Mobile gaming is a fast-paced industry, and producing an engaging game is only part of the equation. What determines whether your game becomes an everyday habit or a deleted app is how strongly and how well, you understand your players. That’s the power of game app analytics, it’s like looking into the future through X-ray vision and accessing your game’s performance as it stands today.
Suppose you need help sorting through all that data with a reliable Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP). In that case, Apptrove brings all the power of tracking, measuring, and optimising to mobile gaming like never before.
What Is Game App Analytics (And Why You Should Care)?
Can you imagine releasing a game not knowing how players interact with it? Do they quit on level 2? Do your ads annoy them? Are your in-game purchases even functioning? Game app analytics answers all those questions by capturing and visualising player behavior, actions, and patterns in your app.
With game app analytics, you can accurately make decisions using data, instead of just guessing. You learn who is playing, when they are playing, how often they play, and for how long. You will also discover what parts of your game they love and what parts they engaged with and then quit.
In an increasingly competitive app store, these questions aren’t just helpful, they are essential.
The Must-Know Game App Performance Metrics
Certain metrics are more appropriate than others to critique how well your game is doing. Here are the metrics that are most significant:
1. Daily Active Users (DAU) & Monthly Active Users (MAU)
DAU & MAU show how many people you are seeing play your game on a daily or monthly basis. A high DAU/MAU ratio (aka the stickiness ratio) indicates high engagement because it means people keep coming back to play your game. For example, the top mobile games in the world have a DAU/MAU ratio of over 20%.
2. Session Length & Frequency
How long does the average player spend in your game? How often do they return? The more time they spend, and the more frequently, the more likely they are to continue playing— or to pay you money for the game.
3. Level Completion Rates
If you see several players quitting on the same level, then the level is probably too hard or possibly boring. This will signify the areas in which you need to balance your game.
4. In-App Purchases (IAP)
Keeping track of what people are buying (and not buying) will give you the information you need to optimize your monetization strategy. If only 2% of your users are buying items, then it shows you have an opportunity to grow.
Why Game Retention Analysis is a Game-Changer
It’s important to be frank here: many players who download your game will play it for a few minutes, and never come back after that. In fact, over three-quarters of users will stop playing the game after one day. This is where game retention analysis comes in. Game retention analysis shows how many users return after Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30. Here are some examples of what great retention could look like:
- Day 1 Retention: 40% (Great)
- Day 7 Retention: 20% (Okay)
- Day 30 Retention: 10% (Pretty good)
All of these values signify that your game is “sticky” enough to keep a user engaged. If your Day 1 retention is below 20%, you should probably think about whether your onboarding or early-level experience is as good as it could be.
How to Use Game App Analytics to Make Your Game Better
Now that you know what to focus on, here’s how to take advantage of game app analytics like a pro:
1. Watch User Funnels
Track how users flow from opening the game to completing important actions (such as signing in, completing a level, or engaging in a purchase). If a lot of users drop off at the same spot that’s an indicator that something’s wrong.
2. A/B Test Everything Button colour?
Difficulty level? Do an A/B test of two versions of your app and see how the analytics tool highlights how many users are happier or engaged.
3. Track user churn
Who is leaving and why? Find trends. Are players stopping soon after a bad update, or maybe due to a bug? Use your game app analysis to figure out what you can improve to stop players from leaving.
4. Use predictive insights
Some good analytics tools will include predictive insights (like what Apptrove lets you integrate) that will identify which users/players are most likely to stop before they do. This will allow you to re-engage with players before they go idle.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, game app analytics is the core of any successful mobile game today. Use it 13 times, not literally, but make it part of your daily routine.
- It tell you who your players are.
- It shows you what they love.
- And it helps you fix what they don’t.
And when you pair great data with a great tool like Apptrove, you are not just creating games anymore. You are creating experiences that matter.
