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Ocean View Games
Game Monetisation Strategy Picker

Game Monetisation Strategy Picker

The wrong monetisation model kills good games. Answer a few questions about your project and we'll recommend the strategy most likely to generate sustainable revenue without driving players away.

What platform is your game targeting?
What genre is your game?
Who is your target audience?
How long are your typical play sessions?
How much content does your game have?
What is your marketing budget?
How do you feel about ads in your game?

Your Top Strategy

Hybrid (IAP + Ads)
Recommended
89% match
Revenue Potential:Very High

Hybrid monetisation thrives on mobile, where both ad mediation and IAP infrastructure are mature and well supported. The model monetises your entire player base: non-spenders watch ads, while engaged players purchase ad removal or premium items. Your casual genre has proven hybrid potential, with top-grossing titles demonstrating the model at scale.

Advantages

  • +Monetises both paying and non-paying players
  • +Ad removal IAP creates a natural conversion path
  • +Diversified revenue reduces dependence on any single source

Risks

  • -Balancing ads and IAP without overwhelming players is tricky
  • -Can feel cluttered if not designed carefully

Used by: Coin Master, Archero, Merge Dragons, Royal Match

Other Models

Services that implement your strategy

Choosing a model is the first step. Most of the work is in implementing it: balancing the virtual economy, integrating ad mediation, setting up analytics and meeting store rules. We have implemented monetisation systems across mobile, educational, and live-service titles.

Live Ops & Monetisation

IAP integration, ad mediation, virtual economy design, and analytics.

Unity Game Development

Full-cycle Unity development from prototype to launch.

Mobile Porting & Optimisation

iOS and Android games with ads, purchases and subscriptions designed into the core loop from the start.

Educational Games

Gamified learning apps for institutions and publishers.

Related Resources

How Much Does Game Development Cost?

Full cost breakdown including monetisation as a cost driver.

Cost Estimator Tool

Interactive budget calculator for your game project.

How to Monetise Your Game (Blog)

In-depth guide covering IAP, ads, premium, and subscription models.

Frequently Asked Questions

There is no single best model. It depends on your genre, audience, and content strategy. Casual games tend to perform best with ads or hybrid (ads plus IAP), while deeper genres like RPGs and strategy games see the highest revenue from IAP-driven free-to-play models. Our tool analyses seven factors about your project to recommend the best fit.
Advertising in children's games is heavily regulated. In the US, COPPA restricts behavioural advertising and data collection for under-13s. In the EU and UK, GDPR-K (the Age Appropriate Design Code) imposes similar constraints. Contextual (non-targeted) ads may be permissible in some cases, but premium or subscription models are typically safer and avoid regulatory risk entirely.
Paymium is a hybrid model where players pay an upfront price to purchase the game and can also make in-app purchases for additional content, cosmetics, or expansions. It combines the revenue certainty of premium pricing with the ongoing monetisation potential of IAP. The model is most common on PC and console through the base game plus DLC structure.
Revenue varies enormously. A casual mobile game with ad monetisation might earn £0.01 to £0.05 per daily active user. A well-optimised IAP game can see average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU) of £0.10 to £0.50 or more. Top-grossing titles generate billions annually. The key factors are retention, monetisation design, and user acquisition efficiency.

Get your monetisation model built properly

Tell us about your game, your players and the model you have in mind, and we will talk through what implementing it involves.

Discuss your model