Playing to Win: 2025 Digital Game Advertising Report

Gaming spend has topped $8.7B in 2025 YTD, and while downloads are down across the board, some games are rocketing into the stratosphere. We analyzed  how gaming market trends, ad spend, and differing strategies are affecting the competitive landscape.

Shooters on Target

A resurgence of shooters across Asia and North America on mobile, drove extensive growth in Q3 2025, with Tencent scaling Delta Force in China to the #4 shooter in the country, while also launching Valorant Mobile in the country. Free Fire (x Naruto Shippuden) was the winner in North America, showing further growth after overtaking Call of Duty: Mobile to be the #1 shooter in the US in Q2.

Meanwhile on PC/Console, Battlefield has quickly risen to be the third best-selling AAA game of the year, while Marvel Rivals takes the crown for  the most downloaded PC/Console game of 2025. The resurgence of shooters on mobile is, if anything, even stronger in PC/Console. Also impressive is the number and scale of viral indie/AA hits this year, from content creator driven co-op hits, from small teams, to ultra polished AA titles that rival AAA in quality, if not in price.

Static Images Pull Impression Share From Video

Video ads led with significant impression share at the beginning of the year, though static image ads clawed their way back in Q3 as publishers leaned into cheaper formats to produce and iterate, as fatigue and Q2-Q3 price hikes set in. Playables, however, have shown steady impression growth, in particular on AppLovin, as well as moderate gains on Mintegral, Unity, and Admob. With playables pre-qualifying players for post-click quality, more publishers are adopting the format to more easily hit early retention and ROAS targets.

Zooming in on the current zeitgeist, Battlefield 6 ran what looks to be a flawless launch campaign, becoming the first legitimate challenge to Call of Duty in years. The reveal trailer showcased core Battlefield differentiators (battlefield scale, vehicles alongside infantry, and environmental destruction), activating the franchise audience. Next, was a viral content creator-fuelled open beta that delivered on gameplay. Cadence was strong, keeping audience attention from reveal to launch. Battlefield 6 soared from nothing to over 2 million Steam wishlists in a few short weeks, with advertising timed to marketing beats.

Want to see more insights on gaming advertising, PC/Console audience growth, and which top games hit their marks? Download our 2025 Digital Game Advertising Report!