Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Gaming CPMs across all countries spent most of the year pricing well below the global cross‑industry benchmark, but the category showed sharper swings and a dramatic late‑summer rebound that carried into Q4. The standout months were a deep trough in July and an October peak, with an unusual January lift that briefly put Gaming above the market. 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.
Across January 2025 to January 2026, Gaming CPMs averaged $12.33, ranging from a low of $3.70 in July to a high of $16.82 in October. The period opened at $10.40 (January 2025) and closed at $16.70 (January 2026), a 61% rise. The path wasn’t linear: modest early‑year gains (January to March: $10.40 → $12.85) gave way to a spring and early‑summer slide, bottoming in July at $3.70—down 71% from March. Then came the surge: August jumped nearly 270% month over month to $13.64, followed by steady gains through October’s peak ($16.82), a softer November ($15.63), and a December cool‑down ($13.04) before a renewed January lift ($16.70).
Volatility was pronounced. The average absolute month‑to‑month move was 2.68 points, notably higher than the global benchmark’s 1.63. In practical terms, Gaming CPMs saw larger monthly swings than the overall market, with the July crash and August spike defining the year’s inflection.
Seasonally, Q2 was the softest stretch for Gaming CPMs (April–June averaged $9.52), while Q4 was the strongest (October–December averaged $15.16), echoing broader Facebook Ads benchmarks where competition typically intensifies into year‑end. July was an outlier trough, quickly reversing as late summer accelerated into fall. October marked the annual high, November held elevated pricing, and December cooled—then, atypically versus the wider market, January 2026 held high levels for Gaming.
Compared to the global cross‑industry baseline (average $19.81), Gaming’s CPMs averaged 38% below market across the period. The category trailed global levels every month of 2025, running 30–55% below for much of the year and as deep as 81% below in July. The gap narrowed materially in September (17% below) and October (22% below), and in January 2026 Gaming briefly moved 6% above the global benchmark ($16.70 vs. $15.74).
Trendwise, the global benchmark climbed steadily into a November high (+42% from January to November), then reset sharply into December and January. By contrast, Gaming’s path was choppier, defined by a mid‑year collapse and fast rebound, but ultimately finishing the period higher than it began.
This CPM analysis shows Facebook Ads benchmarks for the Gaming industry across all countries running below the global market on average, with greater month‑to‑month volatility and a late‑year surge that extended into January. Understanding Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks for Gaming across all countries helps marketers gauge country‑specific ad costs in context and compare category performance against global patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of their Facebook ad. 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.
CPMs are heavily influenced by competition, seasonality (e.g., Q4 costs more), audience size, and ad quality. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Different campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and even time of day can change your CPM. For example, conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic ones. Also, broad targeting tends to drive lower CPMs.
In most industries, CPMs range from $5 to $18 depending on the region and objective. Retail and e-comm campaigns often sit at the higher end. Our live data above shows a breakdown by country and industry.
Both matter, but audience quality (intent + match with your offer) usually has more impact than pure size. However, extremely tight audiences often lead to expensive CPMs due to limited delivery opportunities.
Depends on your goal. For awareness, CPM is more relevant. For performance campaigns, CPC and CPA matter more. But all are connected—inefficient CPMs can inflate your entire funnel.
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
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