The 25 mobile game marketing campaigns below span 2012 to 2025 and share one pattern: most tied a launch to a licensed brand, a celebrity ad, a paid-install push or a creator wave. Monopoly GO reached $6 billion in lifetime in-app purchases in 1,275 days, according to Sensor Tower, and Scopely's co-CEO said in March 2025 that Scopely had spent more than $1 billion marketing the game.
What are the 25 campaigns and their reported results?
Download and revenue figures are third-party estimates unless the text says otherwise.
| Campaign | Year | Marketing move | Reported result |
|---|
| Candy Crush Saga | 2012 | Facebook launch, then mobile | 500 million installs a year after mobile launch |
| Clash of Clans | 2015 | 60-second Super Bowl ad with Liam Neeson | Up 18 spots in the top free iOS chart |
| Game of War | 2015 | Super Bowl ad with Kate Upton | Passed Clash of Clans on the download chart at one point |
| Heroes Charge | 2015 | Super Bowl spot | Unranked before kickoff, then fell back |
| Clash Royale | 2016 | Worldwide launch in 2016 | About $38 million in the first seven days |
| Pokémon GO | 2016 | Global franchise launch | $1.1 billion in the first year |
| PUBG Mobile | 2018 | Royale Pass season pass | Daily revenue up from $170,000 to $689,000 |
| Brawl Stars | 2018 | Global launch after a long soft launch | $422 million and 141 million downloads in year one |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | 2019 | Console franchise launched on mobile | 100 million downloads in the first week |
| Mario Kart Tour | 2019 | Nintendo franchise launched on mobile | 90 million downloads in the first week |
| Genshin Impact | 2020 | Global launch on September 28, 2020 | About $2 billion on mobile in year one |
| Among Us | 2020 | Creator and streamer wave | 42 million mobile downloads in about six weeks |
| Coin Master | 2020 | Celebrity ad creative | About $1.2 billion a year since 2020 |
| Free Fire | 2021 | Justin Bieber in-game performance | 5.4 million peak viewers at its 2021 world series |
| Raid: Shadow Legends | 2021 | YouTube creator sponsorships | $8.66 million spent, 442.95 million views |
| Marvel Snap | 2022 | Launch tied to Marvel releases | $173 million in year one |
| Stumble Guys | 2022 | Streamers, then brand collaborations | Third most-downloaded mobile game of 2022 |
| Royal Match | 2023 | Paid installs and celebrity ads | $112 million in July 2023, ahead of Candy Crush Saga |
| Monopoly GO | 2023 | Board game license plus live events | $6 billion in 1,275 days |
| Last War: Survival | 2023 | Ad spend surge from November 2023 | Top-grossing mobile game in July 2025 |
| Pokémon TCG Pocket | 2024 | Pre-registration, then global launch | 30 million downloads by November 7, 2024 |
| Whiteout Survival | 2024 | Paid installs with minigame ads | $95 million in September 2024 |
| Royal Kingdom | 2025 | Celebrity ad campaign | Downloads up 581% in three weeks |
| Subway Surfers | 2025 | 200th World Tour stop and meme-led social | 4.5 billion lifetime downloads |
| Pokémon GO events | 2025 | Series of large in-game events | Led revenue growth in August 2025 |
Which mobile games set launch records?
Eight games set launch or early-growth records by moving an established franchise, a soft-launched hit or a new global release onto mobile.
Call of Duty: Mobile (2019)
Activision launched Call of Duty: Mobile on October 1, 2019 on the App Store and Google Play, outside mainland China. Sensor Tower told Reuters the game reached 100 million downloads in its first week, against 26.3 million for PUBG Mobile, 25 million for Apex Legends and 22.5 million for Fortnite in their first weeks.
Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Nintendo's Mario Kart Tour reached 90 million downloads in its first week, a figure Sensor Tower supplied in coverage of the Call of Duty launch, as Twinfinite reported.
Pokémon GO (2016)
Niantic's Pokémon GO generated $1.1 billion in its first year, according to Sensor Tower data reported by Game World Observer. Nintendo Life noted it took the game 19 days to reach 50 million downloads.
Pokémon TCG Pocket (2024)
The Pokémon Company said more than six million people pre-registered for Pokémon TCG Pocket before its October 30, 2024 launch, according to Statista's summary.
Game World Observer reported 10 million downloads in the first 48 hours, and Shacknews reported more than 30 million by November 7, 2024, citing the game's official account.
Genshin Impact (2020)
miHoYo launched Genshin Impact on September 28, 2020. Sensor Tower estimated about $2 billion in mobile player spending in its first year, and Game World Observer reported that made it the third top-grossing mobile game that year, behind PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings.
Marvel Snap (2022)
Second Dinner launched Marvel Snap worldwide on October 18, 2022 and, according to AppMagic data in Mobilegamer.biz, reached 5.3 million downloads and $2 million in revenue in its first week. PocketGamer.biz reported $173 million in player spending in year one, and a revenue jump of 300% around a Marvel film launch on July 10.
Brawl Stars (2018)
Supercell launched Brawl Stars worldwide on December 12, 2018 after 544 days in soft launch, according to PocketGamer.biz. Sensor Tower estimated more than $10 million and about 15 million installs in the first seven days.
The game earned $422 million and was downloaded about 141 million times in its first year, PocketGamer.biz reported.
Clash Royale (2016)
Supercell released Clash Royale worldwide in 2016. Sensor Tower's Brawl Stars week-one report puts its first seven days at about $38 million, and PocketGamer.biz reported $431 million by the six-month mark.
Which paid campaigns drove the biggest chart moves?
Nine paid campaigns show both the lift and the limits of buying attention.
Clash of Clans (2015)
Supercell ran a 60-second ad starring Liam Neeson during Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, 2015, at an estimated cost of about $9 million, according to PocketGamer.biz. AppFigures data reported by Cult of Mac showed the ad lifted Clash of Clans 18 spots in the top free iOS apps.
Game of War (2015)
The Game of War ad featured Kate Upton. The same AppFigures data showed Game of War passing Clash of Clans on the download chart at one point during the game.
Heroes Charge (2015)
Heroes Charge ran a Super Bowl spot and was unranked before kickoff, then climbed the chart, according to the same report. The report also noted that the rise did not last and the game fell back soon after, which shows a single broadcast spot does not hold a chart position by itself.
Royal Match (2023)
Dream Games' Royal Match earned $112 million and 14.6 million downloads in July 2023, ahead of Candy Crush Saga by $8 million and 200,000 downloads, according to Sensor Tower data in PocketGamer.biz. Sensor Tower attributed this to paid user acquisition, with 61.5% of downloads coming through paid channels against 15.4% to 25% for Candy Crush Saga, and to celebrity ads featuring Tom Felton and Simon Cowell.
Royal Kingdom (2025)
Dream Games' Royal Kingdom ran celebrity ads with names including Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Hart. Sensor Tower reported that digital ad spend rose 142% between the first quarter of 2025 and the first two months of the second quarter, and that downloads grew 581% between April 12 and May 3, 2025, while revenue rose 30%, as Mobilegamer.biz summarized.
Coin Master (2020)
Sensor Tower says Moon Active's Coin Master began celebrity partnerships with the Kardashians and Jennifer Lopez in February 2020 and leaned on them in its ad creative. The same Sensor Tower report puts annual revenue near $1.2 billion since 2020 and lifetime revenue above $6 billion as of August 2024.
Last War: Survival Game (2023)
Sensor Tower's Pathmatics data showed Last War ad spending rising 12 times month on month in November 2023, with nearly 60% of downloads coming from paid sources, as Webull reported. Sensor Tower later named it the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in July 2025 after an aggressive user acquisition campaign ahead of July 4.
Whiteout Survival (2024)
AppMagic estimated Whiteout Survival at $95 million in September 2024, one of two 4X strategy games in the global top five, Mobilegamer.biz reported. Naavik notes that both Whiteout Survival and Last War run ads built around minigames.
Raid: Shadow Legends (2021)
BuzzGuru estimated that Plarium spent $8.66 million on YouTube creator ads for Raid: Shadow Legends from July to December 2021, which drew 442.95 million views, as Game World Observer reported. Sensor Tower says the game crossed $1 billion in lifetime player spending.
Which campaigns scaled through a license, a creator or a community?
Eight campaigns grew through a licensed brand, creators, a season pass or a steady event calendar rather than through a single ad.
Monopoly GO (2023)
Scopely launched Monopoly GO in April 2023 under a Hasbro license, and Sensor Tower's January 2026 report says it passed $6 billion in lifetime in-app purchase revenue faster than any mobile game. Sensor Tower credits event-driven live operations, social features and localized creative that made ads feel like a local game.
PocketGamer.biz reported the $6 billion mark took 1,275 days from the April 11, 2023 launch. Mobilegamer.biz reports Scopely's co-CEO said in March 2025 that Scopely had spent more than $1 billion on marketing.
Among Us (2020)
InnerSloth's Among Us grew in 2020 with Twitch playing a significant role, according to Video Games Chronicle. Sensor Tower data in that report shows 42 million mobile downloads between August 1 and September 14, 2020, about 70% of its lifetime downloads at that point, and Nielsen reported roughly half a billion monthly active users in November 2020.
Stumble Guys (2022)
AppMagic data in Mobilegamer.biz shows Stumble Guys was the third most-downloaded mobile game of 2022, ahead of Roblox and Candy Crush Saga, with about 273 million downloads and $81 million in lifetime revenue by January 2023. Kidscreen reported that a 2024 He-Man tie-in was Mattel's third brand in the game.
Subway Surfers (2025)
SYBO celebrated its 200th World Tour destination in May 2025 with an update that unlocked 21 cities, and the game passed 4.5 billion lifetime downloads that year, according to its Shorty Awards entry. A Naavik interview summary says the game became the third most-used gaming hashtag on TikTok without spending on user acquisition.
Free Fire (2021)
Garena announced a partnership with Justin Bieber for Free Fire's fifth anniversary, with the game's first in-game performance on August 27, 2021, according to Garena. AFK Gaming reported that the 2021 Free Fire World Series peaked at more than 5.4 million viewers.
PUBG Mobile (2018)
Tencent introduced the Royale Pass season pass in 2018, and Sensor Tower reported that PUBG Mobile's average daily revenue jumped from $170,000 to $689,000, PocketGamer.biz reported.
Candy Crush Saga (2012)
King launched Candy Crush Saga on Facebook in April 2012 and on mobile that November, and the game passed 500 million installs a year after its mobile debut, according to Mobile World Live. King's IPO filing showed 93 million daily active users in December 2013 and 2013 revenue of $1.88 billion against $164.4 million in 2012, MCV reported.
Pokémon GO events (2025)
Sensor Tower's August 2025 ranking says Pokémon GO led revenue growth that month and ranked eighth by revenue, driven by a series of large in-game events.
What do these mobile game marketing campaigns have in common?
In most of the 25 campaigns, a known brand, celebrity or creator carried the first installs, and a named tracker such as Sensor Tower, AppMagic or AppFigures measured the result. Two entries also show limits: Heroes Charge fell back after its spot, and Monopoly GO's marketing spend passed $1 billion.
For related reading, see the mobile gaming marketing playbook, the 25 casino marketing campaigns and the 25 best app marketing campaigns.
The through-line is that most of these campaigns reported results as numbers from a named tracker, and the strongest ones named the cost beside the result. A team planning a launch should pick the tracker and the comparison game before the campaign starts.
