Playable Ads Trends in Mobile Games & Apps - September 2025 – Matej Lancaric: User Acquisition Expert to Grow Mobile Games Globally 🦄🕺

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Matej Lančarič

UA Mobile Growth Extraordinaire ·

Helping you stay 2.5 steps ahead of the games industry. Don't be too serious, except about UA.
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As the UA landscape evolves, so do the creative trends that shape how games communicate with their audiences. With the rise of Applovin and increased spend on SDK networks, I’ve decided to bring you a monthly trends review of top-performing playable ads across different genres.

For those that read only summaries, here are playable trends September in a nutshell:

Puzzle trend still growing
- I was surprised in august but now its just a growing trend with MAJORITY of new playable ads on Google being simple Puzzle minigame
Cats everywhere
- Seems that Cats have been a major power in September. After analyzing new creatives in this month, after while i was asking myself – why do i see so many cats here? Are we witnessing cat revolution?
Dogs chasing them
- Moreover, cats biggest nemesis – dogs, have been taking their presence as well. Yes they are both cute, but this seems like an open war in the playable world.
Drag, drop, slide – merge
- I almost forgot about this mechanic, until i saw it emerging last month on some markets and ad networks, specially Applovin. Same as last month, companies are exploring old fashion, easy to understand mechanics like this to catch the attention – and it seems to be working.
Playable that made me play
- Train Miner: Idle Railway Game – this months winner was clear. Ad matching the gameplay, easy to understand yet visually satisfying while your train rushes through the woods and collects resources.

I am no longer puzzled by this Puzzle trend

The puzzle trend in playable ads is still growing and its momentum shows no signs of slowing down. Back in August, the surge in puzzle-based creatives came as a surprise, but over the past few months it’s evolved into a clear and dominant pattern. Now the majority of new playable ads appearing on Google lean heavily toward simple puzzle mechanics – quick, engaging challenges designed to capture attention in just a few seconds. This shift highlights how advertisers are prioritizing low-complexity, high-engagement formats that resonate broadly with users, making puzzle minigames the go-to choice for driving interaction and retention.

Did you know? You can create your own puzzle playable with playablemaker.com and not just that! You can create various different versions of it (different puzzle sizes, layouts, against the clock, to achieve score or even combine with different game mechanics) – just pick the template and customize in minutes!

Can you spot how many time the same template was used? 🙂

Cats everywhere?!

Cats are everywhere right now and they’ve clearly been one of the major creative forces in September. And it is not just cat-themed games that surged, it is also their use in creatives in general.

After reviewing the month’s newest playable ads and creatives, it became impossible to ignore how often these furry icons appeared. At some point, I actually caught myself wondering why am I seeing so many cats? It’s as if the industry collectively decided that cats are the new universal attention-grabbers.

Whether it’s their cute antics, viral appeal, or simply the internet’s long-standing obsession with them, we might just be witnessing the beginning of a full-blown cat revolution in ad creativity.

Dog are chasing them!

Dogs are quickly joining the fray, chasing after the spotlight that cats have claimed in september.

I talked about the “CAT” trend couple of lines before. But, their biggest nemesis, are also making more frequent appearances in new playable ads.

Sure, both are undeniably cute, but this sudden surge feels less like peaceful coexistence and more like an open rivalry playing out in the creative landscape. The playful competition between cats and dogs is giving the playable ad world an added layer of energy and fun, the question remains though, which side are you on?

Drag it, Drop it, Merge it

Drag, drop, slide and merge mechanics are making a noticeable comeback in playable ads lately. These games almost slipped my mind until I started seeing it last month across various markets and networks, especially on Applovin.

Just like last month’s trends, companies are returning to these old-fashioned, intuitive gameplay loops to hook players instantly. The appeal lies in their simplicity and universal reach, easy-to-understand motions quickly draw attention and based on recent activity, this tactic is proving once again that classic mechanics still drive engagement and conversions.

Playable Ad That Made Me Install a Game This Month

Train Miner: Idle Railway Game easily stood out as this month’s most captivating playable.

What made it so effective was how seamlessly the ad matched the real gameplay, delivering exactly what was promised and avoiding any sense of bait-and-switch. The premise was immediately accessible, guiding a train through the woods and collecting resources is instantly understandable, even for casual players.

On top of that, the gathering process was genuinely satisfying, with animations and environments that made playing feel rewarding. The progression system, where watching the train grow and the world evolve with each collected resource, contributed to a fun feedback loop that kept engagement high. All these elements combined to create an experience that was both inviting and irresistibly playable.

Data from PlayableMaker – whats being created?

Our friends at PlayableMaker have shared their latest data and insights for September 2025, revealing trends in templates, game mechanics and ad network usage. Here’s a quick summary:

Top Templates for September 2025

Puzzle: Numbers do not lie and this trends is just exploding
Spot The Difference : Probably one of the simplest templates, using 2 similar images to find the difference
End cards with Videos: Updated version of classical end card template, that showcases aprt of your game in small video thumbnails

Game Mechanics Trends

Puzzle (29%): Popular for its versatility and simplicity. You need one image to have fully working playable.
Bubble Shooter (15%): One of the newest additions, already taken 2nd place this month
Match3 (14%): Oldie but goldie, still has so much to offer.