Monopoly GO!’s Tycoon Club offers a web-exclusive loyalty program and battle pass. The loyalty program, exchange shop, and daily gifts suggest that Scopely is aiming for a high-spending, casino-style web store rather than the approach taken by casual apps like Angry Birds Friends.

Elf Islands uses a similar core gameplay loop to other top adventure apps such as Klondike Adventures. However, it innovates by offering a much higher number of interactable items and letting players destroy crafted items for XP.

Domino Dreams broke into the top 50 casual apps just three months after its launch with a polished take on solitaire gameplay that uses dominoes instead of cards. While the app’s core gameplay consists of solitaire-style puzzle levels, its UI, art style, and overworld progression system closely resemble Royal Match.

Matchington Mansion, Lily’s Garden, and Clockmaker have all released hidden tile mini-games with nearly identical mechanics to one released previously in Royal Match. In these mini-games, players complete base game levels to earn tokens, spend tokens to remove tiles from a game board, and reveal items to earn prizes.

June’s Journey’s Set the Scene is one of the first events we’ve seen in the casual market that lets players combine decorations they earn from completing each event iteration. Completing the event awards tower and wall segments that players can arrange to form a large decoration with a high degree of customization. This creates an enduring progression that encourages players to complete each event iteration.

Licensed UGC assets can increase revenue and UA—but only as a supplement to UGC systems that are already successful. Licensed UGC requires strict creator guidelines, monetization strategies, and separate ecosystems. As a result of these content restrictions, licensed UGC systems function more like subcontracting hubs that allow developers to sell access to player creators.

Brawl Stars' new battle pass offers more free rewards, higher ROIs, and a deeper depth of spend than its old battle pass. These changes helped Brawl Stars increase U.S. iOS revenue by 61% 2Mo2M and battle pass completion rates by 10%—leading to all-time high DAUs since the new pass launched in January 2024.

AFK Journey entered the top 10 highest-grossing RPGs on its launch day and climbed into the top five a few days later. It features several notable differences from its predecessor, AFK Arena, including a 3D map instead of 2D, an open world rather than a linear progression, tile-based battles, and a cel-shaded art style.

Risk of Rain: Hostile Worlds retains the core gameplay loop of the popular indie PC/console franchise, Risk of Rain. Hostile Worlds introduces an auto-shoot mechanic, an isometric perspective, and a gacha system for collecting the app’s many heroes. The app sets itself apart from other roguelike shooters by including an exceptionally diverse cast of heroes and letting players freely swap between three of them during levels—which allows players to explore a variety of different teams and play styles.

In Cookie Run: Kingdom, a social hub lets players engage with other players, play mini-games, and complete challenges. Plus, a helicopter-flying mini-game in PUBG: Mobile, a photo-taking mini-game in Arknights, and more.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s Brawling Beats Mode provides a casual-friendly variation of the app’s base gameplay. By using smaller teams, randomized heroes, and a fast-paced objective, this mode offers an accessible way for players to familiarize themselves with the app’s heroes and mechanics. Its approachability gives it the potential to be integrated into the app’s first-time user experience—which could significantly broaden its user acquisition.

Developers have several options to direct players to external payment systems without having to pay commissions to Apple or Google. Casino and core apps can most easily drive players to web stores, but casual apps need to prioritize ease of use and exceptional value.