Mastering Game App Analytics: Why It Matters

When you develop a mobile game, the aim is not just to download. You want players to actually play, enjoy the experience, and retain them longer. This is where game app analytics become your best friend. With robust analytics, you can start to see what’s working in your game and what’s driving players away.

To analyse raw data and make sense of results, many game creators work with measurement experts. A good example is: Apptrove can be your mobile measurement partner to collect data and help you convert the numbers into meaningful insights. Apptrove collects, cleans, and displays your data, so you don’t have to worry about number crunching or spreadsheets, coordinating an appropriate mix and making guesses about your data.

In this blog, we will walk through what game app analytics are, how to determine the right game app performance metrics, and how game retention analysis aids in keeping your players longer.

What Are Game App Analytics?

Game app analytics is like your scoreboard behind the scenes. It tracks what players do and keeps a record of how often they play, how long they play for, when players quit the game, how your users acquired your game or if the users bought any in-app purchases. Once all the data is collected, you can gain valuable insights into your audience, identify areas for improvement, and make targeted adjustments.

Key Game App Performance Metrics You Should Track

When analyzing game app analytics, it’s important to note that not every number is of equal value. If you focus on the correct game app performance metrics, you will see what is really happening. Here are some you need to know:

Engagement Metrics:

• • DAU/MAU: The number of unique players that play in a day or month; if DAU/MAU is high, your game is “sticky.”
  • Session Length/Session Count: This indicates how long a player spends playing per session, and how many sessions a player opens. If session length falls, something is starting to lose interest.
  • Churn Rate: This metric refers to the percentage of players who have stopped playing over time.

• Retention Metrics

Retention Rate (Day 1, Day 7, Day 30): How many of your users return after 1, 7 or 30 days.

Return Frequency: How often does a retained user open the game again?

Monetization Metrics

Conversion Rate (to paying users): The fraction of users who make at least one purchase. 

ARPU / ARPPU: Average revenue per user or average revenue per paying user.

Lifetime Value (LTV): How much a player is expected to spend over their “lifetime” in the game.

These metrics, when combined via game app analytics, give you a full picture: Are players engaged? Are they paying? Is your ad spend paying off?

How to Use Game Retention Analysis

Analyzing game retention is about finding out who returns and why. Simply knowing that users left is not enough information; you want to discover patterns and prevent leaks. 

Step 1: 

Analyze Retention Curves Retention can be analyzed over time, such as day 1, day 7, day 30, etc. You can use graphs to visualize retention over time and see how steep the drop-off is at day 1, at week 1, and if it flattens out at a subsequent period. This indicates to you when users are losing interest. For instance, according to a recent stat, mobile game users on iOS have a retention rate of 35.7% on day 1 (27.5% on Android). Once you understand your retention rate, you can analyse whether your game’s early retention is strong or weak. 

Step 2: 

Conduct Cohort Analysis: Look at users by when they joined the game (ex: “users that joined on July 1”) and see how that cohort behaved over time. Did the newer cohorts of players stay longer or drop faster? This process is a basic analysis for game retention analysis. 

Step 3: 

Look at Funnel & Drop-off Points. Use game app analytics data to observe what portion of the game people quit. Is it during the tutorial or before level 3? A continuous drop-off is a good indication that a Stage of the game may need simplifying or reworking for flow and interest. 

Step 4: 

Segment by Behaviour. All users are not the same; this is a fact. Some users will pay a lot, and some will never spend a dime. Segment based on user behaviour.

Why It All Matters

Without game app analytics, you are just guessing. With analytics, you see patterns, identify behaviors, and make decisions based on data. Keeping track of how your game app is performing gives you a way to spend wisely (on ads, development, content), rather than throwing money blindly trying something different. Game retention metrics tell you how to maintain your players, rather than just acquiring them.

If you can combine good analytics with useful design and respect for the player, your game has a real opportunity to succeed. Use data for guidance, but creativity to be different.