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Mobile Gamers of
Germany 2023

For our Mobile Gamers of Germany 2023 report, adjoe published a survey with Appinio, a global market research institute based in Hamburg, Germany. In January 2023 the institute invited 1,000 German mobile players – a group nationally representative regarding age and gender, with 500 men and women – to answer questions about their mobile gaming behavior via the Appinio app. From time spent, favorite gaming genre, and platform to ad preferences.

All that’s left to be said is: Scroll further to suss out the players in this top-tier market. Viel Spaß!

Key Insights

7 in 10 German Mobile Players on Android

Participants who enjoy mobile games on an Android phone outnumber those playing on an iPhone. While around 50% of Gen Z use iOS, over 75% of 45- to 65-year-olds use Android.

One Game Not Enough for the Germans

Just under 60% of respondents play 2 to 3 mobile games. At least 60% of simulation, strategy, and adventure gamers play 2 to 3 games at once, while 8% of casino players and 10% of arcade players play 5+ games.

Casual Games Clutch Top Spot

In total, 44% of mobile players prefer playing casual games; this is followed by strategy games at 41% and puzzle games at 38%. The favorite vertical among women is puzzle games. For men it’s strategy games.

Free Games Dominate the Market

Only 17% of respondents play paid games compared with 83% who enjoy free-to-play games. Over 50% of those playing free mobile games interact with in-app ads – 25- to 34-year-olds engage with these ads the most.

More Players Interact with Ads for New Games

In gameplay, 70% of respondents interact more with ads for new games than with nongaming ads. For 40% of these players, the main motivation behind this ad engagement is to unlock new features in a game.

Heavy Players Get Hooked with In-App Ads

Of the participants playing mobile games multiple times a day, over 60% discover new mobile games through in-game ads. Around 30% who play more than 5 hours a week prefer this method of app discovery.

Around 60% React Well to Personalized Ads

Of the respondents who agree that they pay more attention to personalized ads, the highest volume is between the ages of 25 and 34. Around 48% opt in to tracking for a personalized ad experience.

Users Play Longer and More Often with Rewards

Around 40% of participants play mobile games more often, and over 25% engage in longer gameplay when they have the option of interacting with rewarded ads to earn in-app currency.

Significant Change in Player Spending

When asked about in-app purchase behavior over the last 6 months, 22% of players no longer spend money; 14% spend less. Almost 20% of participants are starting to favor rewarded ads to earn in-app currency.

What’s Inside?

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Young woman lying on a sofa smiling up at her smartphone

Young man in bed looking at his smartphone

Young woman outside in the sun smiling and looking down at her phone

01 Do More German Players Prefer Android?

Which of our mobile gaming participants are more likely to be using an Android device versus iOS?

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02 Which Category Captivates Players Most?

Let’s investigate everything from gender and gaming genre to general in-game ad preferences.

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03 Who Are the Heavy Players?

How far will the keenest of gamers go to get their fun fix of mobile gaming? Find out how often these German gamers play.

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04 Do Users React Well to Rewards?

We dive into the potential of in-app ads and which users – as well as when users – react best to rewarded ads.

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Do More German Players Prefer Android?

Let’s dive into Deutschland’s platform preferences. Who’s team Android and who’s team iOS in the German mobile gaming market – and how far does their passion for playing go in terms of hours?

Which Platform?

Hands holding a smartphone infographic with platform preferences

30%

70%

Platform Split by Gender

Men

Women

Android

iOS

Platform Split by Occupation

Student

Working

Retired

Android

iOS

78%

of 45–65-year-old users use Android

48%

of Gen Z use iOS

74%

of single players use an Android device

Which Platform Is Most Popular?

For both genders, Android is the sweeping platform favorite for playing mobile games in Germany, dominating by over two-thirds in both cases. When we dig even deeper, the split between iOS and Android users is equal among Gen Zers – but at 48%, Gen Zers are by far the most likely to be playing games on iOS. The most pro-Android players from our report are 45- to 65-year-olds: Android users make up roughly 80% of them.

Are Android Users More Passionate Players?

Of the German mobile gamers playing 2 to 3 games on their devices, Android users make up almost 75% of these. The difference isn’t as prominent when you look at those playing over 5 games – but at 63%, the Android platform still makes up the majority. And just how frequent is this fun? According to the data, just over 50% of Android users play mobile games multiple times a day, and just over 20% play multiple times a week. A total of 40% of them play between 1 and 3 hours a week, while 28% of them play more than 5 hours a week.

Android

iOS

Android

iOS

Android

iOS

Who’s Down to Discover More Games?

Let’s conclude with how these mobile players discover their favorite games in the first place. According to our data, German Android users are seeking new gaming experiences more actively than iOS users. A total of 80% of players installing new games onto their device once or twice a week are on Android. Not just that – did you know that over two-thirds of players who discover new games through in-app ads are also Android users?

Which Category Captivates Players Most?

Let’s talk about this top tier’s tendencies when it comes to mobile gaming. Which vertical drives the longest gameplay from German mobile players – and which games are more popular among women versus men?

1–2× a year

1–2× a month

1–2× a week

Multiple times a week

Every day

How Often Do Players Install Games?

It all starts with the install. In-game ads are one of the top-3 ways for German mobile players to discover new games. A total of 46% of players install new games up to twice per month, 10% up to twice per week, and 5% multiple times per week. When we take a closer look at the biggest group of installers – those who install new games once or twice per month, we see that 43% of them are casual gamers, 42% strategy gamers, and 37% puzzle gamers.

What Are the Nation’s Favorite Games?

When asked what their 3 favorite mobile games are, the top-3 verticals among respondents are casual games, strategy games, and puzzle games. When you dive even deeper to see which verticals are the favorites among each gender, the data shows us that there are only 3 that a greater share of women prefer to play. These are puzzle games, casual games, and word games. Turning to men, the highest share of men play strategy, casual, and action games

Action

Adventure

Arcade

Casino

Board

Casual

Puzzle

Simulation

Strategy

Word

RPG

Others

Women

casual

puzzle

word

Men

puzzle

strategy

action

A Nation of Multi-Game Mobile Gamers?

At almost 60%, the majority of players across Germany play 2 to 3 games on their mobile devices. Although we see this tendency across all verticals, the volume of simulation players playing 2 to 3 games on their devices marginally outnumbers users from other verticals playing this many games. Only 6.5% of players engage in more than 5 games on their phones – arcade players seem to be least loyal to their favorite titles, as they play the highest number of games at once.

Which Players Engage with In-App Ads?

Just under 40% of the German players we asked claim they interact with in-app ads to unlock new in-game functionalities, while 35% want to earn in-app currency. And of all verticals, who is most ready to interact with these ads in exchange for in-app currency? Our data tells us it’s those playing casual, word, and puzzle games. In fact, 25% of word gamers discover new games through in-game ads.

Image of in-app reward offering user free coins

Who Are the Heavy Players?

It’s time to look at those who build up significant screen time playing mobile games – the heavy players. We’ll unveil how long they play for, how many games they play at one time, how they discover new games, and how prone they are to purchasing in-app features or interacting with ads.

Hands holding a smartphone with question: how often do you play mobile games

A few times a day

Once a day

A few times a week

Once a week

A few times a month

Once a month

Rarely

How Do We Define Heavy Players?

In the context of this report, there are two characteristics that define heavy gamers. Firstly, these gamers play mobile games multiple times a day – or more than 5 hours a week. When we zoom out to look at all mobile gaming participants, 53% of them play multiple times a day – we’re calling these “heavy players.” The leading age group playing this often is the 25- to 34-year-olds at 58%, followed by the 55- to 65-year-olds at 55%. When we asked about gameplay duration, 40% of respondents play 1 to 3 hours per week, 26% play 3 to 5 hours, and the same percentage of them play for over 5 hours per week.

We also identify the latter group as being heavy players – this is the second characteristic. And when we split these players engaging with mobile games for 5+ hours per week into age groups, we arrive at the same mentioned above: The leading age group for weekly gameplay duration is the 55- to 65-year-olds, followed by the 25- to 34-year-olds.

Open to New and More Games

Our data reveals that one game is not often enough for these German gamers – especially, for heavy players. Of those who play over 5 hours per week, 22% play 4 to 5 games, and 13% play more than 5 games at a time. These passionate players are also open to exploring new games: At 49% almost half of them install new games once or twice per month.

Casual Is the Favorite

When we investigate the heavy players engaging with games for over 5 hours a week, 46% of them play casual games. The following top-3 genres for this group are strategy games at 42%, puzzle games at 39%, and word games at 31%. Despite casual games typically demanding less time investment than other games with their easy-to-master mechanics, this vertical drives longer gameplay overall from German players.

Action

Adventure

Arcade

Casino

Board

Casual

Puzzle

Simulation

Strategy

Word

RPG

Others

Fans of Free Games

At over 80%, an overwhelming majority of heavy players prefer free games, and both in-app advertising and in-app purchases are an important part of their gaming experience. In total, 44% of these gamers play free games with both in-app purchases and in-app ads. Gamers enjoy leveraging these common app monetization models to reach new milestones and levels more quickly in their favorite games.

In-App Ad-vocates

When we look at German heavy players, 56% of them are happy to engage with in-app ads – 39% to unlock attractive features and 21% to discover new games. Our data also shows that in-app ads are a powerful way to reach and retain these users: 61% of players who discover new games via in-app ads play games multiple times a day. A total of 40% of them play 1 to 3 hours per week.

Fewer IAPs, More Rewards

Over the past 6 months – in the face of greater inflation and financial pressures – 62% of heavy players’ in-app purchase behaviors changed. When asked, 22% of them said they no longer make in-app purchases, and 14% make fewer purchases. On the flipside, instead of spending money, 22% of them spend more time engaging with rewarded ads.

22%

no longer make in-app purchases

14%

make fewer purchases

22%

engage more with rewarded ads

Do Users React Well to Rewards?

Seen as the most UX-friendly ad format, rewarded ads help gamers progress in the game – whether it’s to reach the next milestone or level. Rewarded ads offer mobile users diverse experiences – from playing games and answering surveys to watching videos. But how does our German audience respond to rewards in their mobile games? First, let’s understand how they interact with all types of in-app advertising before diving deeper into rewarded ads.

Hand holding phone screen revealing 50% of respondents engage with in-app ads during gameplay

Gaming

Nongaming

Almost One-Third Always Engage with Ads

Looking at the bigger picture, over half of respondents engage with in-app ads. Compared with 30% who engage every time they see an ad, 14% of participants engage with them occasionally, and 8% say they actively search for these ads. Of the genres that encourage German gamers to always engage in in-app ads, the top is action, followed by casino and RPG games. Diving in deeper, around 7 out of 10 gamers interact more with ads for new games than nongaming ads during gameplay.

Personalized Ads Attract Players’ Attention

Advertisers leverage personalized ads tailored to users’ interests as a powerful tool in acquiring new app users. It enhances user experience and relevancy for app users and is known to attract greater attention – but to what extent? When ads make it personal, 62% of our German participants say that they pay more attention, while 55% say that they remember the personalized in-game ads that they see afterward.

62%

agree that personalized ads attract their attention

38%

don’t agree that personalized ads attract their attention

agree that personalized ads attract their attention

don’t agree that personalized ads attract their attention

39%

of users engage to unlock new features – especially, RPG players.

24%

of users engage to discover new games – especially, board gamers.

35%

of users engage to earn more in-app currency and progress through the game – particularly, casual players.

Why Interact with Rewarded Ads?

From unlocking new features, discovering new games, earning in-app currency – German players interact with rewarded ads for different reasons. With rewarded ads, mobile players also don’t need to spend any of their real money – they can earn in-app currency to progress in their game. In fact, 65% of users prefer having the option of earning in-app currency with rewarded ads. Only 16% spend real money in their mobile games, while 19% are equally open to both options.

A Hit with Women, Millennials, and Heavy Players

If we now take a closer look into those engaging with rewarded ads specifically, this group is populated by 66% of female players (3% higher than male players) and almost 75% of the 25- to 34-year-olds. Moving on to heavy gamers, 65% interact with this ad format and 60% of those who install a new game multiple times a week prefer rewarded ads in-app purchases.

Sessions Are More Frequent and Last Longer

Rewarded ads offer players a strong alternative to in-app purchases and have a positive impact on their playing behavior. In total, 39% say that, with the help of rewarded ads, they play more frequently; 27% play longer in order to collect the necessary in-app currencies. This data shows that rewarded ads drive higher user engagement with games, advertisers reach more engaged users, and publishers increase their games’ session frequency and duration.

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