Guide: Advertising Mobile Games Across APAC in 2025

Asia Pacific isn’t a single market, but a whole coalition. In 2025, each of these markets is moving at a different speed, and in different directions.

To give you an example, Japan is the #2 global leader in consumer spend; with over $13B USD spent on mobile apps yearly, 65% of it on games. Meanwhile, SEA continues to offer some of the lowest CPIs in the world, attracting studios looking to scale fast or test new ideas on a budget. 

At the same time, the entirety of APAC skews Mid-core on spend compared with Europe or North America, which lean Casual. To make it work in 2025, you need a market-by-market strategy. This guide covers:

• Where to test first
  
• Where to expect higher LTV
  
• What genres and creatives win in each country.

Advertising Apps in APAC

Japan

// iOS-first, consent-first, and very clear about what you’re selling.

For the outsiders coming in, Japan is the market requiring to set the foundation before they spend. Start by treating it as an iOS-first, consent-first market. 

Here’s why: iOS already carries the major bulk of gameplay here. Sensor Tower x Adjust report that roughly 52% of installs and 65% of sessions come from Apple, so any real scale depends on tight SKAN/AdAttributionKit setup and clean event mapping. ATT is already moving in the right direction in Japan: ~21.4% overall opt-in, with games at ~31% as of H1 2025 – strong enough to give you confidence to scale with a smart opt-in setup.

On the creative side, it often helps to show the real game because players here commit real time. For example, RPG sessions average ~40 minutes, while Simulation and Strategy also run long. That kind of depth means gameplay-first video wins: short hooks up front, then enough detail to set expectations and self-select high-intent users. And make it look local: manga-led visuals outperform Western cartoon or photoreal among Japan’s top grossers, so match the aesthetic along with the language.

Economically, plan for premium CPIs and a paid-heavy mix. Japan’s Q1’25 averages point that way (overall CPI ≈ $1.46; RPG ≈ $2.78), and the paid/organic ratio reached ~3:1—so concentrate spend into fewer, better channels, and hold your creative to a higher bar before you scale.

Japan is the hardest market to turn impressions into installs (set as the baseline), while SK/AU convert ≈3× and US/GB/CA ≈4× relative to Japan. If you’re planning JP/KR, budget the funnel accordingly and let SEA carry your iterative testing.

If you pace the launch like this (iOS first, consent earned, gameplay-led creative, disciplined spend) Japan stops being an expensive experiment and starts behaving like a predictable growth market.

South Korea 

// Premium ARPU, mid-core DNA, and a platform shift you shouldn’t ignore.

Think of Korea as a premium mid-core market. The scale is all there. Mobile games made about $6.8B in 2024: RPGs drive 47% of revenue ($3.17B) and most of that comes from IAP (80–90%). If your core loop can’t sustain progression, collections, and spend depth, you’ll feel it fast. Also, the bar for engagement is higher than in most places: top-grossing titles post 4-5X the daily playtime of their category averages. So build for stickiness rather than just the install.

Let the creatives reflect how players actually compete here. Korean gamers respond well to social proof and competition: leaderboards, multiplayer, community features. Use gameplay-first edits and creator explainers to make that depth feel accessible from the first impression.

Price your economy to the audience you’re courting. ARPD is highest in RPG ($23.79) and healthy in Strategy ($10.18), while Casual sits far lower ($1.68) – which is your cue to lean harder into ads where appropriate. On Android specifically, ad monetization is growing within both Casual and Strategy, giving you room to add value-charged formats (rewarded, playtime) without breaking players’ trust.

And don’t ship without the basics: Korea requires disclosure of draw/gacha probabilities and a designated local representative for foreign publishers. Treat compliance and full localization as day-one requirements. Their payoff shows up in consent, retention, and your ability to scale without surprises.

Southeast Asia 

// Cost-efficient scale, forgiving auctions, video-first learning.

Take SEA as a low-risk, high-learning runway. You’ll still feel competition, but the auction isn’t as overheated, which means you can iterate without getting outgunned every week (SocialPeta × Tenjin H1 2024 notes roughly 92 monthly creatives). Use that breathing room to test hooks, onboarding, and first-purchase offers; then take only the proven packages into Japan and Korea.

Build the plan around video, it’s where the inventory is and where the returns are. It consistently beats other programmatic formats on D7 ROAS. In cross-market tests, video delivered the highest average D7 ROAS (about 21%), and spend on 40+ second cuts climbed sharply (a signal that longer explanations are working). Layer UGC/creator walkthroughs on top when you’re selling mid-core depth; it consistently lifted ROAS in tests. 

On iOS, North America’s CPI is more than 2× APAC, which is why teams use Malaysia and the Philippines for efficient scale and creative learning, while Japan and South Korea sit at the premium end (US ≈ $7.68; KR ≈ $8.02 per install). 

So for media math, start where your budget stretches furthest: Malaysia and the Philippines as more cost-effective per user than Tier-1 markets like Japan, Korea, or the US, so they’re ideal for experiments before you pay premium JP/KR prices. Keep an Android-first bias in your cuts, but promote iOS-ready winners quickly so the learnings transfer cleanly to Japan’s Apple-heavy environment.

 Hong Kong / Macau / Taiwan 

// The most intense creative arena in APAC

Expect the fastest creative arms race here. In H1’24, HK/MO/TW showed the highest monthly creative volume (≈104), versus ≈92 in SEA—so launch after you have proven concepts, not before.

India

// Android-first scale and concept testing at volume.

If you need affordable volume on Android to test, India belongs in the plan. It still ranks among the largest global download markets (just under 6B per quarter in 2024), which means deep auctions and faster, statistically reliable results without JP/KR price pressure. Treat India as your high-throughput lab, then carry only validated creatives/economies into premium APAC buys.

Monetization & LiveOps that fit APAC in 2025

Asia’s revenue still leans Mid-core, not Casual: in 2023, Mid-core took ~79% of Asia’s game revenue (Casual ~19%, Hybridcasual ~2%). That’s the cultural backdrop for why gacha, progression, and deeper systems continue to work here.

Japan specifically is giving you two clear lanes. On one side, Card and Social Casino surged in H1 2025 (Card +27% installs / +127% sessions; Casino +138% installs). On the other, the install/session split by genre is extreme: Hyper-casual = 20% of installs but <1% of sessions, while Puzzle = 1% of installs but 21% of sessions. Use that to set expectations: ad-heavy genres are your volume play; IAP-heavy genres need slower, loyalty-first monetization (think bundles, limited collections, battle passes, etc).

Korea is still IAP-first, especially in the country’s favorite genre, RPG. Mobile game revenue was about $6.8B in 2024 and RPG accounts for ~47% of it. ARPD is highest in RPG ($23.79) and solid in Strategy ($10.18); Casual sits far lower, so ads matter the most there. 

Risk & Compliance

Remember to cover these areas before you scale:

• Korea: disclose gacha/loot-box probabilities and designate a local representative (mandatory).
• Japan: if you offer loot boxes, Apple requires odds disclosure in your App Store build. 
• Indonesia: games/apps operating locally must complete PSE registration with Kominfo; non-compliance can lead to blocking.
  

Final Tips for UA Teams

• Treat each market as a standalone launch. Don’t recycle global strategies; what works in the US won’t work in Vietnam or Tokyo.
  
• Use SEA and India to fail fast without overspending. Iterate here before burning budget elsewhere.
  
• Invest in creative operations. Building fully localized video ads pays off more than any algorithm tweak.
  
• Plan for hybrid monetization. Even in IAP-heavy markets, rewarded ads are gaining ground; and users expect them to feel integrated, not intrusive.
  

Partner Up to Scale APAC Effectively

APAC rewards teams that localize fast, test efficiently, and buy quality traffic where it counts. That’s exactly how we operate. 

We’re on the ground (Singapore and Tokyo) so you can test and scale without timezone drag. We pair Playtime rewarded with programmatic supply and exclusive local partners to find high-intent cohorts (e.g., ShopBack; yuu Rewards Club, etc). 

And yes, the market noticed: APAC Insider’s South East Asia Business Awards named adjoe “Best AdTech Company 2025 – APAC.”

If your next step is APAC, we can quickly plug in creative, UA, and measurement through our APAC teams and partner network. Let’s align on your country mix and start with the fastest path to incremental users.