median for Gaming sat at about $12.55 per install, versus a global baseline median of roughly $15.55 — about 19% below the overall benchmark on average. Gaming hit two clear peaks: late August 2025 (~$28.99) and again in June 2026 (~$29.03). The low point arrived in December 2025 at ~$4.44, with a secondary trough in March 2026 near $4.76.
Month-to-month movement was pronounced. Average absolute monthly change for Gaming was ~$6.28, roughly 50% of its average CPI — and about 13% more volatile than the global baseline’s average monthly swing (~$5.55). In 10 of 13 months Gaming trailed the baseline; exceptions were July 2025 (+34% vs baseline), August 2025 (+132%), and June 2026 (+145%), when Gaming’s CPI climbed meaningfully above market averages.
The rhythm shows concentrated spikes around late summer and at the close of this period. August 2025 and June 2026 stand out as high‑cost months, sandwiching a period of softer mid‑winter and early spring pricing. December 2025 produced a pronounced trough (CPI near $4.44), contrasting with the global baseline’s lower but less extreme December dip (~$9.34). February 2026 displays a notable divergence: the baseline jumps to a peak (~$30.13) while Gaming stays relatively muted (~$5.40), creating a wide gap in that month.
Overall, the cadence is irregular: strong summer pressure, a steep late‑year pullback, modest early‑year stability, then a dramatic end‑period surge. That pattern yields a year marked by episodic spikes rather than steady seasonal smoothing.
Viewed against the baseline, Gaming in All countries available was more frequently below average but intermittently well above market. On average Gaming’s CPI was ~19% lower than the global benchmark, but extremes tell a different story: at its narrowest difference some months were only ~5% below baseline (September 2025), while at its widest Gaming was over 130% above baseline (August 2025) or nearly 145% above (June 2026). Volatility measured in absolute monthly moves was higher for Gaming than the baseline, signaling a choppier CPI profile compared with broader market behavior.
Understanding Cost Per App Install benchmarks for Gaming in All countries available provides a data‑grounded lens on industry ad performance and country-specific ad costs within broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, CPM analysis and CTR performance conversations.
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