Keep your game in the right chart and see every move.
ASO for games adds game-specific rules to the usual search rules: on the App Store you pick up to two Games subcategories and compete in their charts, on Google Play you pick one game category and up to five tags, and on both stores you announce seasons with events.
What makes ASO different in this category?
- 01
Two Games subcategories on the App Store
If Games is your primary or secondary category, you can choose up to two Games subcategories. Apple says players browse those subcategories and the Games subcategory charts, so pick them by how the game plays, not only by its theme.[1]
- 02
A category and five tags on Google Play
On Google Play a game gets one game category (action, puzzle, word, racing and so on) and up to five tags. Google asks for tags that are clearly relevant. Free games also appear on Google Play Games on PC by default.[2]
- 03
- 04
Events show up in search too
On the App Store an in-app event card appears on your product page and in search; people who downloaded the game before see the event card instead of screenshots. Badges include Competition, Challenge and New Season. On Google Play, promotional content is available to every game.[5][6][7]
- 05
Visuals must suit a 4+ audience
Guideline 2.3.8 asks that icons, screenshots and previews suit a 4+ audience even when the game is rated higher: no gruesome death and no gun pointed at a specific character.[3]
Features that matter most
Visibility score
Reads your game's place in the category charts every 3 hours, 100 deep on the App Store and 200 deep on Google Play.
MoreKeyword radar
Reads your rank daily for genre, mechanic and mode searches such as puzzle, merge or offline: top 200 on the App Store, the first page on Google Play.
MoreRival log
Logs the day a rival game changes its icon, screenshots or title, and what happened to its ranks in the 7 days after.
MoreReviews and insights
Reads reviews every 6 hours, so crash and difficulty complaints after an update show up as their own group.
MoreSearch mirror and screenshots
Puts your first three screenshots next to the rival games in the same search.
MoreThis category's charts
The free Chart Movers tool shows this category's top 10 today, the climbers, new entrants and launches of the last 90 days.
App Store · All games
US · Chart Movers
Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
Open toolGoogle Play · All games
US · Chart Movers
Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
Open toolListing X-Ray
Holds a store listing's searchable fields against the store's own suggestions and the category's top 10.
Open toolQuestions
Which Games subcategories should I choose?
Up to two that describe how your game plays. Apple suggests looking at the types of games in each subcategory if you are unsure. The free Chart Movers tool shows the Games chart's top 10 and today's climbers.
How often does Uptika read the game charts?
Category charts are read every 3 hours, 100 deep on the App Store and 200 deep on Google Play. A reading that fails stays empty; it is never filled with an estimate.
Read more
ASO for mobile games: store page, events and launch
The ASO rules that apply to games: categories and subcategories, Google Play's game screenshot and video rules, events and promotional content, launch costs.
Read the guideChoosing an app category and reading top charts on both stores
How to choose a primary and secondary category on the App Store and a category plus 5 tags on Google Play, and how to read category top charts.
Read the guideIn-app events on the App Store: limits, badges, examples and a calendar
App Store in-app events: every limit (10 live, 15 approved, 31 days, 14 days early), media specs, which badge to pick, 10 example events and a 12-month plan.
Read the guideGoogle Play promotional content (LiveOps): events, offers and featuring
Google Play promotional content (LiveOps): eligibility, content types, submission timing, featuring quotas, text rules and App Store in-app events compared.
Read the guideSources
- Categories and discoverability (Apple Developer)
- Choose a category and tags for your app or game (Play Console Help)
- App Review Guidelines 2.3.8, 3.1.1 (Apple Developer)
- Payments policy (Play Console Help)
- In-App Events (Apple Developer)
- In-App Event badges (App Store Connect Help)
- Understand promotional content (Play Console Help)