--- title: Mobile Game Metrics: CPI, Retention, ARPDAU, ROAS description: Mobile game metrics as a metric tree: CPI and IPM, level progression, D1, D7 and D30 retention, ARPDAU, payer conversion, ROAS and LTV, with a calculator. url: https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/gaming/ --- # Mobile game metrics The metrics game teams use to judge a game and its traffic: from what an install costs, through progression and retention, to daily revenue and ROAS. **Short answer** The key mobile game metrics are CPI and IPM, tutorial completion and level progression, D1, D7 and D30 retention, DAU and sessions per user, ARPDAU, payer conversion, ROAS by day and LTV. Most games earn from a small share of payers plus ads, so retention and ARPDAU together decide what an install is worth. ## What are the key metrics for a mobile game? The key metrics for a mobile game measure what a player costs, how far they get, how long they keep playing and how much they earn per day of play. - **Acquisition:** [cost per install](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/cpi/), plus [CTR and IPM](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/ctr/) for creative testing. - **Activation:** tutorial completion, the first step of [level progression](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/level-progression/). - **Engagement:** [DAU](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/dau/), [sessions per user](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/sessions-per-user/) and [stickiness](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/dau-mau-stickiness/). - **Retention:** [D1, D7 and D30 retention](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/retention-rate/). - **Monetisation:** [ARPDAU](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/arpdau/), [payer conversion](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/paying-user-conversion-rate/), [ROAS](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/roas/) and [LTV](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/ltv/). **IPM:** installs per 1,000 impressions. It joins click-through rate and store conversion in one number, which is why game studios use it to compare creatives. ## What decides how much a game install is worth? Two numbers do most of the work: how many days an average install stays active (the area under its [retention curve](https://linkrunner.io/glossary/what-is-retention-curve?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=hub-gaming&utm_content=inline)) and how much each active day earns (ARPDAU). Multiply them and you have a simple per-install [LTV](https://linkrunner.io/glossary/what-is-lifetime-value?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=hub-gaming&utm_content=inline) to compare with [CPI](https://linkrunner.io/glossary/what-is-cost-per-install?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=hub-gaming&utm_content=inline). Metric tree: Gaming, from acquisition to revenue 1. **Acquisition** Install cost and creative pull (IPM) [1 Cpi Cost per install](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/cpi/) [5 Ctr Click-through rate](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/ctr/) 2. **Activation** Tutorial done, levels reached [21 Lvl Level progression rate](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/level-progression/) 3. **Engagement** How often they play [13 Dau Daily active users](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/dau/) [17 Spu Sessions per user](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/sessions-per-user/) [15 Stk DAU/MAU stickiness](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/dau-mau-stickiness/) 4. **Retention** D1, D7 and D30 [22 Ret Retention rate](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/retention-rate/) 5. **Monetisation** Daily revenue, payers and payback [27 Arpd Revenue per daily active user](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/arpdau/) [28 Pcr Paying user conversion rate](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/paying-user-conversion-rate/) [31 Roas Return on ad spend](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/roas/) [30 Ltv Lifetime value](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/ltv/) **Retention curve:** retention plotted for every day after install. Adding up the daily retention rates gives the expected number of active days per install. ## How the game metrics connect - **LTV per install** ≈ ARPDAU × expected active days per install. - **Maximum CPI** = LTV per install ÷ target ROAS. Bidding above it buys installs that cannot pay back at your target. - **Cohort ROAS by day** = revenue per install by day n ÷ CPI. D0 and D7 ROAS are early reads of where the curve is heading. - **Progression feeds retention:** a level with a sharp drop in [level-to-level rate](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/level-progression/) usually shows up as a dent in the retention curve a few days later. The calculator runs this chain on example inputs. Change expected active days to see how much retention, not monetisation, sets the price you can pay for an install. > Interactive tool (metric calculator): runs in the browser at https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/gaming/#metric-calc. Its text content follows. **Funnel cost calculator** **Example inputs: change them to your own numbers.** The examples only make the calculator show a worked answer; they are not benchmarks or targets. Runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere. **LTV per install** $1.50 **Maximum CPI at target ROAS** $1.25 **Lifetime ROAS at current CPI** 150% ## What to watch in each game metric - **IPM before CTR.** A creative can win clicks and lose installs. [IPM](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/ctr/) and click-to-install rate show which creatives bring players, not just taps. - **Tutorial completion by source.** Low-quality inventory shows up first as a low tutorial completion rate, days before ROAS confirms it. - **D1 as a gate.** [D1 retention](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/retention-rate/#d1) is the fastest read on whether a traffic source suits the game. Split it by network and campaign before scaling any of them. - **ARPDAU with ads included.** Most players never pay, so ad revenue is often a large part of [ARPDAU](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/arpdau/). Compare like with like. - **Payer concentration.** [Payer conversion](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/paying-user-conversion-rate/) and [ARPPU](https://appmetricslibrary.com/metrics/arppu/) are driven by a small group of high spenders; one large purchase can swing a small cohort's ROAS. - **ROAS by day, at the same age.** Compare D7 ROAS with D7 ROAS. Older cohorts always look better on period ROAS. ## Where game numbers go wrong - **iOS cohorts read like Android cohorts.** On iOS, much campaign data arrives through SKAdNetwork postbacks, which are delayed, aggregated and limited by privacy thresholds, so day-level ROAS by campaign is often unavailable. [Attribution Debugger's guide to SKAN 4 postbacks](https://attributiondebugger.com/guides/skan-4-postbacks/) explains the windows and tiers. - **Mixing level designs.** Progression from before and after a rebalance should never share a chart. - **Average session length alone.** Idle and auto-play mechanics can inflate it; read it with sessions per user and progression. ## Further reading Linkrunner's [Metrics that Matter: Mobile gaming edition](https://linkrunner.io/blog/metrics-that-matter-mobile-gaming-edition?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=hub-gaming&utm_content=inline) covers acquisition, retention and monetisation metrics for games and how to join spend, installs and revenue, and its guide to [the events every mobile game should track](https://linkrunner.io/blog/7-critical-events-every-mobile-game-should-track-from-day-one?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=hub-gaming&utm_content=inline) lists the events these formulas need. Linkrunner ## Measure the Gaming tree by channel **Track this automatically** Linkrunner attributes installs, level events and purchases to the campaign and creative that drove them, so this game tree and its ROAS can be read channel by channel. - [Attribution for gaming apps](https://linkrunner.io/attribution-for-gaming-apps?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=hub-gaming&utm_content=hub) - [Book a demo](https://linkrunner.io/contact?intent=demo&utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=hub-gaming&utm_content=hub) [Create a free account (25k installs free)](https://dashboard.linkrunner.io/sign-in?utm_source=appmetricslibrary&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=hub-gaming&utm_content=hub) FAQ ## Questions **What is ARPDAU in mobile games?** Average revenue per daily active user: a day's revenue, ads included, divided by that day's active players. Over a period, divide total revenue by the sum of daily active users. **How do you calculate the maximum CPI for a game?** Estimate LTV per install as ARPDAU times expected active days, then divide by your target ROAS. With $0.10 ARPDAU, 15 active days and a 120% target, the maximum CPI is $1.25. **Which retention days matter for games?** D1, D7 and D30 are the standard trio: day 1 for the first session, day 7 for an early habit and day 30 for players who stay. **Is DAU or MAU more important for a game?** Both, read together as DAU/MAU stickiness. DAU drives daily revenue through ARPDAU; MAU shows the size of the player base. **Which currency do the calculators use?** The calculators show US dollars, but every formula works in any currency: enter your own figures in the currency you report in and read the results in that currency. **What is the difference between a metric and a KPI?** A metric is any measured quantity; a KPI is a metric a team has chosen as a target for judging performance. Most metrics here become KPIs only for the teams whose work moves them. More ## More verticals - [**EdTech app metrics** The ten metrics that tell you whether a learning app is working, how each is calculated, and how they connect from the first ad to a paying learner.](https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/edtech/) - [**Fintech app metrics** The metrics that show whether a payments, lending, investing or savings app turns installs into funded, active customers, and how each one is calculated.](https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/fintech/) - [**OTT and streaming app metrics** The metrics that show whether a streaming app turns installs into viewers and viewers into subscribers who stay, with the formula behind each.](https://appmetricslibrary.com/verticals/ott/)