Drive more installs: How to use TikTok Ads for mobile game growth

Are you seeking a way to expand your mobile game's reach to a wider audience? Good news, TikTok could be the perfect platform for you! In fact, TikTok ads have proven to be highly efficient for mobile games compared to other app categories. In this article, you’ll learn how to benefit from advertising your mobile game on TikTok and discover how to create effective TikTok ad campaigns.

1. Why you should advertise your mobile game on TikTok

With over 1.4 billion reachable users globally as of 2025, TikTok offers a vast potential market for your mobile game. According to a recent report, the share of mobile‐game ad impressions served on TikTok grew by 67% in 2024.

Here are some key reasons:

• Huge user base + mobile-native audience – A large portion of TikTok users are already mobile gamers or heavy mobile‐app users.

• Cost-effectiveness – TikTok ads can be more affordable than traditional media or even some other social platforms. You can reach many users with a moderate budget, especially if your creatives capture attention.

• Precise targeting & creative formats – TikTok allows you to target by interest, region, demographics, and use formats that blend into the user-feed (less “ad feel”, more native).

• High engagement environment – Users on TikTok spend substantial time scrolling, engaging with short‐form content, creating trends, and sharing among peers. This is fertile ground for a game to go viral.

So if you’re looking for a cost‐effective way to reach a wider audience for your mobile game, TikTok is definitely worth considering.

2. The benefits of using TikTok for your mobile game advertising

As a mobile game developer or app marketer, you always look for new and efficient ways to market your game. With the rise of platforms like TikTok, your possibilities expand. Here’s a breakdown of the benefits:

Reach a large audience

Since TikTok has such a large and growing user base, your ad can garner high impression counts. Especially if your ad is creative and catchy, you may acquire many new players for your game. According to a 2022 infographic, 40 billion+ monthly gaming video views were noted on TikTok.

Relatively low cost

Compared to other forms of advertising (TV, print, and some social platforms), TikTok ads tend to have competitive cost per click (CPC) and cost per install (CPI) metrics. Your earlier data mentioned ~$1 per click for TikTok compared to other networks. While exact values vary by region and campaign, research shows TikTok's average CPC is around $0.61 in 2025. That helps when optimizing user acquisition (UA) budgets.

Advanced targeting and mobile‐first format

TikTok offers multiple targeting options (demographics, interests, behaviours) and ad formats that are mobile‐native (vertical video, full‐screen, immersive). This means you can specifically reach the users most likely to be interested in your game, rather than broadcasting broadly and inefficiently.

Ease of ad creation and native style

Creating adverts for TikTok is increasingly straightforward. Many successful campaigns on mobile games leverage a “native” look: short, vertical, user-generated content (UGC) style. According to one guide, brands should treat TikTok ads like “TikToks” rather than traditional polished ads.

3. How to create an effective TikTok ad for your mobile game

Now that you’re convinced of the platform’s potential, let’s dive into how to create and run an effective TikTok ad campaign for your mobile game.

• Keep it short and attention-grabbing: TikTok users scroll fast. You need to capture attention in the first 1–2 seconds. A short, dynamic video (vertical format) is recommended.

• Use persuasive language and highlight key features: Your ad copy and script should clearly communicate what makes your game fun or different: “Join epic battles”, “Build your kingdom”, “Relaxing puzzle fun”. Make sure you highlight benefits (fun, social, competitive), not just features.

• Use attractive visuals: gameplay + context: Since your medium is visual, show actual gameplay footage or in-game highlights. Overlay engaging visuals, music, and motion graphics if relevant. In some campaigns, live action or testimonials outperform pure gameplay footage.

• Include a clear Call-to-Action (CTA): You must tell viewers what to do next: “Download now”, “Play free”, “Start your adventure”. Make the action clear and easy.

• Make it look like TikTok content, not a traditional ad: The most effective ads on TikTok are those that blend in with organic content. That means using vertical mobile format, UGC style, trending music, on-screen text, and real-player reactions. Avoid making something that looks overly polished or obviously a commercial — you’ll lose authenticity and engagement.

• Use full-funnel thinking: Don’t only aim for installs, think of the user journey: awareness → install → engagement → retention → monetisation. Use TikTok’s ad formats and retargeting options to guide users through the funnel.

4. Tips for getting the most out of your TikTok ad campaigns

Here are specific actionable tips to maximize your results:

• Use hashtags & trend-hacks: Hashtags help discoverability. According to one article, nearly half of Gen Z uses TikTok for search instead of Google — that means your game can be discovered via trending hashtags.

• Target your ad to the right audience: Before launching, study your mobile game’s audience profile. What age groups? What interests? What regions? On TikTok, you can target high-intent audiences to avoid wasting time.

• Partner with TikTok influencers: Find creators whose audience matches your target players. They bring authenticity, trust, and can help your game go viral.

• Test creatives & iterate quickly: The mobile game ad space is very competitive. According to a recent report, in 2024, there were over 46 million creative assets for mobile game ads globally — meaning you must iterate fast.

• Track results and adjust your campaigns: Monitor key metrics - CPI (cost per install), retention rates (Day 1, Day 7), return on ad spend (ROAS), lifetime value (LTV). If a campaign underperforms, adjust targeting, creative, or budget.

• Ensure your app store listing is optimized: The ad effort is only half the story — if your game’s store page is weak (screenshots, description, ratings), you’ll lose potential users when they land there.

• Use region-specific strategies: TikTok growth is especially strong in Southeast Asia. For example, Vietnam’s TikTok ad reach among adults surged. Considering your region (Vietnam), this is an advantage you can leverage.

• Leverage playable ads or interactive formats: For mobile games, interactive ads (playable ads) perform well. A recent article noted that over half of the top 100 global mobile game publishers are using playable ads.

5. Examples of TikTok ads for mobile games

Let’s look at how some games have used TikTok ads successfully.

• Clash of Clans: The ad featured a short gameplay clip, followed by a CTA to “Download now”. It generated over 1 million views and produced positive feedback from users.

• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery: The ad used stunning graphics, gameplay footage, and a voice-over describing the game’s story and features. Then it ended with a CTA “Download now”. It achieved over 1 million views shortly after its release.

• Monument Valley: This ad focused on beautiful visuals, tranquil music, and a voiceover describing unique puzzle mechanics. It resonated with players looking for calm, aesthetic games and achieved over 2 million views.

6. How Ecomdy Global Gaming can help you rock TikTok ads

Overall, TikTok ads are very effective at promoting mobile games. They provide broad reach, cost-efficient installs, and high engagement. If you’re looking for a way to market your mobile game, TikTok should definitely be on your radar.

At Ecomdy Global Gaming, we don’t just help you run ads — we help you build success from day one. Whether you’re launching your first campaign or scaling to millions of installs, our all-in-one TikTok advertising support ensures every stage of your user acquisition journey is optimized for growth.

Pre-Launch: Setting You Up for Success

Before you go live, we make sure everything is ready for takeoff:

• Ad Account Provision: Get access to trusted TikTok Ads accounts under official partnership.

• Market & Creative Research: Discover what’s trending and what really drives installs.

• Policy & Compliance Training: Stay safe, stay compliant — no more ad rejections.

• Creative Video Production: From concept to final edit, our video team brings your gameplay to life.

• MMP Integration: Connect your mobile measurement partner (MMP) for accurate data tracking.

Launch: Run, Optimize, Win

Once your campaign is live, our team continuously refines and scales your results.

• Campaign Setup & Optimization: We build, test, and fine-tune your campaigns for maximum ROI.

• Performance Reviews: Daily and weekly monitoring to catch every growth opportunity.

• Detailed Reports: Transparent insights with weekly and monthly reports to track your progress.

Post-Launch: Keep Growing Strong

The work doesn’t stop after launch, that’s when the real scaling begins.

• Feature & Testing Updates: Stay ahead with TikTok’s latest tools and beta programs.

• Account Health Check & Appeal Support: We help you maintain account stability and handle any policy issues fast.

• Exclusive Training & Webinars: Learn directly from TikTok experts and the Ecomdy team about creative strategy and ad tools.

At Ecomdy Global Gaming, we combine creative expertise, data-driven strategy, and hands-on optimization to help mobile game studios achieve sustainable growth on TikTok.

In a crowded mobile game market, capturing attention is harder than ever. But with TikTok’s rapid growth, mobile-native format, and high engagement, advertising your mobile game on TikTok is a strategic move.

Remember: It’s not just about blasting an ad - you need to create content that resonates, looks native, reaches the right audience, and leads to a great game experience after install. Pair that with continuous creative testing, data analysis and store-page optimization, and you’ll maximize your chances of success.