Every few years, a mobile gaming market shifts from “interesting to watch” to “impossible to ignore.” Having closely monitored global growth vectors at OHM Agency, we’ve watched Türkiye officially cross that line. Today, it sits at the top of global charts, backed by a hyper-engaged population, a mature ecosystem, and UA economics that offer rare efficiency — if you know how to navigate them.
However, in our campaigns, we frequently see Western studios enter Türkiye with copy-pasted playbooks, only to wonder why their KPIs stall. The market rewards local calibration and heavily punishes copy-paste assumptions.
This is the first article in our three-part series on scaling in Türkiye. Rather than just repeating public data, we want to look at the market through the lens of live campaign realities: what actually works, where the hidden traps lie, and how the channel landscape behaves.
The Market in Numbers: Our Perspective
The macro data confirms what we’ve been seeing on the ground: the Turkish gaming market reached $2.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit $4.3 billion by 2033 (CAGR of 8.3%), driven heavily by its mobile segment, which is on track to cross $500 million by 2029.
When optimizing our regional growth strategies, a few core metrics dictate our approach:
● Growth Leader: Türkiye recently led all global markets in mobile consumer spending growth (+28% YoY), outpacing markets where we also buy traffic, like Mexico (+21%), India (+17%), and Saudi Arabia (+14%).
● The Demographics: Out of over 45 million active gamers, our internal data confirms that the vast majority (approx. 40+ million) play on mobile, while PC and console account for 21 million and 11 million respectively.
● Engagement: The core demographic is aged 21–35, boasting a near-even gender split (48% female). Mobile game installs and session lengths continue a steady 8-12% upward trajectory year-over-year into 2026.
This rise isn’t accidental. Türkiye is home to global powerhouses like Dream Games (Royal Match), Peak Games, and Rollic, alongside massive newer successes like Grand Games, who recently secured a landmark $70M investment round. In our experience, this local pedigree matters: Turkish players are highly sophisticated. They know what world-class games look and feel like, raising the bar for any incoming publisher.
Retention Reality: Breaking the Benchmarks
Here is where we often have to manage expectations for international studios: despite massive install volumes, average retention in Türkiye runs significantly below global benchmarks.
● Day 1: 19% (vs. 26% global)
● Day 7: 5% (vs. 12% global)
● Day 30: 1% (vs. 5% global)
In our live campaigns, we’ve learned that this sharp drop-off isn’t a reason to avoid the market; it’s a reason to rebuild your UA strategy. Optimizing purely for cheap install volume without accounting for faster churn will instantly destroy your unit economics. The studios we work with succeed because they build deeper down-funnel optimization and aggressive onboarding into their UA strategy from day one.
Genre choice also dictates survival. Our data shows that the best Day 1 retention belongs to Card (25%), Family (25%), and Puzzle games (23%). Meanwhile, the longest average sessions are held by Strategy (30.5 min) and Board games (29.3 min). From what we’ve seen, bringing a mid-core title optimized strictly for Western engagement metrics means entering a much steeper uphill battle.
The Channel Landscape: Beyond the Duopoly
In our recent scaling phases, TikTok has emerged as a dominant growth engine in Türkiye. Driven by a massive +59% YoY surge in iOS UA spend, TikTok’s Turkish CPMs remain incredibly efficient for our clients — typically ranging from $2.50 to $6.00, compared to the $10–$20 averages we see in the US.
However, TikTok in Türkiye requires cultural precision. We’ve tested standard Western creatives against localized variations, and generic formats are instantly scrolled past. The highest ROI comes from using localized, Turkish-language hooks and native creators.
While Meta remains a staple in our media mix for mid-core lookalike and retargeting campaigns, the efficiency gap has widened. A balanced 2026 media mix leans TikTok-first for raw user acquisition, supplemented by Meta for retention.
One placement we find heavily underutilized by incoming studios is Pangle (TikTok’s video advertising network). For hybrid-casual and ad-monetized titles in our portfolio, Pangle offers direct access to highly engaged audiences, often delivering significantly lower CPIs than standard in-feed placements.
Calibrating for the Market: Lessons Learned
To win in Türkiye, our team focuses on avoiding two costly mistakes:
1. KPI Miscalibration: Do not interpret low D7/D30 retention as a product failure. We advise building market-specific benchmarks into your internal reporting early, or you risk pulling budgets prematurely.
2. Audience Homogeneity: Istanbul and Ankara skew highly international with stronger purchasing power. In our regional campaigns, we see that smaller
regional hubs display vastly different genre preferences and monetization habits. Segmented targeting and regional creative testing are non-negotiable.
Sources & References
● Market Growth & Projections: IMARC Group: Turkey Gaming Market Report & Forecast
● Industry Insights & Ecosystem Trends: Anadolu Ajansı: Turkish gaming industry data and Naavik Gaming Analysis: Why Turkish Game Development Matters
● UA Spend Growth & Consumer Behavior: Mobile Market Reports by Sensor Tower and data.ai
● Retention & Genre Benchmarks: Mobile Gaming Industry Performance Reports by AppsFlyer and Liftoff
● Ad Inventory & CPM Pricing: Performance Insights by TikTok for Business and Adjust
