# 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?

- **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]
- **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]
- **Loot boxes must show the odds**: Games that sell randomized virtual items must disclose the odds of each item type before purchase: Guideline 3.1.1 on the App Store and the Payments policy on Google Play both require it. [3] [4]
- **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]
- **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](https://uptika.app/en/product/visibility): Reads your game's place in the category charts every 3 hours, 100 deep on the App Store and 200 deep on Google Play.
- [Keyword radar](https://uptika.app/en/product/keyword-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.
- [Rival log](https://uptika.app/en/product/rival-log): Logs the day a rival game changes its icon, screenshots or title, and what happened to its ranks in the 7 days after.
- [Reviews and insights](https://uptika.app/en/product/reviews): Reads reviews every 6 hours, so crash and difficulty complaints after an update show up as their own group.
- [Search mirror and screenshots](https://uptika.app/en/product/search-mirror): Puts your first three screenshots next to the rival games in the same search.

## Questions

### 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.

## Sources

1. [Categories and discoverability (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/categories/)
2. [Choose a category and tags for your app or game (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859673)
3. [App Review Guidelines 2.3.8, 3.1.1 (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/)
4. [Payments policy (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9858738)
5. [In-App Events (Apple Developer)](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/in-app-events/)
6. [In-App Event badges (App Store Connect Help)](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/in-app-events/in-app-event-badges)
7. [Understand promotional content (Play Console Help)](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/12929029)

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Uptika is an ASO and store-intelligence tool for the App Store and Google Play. https://uptika.app/en/categories/games · Last updated: 2026-11-05