Iris, the AI Agent for Apple Ads optimization is now available in SplitMetrics Acquire.
Advanced Apple Ads strategy guide for all subcategories of games with exclusive brand and non-brand benchmarks.
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What’s Inside?
The data, user journeys and competitive tactics behind it, practical impact, and solutions to the most burning issues:
Brand and non-brand benchmarks for Games, including TTR, CR, CPT, CPA
Strategies for hypercasual, casual, mid-core, hardcore, and real-money games
Apple Ads is a great platform to find high-value users. If you can consistently increase your users' LTVs, you'll find great value in adding Apple Ads to your marketing mix. Even for a hypercasual game that draws most of its revenue from in-app advertisements, Apple Ads can be a significant growth opportunity, optimized for in-app purchases.
Apple Ads success in gaming comes down to how well you balance velocity with precision: hypercasual titles thrive on wide targeting, fast creative testing, and quick scale decisions to ride short-lived trends, whereas casual games demand a more deliberate strategy.
In-app events add a layer of post-install visibility, as event cards can appear in App Store search results and help re-engage existing users, which is critical considering the introduction of the additional placement in search results.
In casino and sports apps, the challenge isn’t traffic — it’s intent. Apple Ads captures high-intent users, while ASO determines how effectively that intent converts. The real opportunity lies in connecting the two: using search insights to guide creative strategy.
How to bid when a competitor bids $20 on your $2 brand term just to drive up your costs? It’s one of the most challenging tactics to counter - used in categories where LTV stakes are really high, such as sports betting or finance - but it can be countered.
Scaling a sports-betting app in 2026 requires moving beyond ‘seasonal spending’ toward ‘auction elasticity.’ During events like the World Cup or Super Bowl, the cost of generic keywords often outpaces their immediate value; success is instead found in the technical alignment of custom product pages and real-time search intent.
Ongoing game development is also influenced by regional preferences. For example, in Knives Out by Tencent, more realistic skins are used in Western markets, while in Japan, the game collaborates with local anime IPs to design character skins.
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Skidos Grows Spend x2 and Optimizes Campaigns with SplitMetrics Acquire
“SplitMetrics Acquire has been a great help in eliminating time-consuming practices from my daily working life. We managed to invest our monthly budget in a smarter way, by cutting bids on those keywords that were not performing according to target metrics and increasing bids on keywords that were more profitable. Plus, working with their team is a pleasure, as everyone is always available, helpful and easygoing.”
“The main secret to increasing efficiency and scaling with Apple Ads is to build the correct campaign structure, expand keywords and use automatic rules. SplitMetrics Acquire helps with all of this. Also, their patient training for users and smooth communication ensures that we take the most of both SplitMetrics Acquire and Apple Ads.”
Players defend castle against enemies. Rush royale boosts reach
“From the start, Apple Search Ads has been a valuable iOS acquisition channel that exceeded our expectations. Now, the unique combination of campaigns across the Today tab, the Search tab, product pages, and search results delivers scale, strong return on investment, and players with high lifetime value.”
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SplitMetrics’ Apple Ads Search Results Benchmarks Report 2026
Average TTR, CR, CPT, CPA, trends, for countries and categories
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