Meta Ads: The Mobile Game User Acquisition Guide

Alright, so you've built a mobile game and now you want to use Meta ads to get players. The first instinct for 99% of developers is to fire up an "App Install" campaign, throw some budget at it, and hope for the best. And that's precisely why 99% of them end up burning cash with very little to show for it.

Here's the brutally honest truth: optimising for installs is like telling a car salesman you want the cheapest car on the lot, without mentioning you need it to win a Formula 1 race. You'll get exactly what you asked for—a cheap piece of junk that won't get you where you need to go. When you tell Meta's algorithm to get you installs, it does its job perfectly. It scours its user base to find the people who download apps impulsively and never open them again. Why? Because their attention is cheap. You are literally paying to acquire the worst possible users for your game.

The real goal isn't getting a million installs; it's acquiring a thousand players who love your game and actually spend money in it. Awareness is a happy side-effect of a product that people genuinely enjoy, not something you should be paying for upfront. To find players that will actually buy from you, you need to change how you think about your campaigns entirely. You need to start optimising for actions that actually matter.

So what should I be optimising my campaigns for then?

This is where things get interesting. Instead of just "installs," you need to start thinking about in-game events. Meta lets you optimise for actions that happen *after* the install. This is the difference between firing a shotgun in the dark and using a sniper rifle with a thermal scope. You have three main choices, and picking the right one depends on how much data your game has.

1. App Installs (MAI): We've already covered this. It's for beginners, and you should aim to move off it as quickly as humanly possible. The only time to use this is maybe for the first few days of a brand new game just to get *some* data into the pixel, but even then, I'm hesitant.

2. App Event Optimisation (AEO): This is where the magic starts. You tell Meta to find users who are not just likely to install, but also likely to complete a specific action in your game. This could be anything from 'Complete Tutorial' to 'Reach Level 5' or 'Make First Purchase'. By doing this, you're telling the algorithm to find more engaged, higher-quality players. For most games, this is the sweet spot.

3. Value Optimisation (VO): This is the holy grail. With VO, you're telling Meta: "Go find me the people who will spend the most money in my game." The algorithm analyses the purchase behaviour of your existing players and hunts down new players who look just like your big spenders ('whales'). To use this, you need a steady stream of purchase data—Meta usually wants to see at least 100 purchase events over a 7-day period for it to work effectively. It's more expensive upfront, but the return on ad spend (ROAS) can be phenomenal.

Deciding which to use can be a bit of a headache, so here's a simple way to think about it.

How should I structure my campaigns for a mobile game?

Right, so you've picked your objective. Now, how do you organise everything? I see a lot of accounts that are a complete mess—dozens of campaigns all competing with each other. You need a clean structure. I like to think of it in terms of a funnel, even for a mobile game. You have your new player acquisition, and then you have efforts to re-engage existing players.

Your structure should be simple and long-term. No need to create new campaigns every week. Let the algorithm learn and optimise within a stable structure.

• Campaign 1: User Acquisition (Prospecting)
  -> Objective: App Events (AEO) or Value (VO).
  -> Audience: This is where you test your Lookalikes and interest-based audiences. You'll have multiple ad sets in here, one for each audience you want to test (e.g., Ad Set 1: 1% Payer Lookalike, Ad Set 2: Interest - "Puzzle Games", Ad Set 3: Broad Targeting). This is your main engine for growth.


• Campaign 2: Re-engagement (Retargeting)
  -> Objective: App Events (AEO), targeting a purchase or a specific high-level action.
  -> Audience: This is for people who've already installed your game. You can create custom audiences for different segments. For example:
  • -> Ad Set 1: Players who installed but didn't complete the tutorial (show them an ad reminding them of the fun they're missing).
  • -> Ad Set 2: Players who haven't played in 14 days (show them an ad about a new update or feature to bring them back).
  • -> Ad Set 3: Existing payers (show them an ad for a special offer on in-game currency to encourage another purchase).

This simple two-campaign structure keeps things organised. Your User Acquisition campaign finds new players, and your Re-engagement campaign makes sure you're getting the most value out of the players you already have. Too many people forget about retargeting, but it's often the most profitable part of your advertising. Remember, you can't just focus on getting new users; you need to target high-value users, not just rack up install numbers.

Okay, but which audiences actually work?

Targeting is where you can either strike gold or waste a fortune. For mobile games, there's a clear hierarchy of what usually performs best. Stop guessing and follow a logical testing process.

I'd prioritise them in this order:

Tier 1: Lookalike Audiences (Your Goldmine)
This is, without a doubt, the most powerful targeting tool on Meta. A Lookalike Audience is when you give Facebook a list of your existing players (your 'seed' audience), and its algorithm goes and finds millions of other people who share similar characteristics. The better your seed audience, the better the Lookalike.

• -> Lookalike of Payers: This is your number one priority. Export a list of users who have ever made a purchase and create a 1% Lookalike in the UK, US, or your target countries. This audience is often pure gold.
• -> Lookalike of High-Engagement Players: Don't have enough payers yet? Create a Lookalike based on players who reached a high level (e.g., Level 25) or who have opened the app more than 10 times.
• -> Lookalike of Ad Engagers: People who have watched 50% of your video ads are a good signal of interest. This can be a decent starting point.

Always start with a 1% Lookalike. It's the most concentrated and will give you the highest quality audience. As you scale your budget, you can test broader Lookalikes (2-5%).

Tier 2: Detailed Targeting (The Old Faithful)
This is what most people start with. It's effective, but often not as powerful as a good Lookalike. The key is to be specific.

• -> Competitor Games: Target users who have shown an interest in games similar to yours. If you've made a match-3 puzzle game, targeting people who like "Candy Crush Saga" is a no-brainer.
• -> Genre Interests: Target broader genres like "Strategy games," "Role-playing games," or "Puzzle video games."
• -> Layered Interests: For more niche games, you can layer interests. For example, if you have a sci-fi strategy game, you could target people who like "Strategy games" AND "Star Trek."

The mistake I see all the time is people picking interests that are too broad. "Gaming" is not a good interest to target. It's far too massive and unfocused. Be specific to your niche.

Tier 3: Broad Targeting (The Scaling Tool)
This might sound crazy, but for games with a lot of data and a big budget, sometimes the best approach is to go broad. This means you only define the age, gender, and location, and you let Meta's algorithm do the rest. This only works if your pixel is very "intelligent"—meaning you've fed it thousands of conversion events. The algorithm knows who your ideal player is better than you do, so you just let it loose. Don't start here, but keep it in your back pocket for when you're ready to scale significantly.

What kind of ads get people to download a game?

For mobile games, video is king. Static images barely register. People want to see what your game is actually like to play. Forget those polished, cinematic trailers that show zero gameplay – they don't work for performance marketing. They are expensive to produce and often have terrible conversion rates. Players are savvy; they want to see the real deal.

Here are some creative angles that consistently work well:

• Raw Gameplay: This is your bread and butter. Record 15-30 seconds of the most exciting, satisfying, or visually appealing part of your game. No fancy editing needed. Just pure, unadulterated gameplay.
• "Fail" Videos: These are incredibly popular. Show a player making a seemingly obvious mistake and failing a level. The caption can be something like "Only 1% of players can solve this" or "I bet you can do better." It creates a challenge and hooks the viewer's ego.
• UGC-Style Content: User-Generated Content style ads feel more authentic. It looks like a real player has screen-recorded themselves playing your game, maybe with a small picture-in-picture video of their face reacting. It builds trust and feels less like an ad.
• Before-and-After: This works well for strategy or building games. Show a struggling beginner's base and then transition to a powerful, maxed-out base. It shows progression and gives players something to aspire to.

No matter which angle you choose, the first 3 seconds are absolutely critical. You need an immediate hook. A big explosion, a satisfying puzzle solve, a hilarious character interaction. Something that stops the scroll. And always, always have a clear Call to Action at the end, like "Tap to Install" or "Play for Free!"

The Million-Pound Question: How much will this cost?

This is the question I get asked every single day. The answer is always: "it depends." But what it really depends on is not the cost per install (CPI), but your player's Lifetime Value (LTV). If you don't know your LTV, you're flying blind. You have no idea if a £2 CPI is a bargain or a disaster.

Your LTV is the total amount of revenue you can expect to make from a single player over their entire time playing your game. Once you know this, everything else becomes clear. A common rule of thumb is that your LTV should be at least 3 times your CPI to have a profitable, sustainable business. So, if your LTV is £9, you can afford to pay up to £3 to acquire a new player.

Calculating LTV can seem complicated, but we can simplify it. Here’s an interactive calculator to give you a rough idea.

Once you know your LTV, you can set a target CPI. For example, with an LTV of £1.33 from the default calculator settings, your target CPI should be no more than £0.44. This number now becomes your North Star. If your campaigns are hitting that target, you scale. If they're not, you optimise or kill them. Suddenly, you're not just spending money; you're making calculated investments. This is how you move from being a game developer to a game publisher. Understanding this relationship is a key part of scaling your user acquisition profitably.

What does a winning mobile game campaign look like in the UK?

The UK is a fantastic but competitive market. Players here have high spending power, but they've also seen it all. You can't just run generic global ads and expect them to perform. There's a certain sensibility and humour that works well here.

In our experience, campaigns that do well in the UK are hyper-focused on quality. For instance, I remember a campaign we ran for a sports event app where a focused approach helped us drive over 45,000 signups at under £2 per signup. Achieving results like this in a competitive market requires a deep understanding of the local audience and tailoring your strategy accordingly, which is a point I can't stress enough.

The gaming landscape in the UK is dominated by a few key genres. If your game falls into one of these, you have a large potential audience, but also a lot of competition.

If you're targeting the UK, you definately need a dedicated campaign. Don't just lump it in with a "Worldwide" or "Tier 1 English Speaking" ad set. Give it its own budget, its own creative, and its own Lookalikes. This focused approach is fundamental to our UK-specific ROAS optimization strategy and it's what seperates the amateurs from the pros.

Help! My ads are running but my perfomance is terrible!

It happens to everyone. You launch a campaign that you think is brilliant, and it just flops. The key is not to panic, but to diagnose the problem systematically. Look at your metrics—they'll tell you where the leak is.

• Problem: High Cost Per Mille (CPM) / Low Reach
  What it means: It's costing you a lot just to show your ad to people.
  Likely cause: Your audience is too small or too competitive. If you're targeting a 1% Lookalike in a small country layered with 10 interests, you're strangling the algorithm.
  The fix: Broaden your audience. Try a larger Lookalike percentage (3-5%) or remove some of the restrictive layers.


• Problem: Low Click-Through Rate (CTR)
  What it means: People are seeing your ad, but they're not interested enough to click.
  Likely cause: Your creative is boring. The first 3 seconds aren't hooking them, or the gameplay you're showing isn't compelling.
  The fix: This is a creative problem. Test completely new video concepts. Try a "fail" ad. Try a UGC-style ad. Test a different hook. A/B test your ad copy and headlines.


• Problem: High CTR but Low Install Rate
  What it means: People are clicking your ad, but they're not downloading the game once they get to the app store.
  Likely cause: Your app store page is letting you down. The ad promises one thing, but the store page looks unprofessional or different.
  The fix: This isn't an ad problem; it's a store problem. Optimise your app store listing (ASO). Do you have exciting screenshots? A compelling video? Good reviews? Is your description clear? Make sure the scent from your ad continues all the way to the install button.


• Problem: High Installs but Low In-App Actions / Purchases
  What it means: People are installing, but they're not sticking around or spending money.
  Likely cause: Two possibilities. 1) You're optimising for installs and attracting low-quality users (we talked about this). 2) Your game's onboarding or monetisation is broken.
  The fix: First, switch your campaign objective to AEO for 'Tutorial Complete' or 'Purchase'. This will force Meta to find better users. If that doesn't work, the problem is likely with the game itself. Analyse your in-game analytics. Where are players dropping off? Is the tutorial too long? Are your prices too high? You need to fix the leaky bucket before you spend more money filling it. Understanding these drop-off points is a major part of the wider app marketing and user acquisition playbook.

This seems like a lot of work...

You're right, it is. Running profitable Meta ads for a mobile game isn't a "set it and forget it" task. It's a continuous cycle of testing, analysing, and optimising. You have to be a creative strategist, a data analyst, and a financial planner all at once.

You need to constantly be testing new video creatives, building and refreshing Lookalike audiences, monitoring your LTV:CPI ratio, and making decisions based on data, not gut feelings. It's a full-time job, and it's what separates the games that top the charts from the ones that disappear after a month.

This is where expert help can make all the difference. An experienced agency or consultant has already made the mistakes, run the thousands of tests, and knows the benchmarks for your genre. We can help you sidestep the costly learning phase and get straight to what works, building a scalable and profitable user acquisition engine for your game.

This is the main advice I have for you:

If you've read this far and feel a bit overwhelmed, that's perfectly normal. Getting this right is complex. If you'd like a second pair of expert eyes on your strategy, we offer a completely free, no-obligation consultation where we can review your campaigns and give you some actionable advice. Feel free to book a call.

Hope this helps!