By Try Betty 
When social distancing measures closed the doors of nearly 1000 casinos in the US, social casino games hit the jackpot. Total global gross gaming revenue of the social casino segment amounted to $6.2 billion in 2020, according to Statista. That’s up from $4.9 billion the year before, and revenue is forecast to steadily grow all the way to $8.3 billion by 2026.
But with more people returning to work and spending less time on their phones and other devices as a result, finding success in this competitive marketplace is only going to get tougher, especially with more traditional gambling and casino companies entering the market.
So how can developers and app makers stay on top? Thankfully, coming up with a winning strategy in the social casino market isn’t down to luck. It’s about knowing your audience and which gameplay mechanics and features have a solid track record of keeping players engaged and coming back for more – especially as there’s such a crossover between online video games and social casinos.
Whether you’re a developer entering the market for the first time or an established provider looking to switch up your strategy, we’ve analyzed data from thousands of mobile games alongside Liftoff’s ad performance insights from over 12 million installs to create a list of winning tips that will help you craft stronger marketing strategies for your social casino game.
Video games are a competitive market in general, but the barrier to entry in the social casino gaming market is so tough that no new social casino title has reached the top 200 in the past year. The market is dominated by long-established games such as Coin Master, Slot Mania, Double Down and Bingo Butz, and there’s no shortage of high-quality content for players to dive into. So what can you do differently?
Some of the most popular titles climbing to the top of other genres within the mobile gaming market are doing so because they’re not just designed to look and feel great, but they combine gameplay elements from a variety of different genres. You can use these same elements within your social casino title to deliver deeper immersion and keep players coming back for more. Is there any reason your casino game can’t feature a strong narrative or story that makes it stand out among your competitors?
Don’t alienate yourself from what players love and know, but don’t dare to be different either. Just check out the gameplay mechanics below that are proven to work if you’re looking for some inspiration…
Taking a closer look at the top 100 social casino games reveals five of the most common gameplay mechanics and features. If you’re not as familiar with the gaming industry, some of these terms may sound slightly alien, but it’s important to understand what they mean and how they affect gameplay, given their proven success.
Album collectables are the most popular feature appearing in 74% of the top social casino games. True to the name, these are collectables rewarded to the player that mark their progression in the game and essentially serve as bragging rights. They don’t have any direct impact on gameplay.
You’ll probably be more familiar with the second-most popular feature: special side-modes. These are essentially bonus events or mini-games that are tied to the main game mode. In most cases, you’ll progress through the side modes using resources you gathered in the main game mode. They’re a fantastic opportunity to build on key narrative points or add new gameplay elements into your social casino game. 71% of the top 100 social casino games use special side modes – that’s up from 40% in 2020.
Third up, we’ve got piggy bank systems, used in 70% of the top 100 social casino games. They’re a simple but highly effective monetization tool that acts as a constant milestone for players to work towards. Players fill up their piggy bank by playing the game, and once it’s full, they can pay to break it and gather the contents inside.
Guild mechanics are another growing feature as they make their way over from traditional video games into casino games. Featured in 42 of the top 100 social casino games, these gameplay mechanics encourage social engagement between players as they band together in guilds. Those mechanics might involve communal tasks, competitions or timed guild events, and players can communicate with each other via the guild chat.
Any rewards from guild mechanics are usually distributed among all of the players in a guild. Due to their popularity, many developers lock their guild mechanics behind a minimum requirements wall.