More Than 25% of iOS Game Downloads Now Come from Browsing the App Store

Last month, Sensor Tower published a first-of-its-kind analysis looking into the impact that being featured on the App Store can have on mobile games. In it, we found that games can see an up to 800 percent increase in downloads if chosen by Apple to appear in one of the store's editorially curated tabs. Now, our latest research into app discovery shows that these types of features account for a substantial percentage of all game downloads, and have only increased in importance following the release of iOS 11 in September 2017.

iOS 11's Lasting Impact on Game Discovery

Based on our recently conducted study of App Store download sources, we have determined that browsing the App Store now accounts for an average of 26 percent of all game downloads in the months since the platform's iOS 11 redesign.

Prior to this, downloads that came from browsing features accounted for 19 percent of all game installs on average. As you can see in the below chart, game downloads from App Store browsing peaked in September 2017 when the new store launched, but have remained higher than pre-iOS 11 levels since.

This finding, derived from our sample population of game downloads between May 2017 and April 2018, further underlines the importance of securing featuring from Apple for game developers.

Of course, this can be easier said than done, but according to our research, developers can do some things to bolster their chances of being picked, including maintaining an all-time rating of more than 4.5 stars. Having a well reasoned plan for how you will support your newfound users can also be a crucial piece in obtaining an endorsement from Apple.

We'll have more insights from our App Store download sources research soon.