ASO for mobile games: store page, events and launch

ASO for games follows the same search rules as apps, plus game-specific ones: on the App Store you pick up to two Games subcategories and compete in their charts, and on Google Play games need at least three 16:9 or 9:16 gameplay screenshots and a gameplay video to qualify for the large recommendation formats, where promotional content is available to every game.

Uptika teamPublished: November 5, 2026Last updated: November 5, 20266 min readMarkdown version

What is different about ASO for games?

The search rules are the same as for any app: the App Store indexes the name, subtitle, keyword field and categories, and Google Play reads the title and descriptions, with downloads and ratings counting on both. Three things change for games. Categories have their own subcategory charts. Visuals carry more weight, because Google Play shows games in large formats built from screenshots, video and the feature graphic. And games live on updates and seasons, so events and promotional content become a regular ASO tool rather than an extra.

How do you choose a game's category?

On the App Store you can set Games as the primary or secondary category and pick up to two Games subcategories. Apple says players can browse those subcategories and the Games subcategory charts. Pick them by how the game plays, not only its theme: a word game with a fantasy look still belongs where word-game players browse.

On Google Play a game has one game category plus up to five tags. Google's own example: a multiplayer racing game with vintage cars should use "Racing" and "Car racing", not "Stunt driving" or neighbouring genres. Free games also appear on Google Play Games on PC by default. The full decision tree is in choosing a category and reading top charts.

Which keywords work for games?

Players search by genre ("puzzle"), mechanic ("merge", "match 3", "idle"), theme ("zombie", "farm"), mode ("offline", "multiplayer") and sometimes by a known franchise. Keep franchise and rival names out of your metadata: Guideline 2.3.7 forbids trademarked terms and popular app names, and Google Play's metadata policy forbids misleading references to other apps. Mechanic and mode words are often less crowded than the genre word and describe the game more precisely. The method for scoring them is in app keyword research.

What are Google Play's rules for game screenshots and video?

Google Play's preview-asset guidelines treat games separately. These are the requirements to be eligible for the formats that show groups of recommended games:

Asset	Requirement for games	Source rule
Screenshots	At least three 16:9 landscape (min 1920×1080) or three 9:16 portrait (min 1080×1920)	Recommendation formats
What they show	The in-game experience, so players see what the gameplay is like	Preview asset guidelines
Text on images	Taglines only if needed, no more than 20% of the image; in-game UI need not be localized, overlays should be	Preview asset guidelines
Hands and devices	No people interacting with the device unless the core gameplay is off-device	Preview asset guidelines
Video	Not required, but highly recommended for games; Google says a game needs a preview video to be shown in certain parts of Google Play	Preview video
Video content	Actual gameplay early, within the first 10 seconds; at least 80% representative of the experience; pre-rendered scenes only as support	Preview video
Feature graphic	Required (1024×500); for games it is shown in the large recommendation format	Feature graphic

The general limits still apply: up to 8 screenshots per device type, sides between 320 and 3,840 px, and no ranking or price claims such as "#1" or "50% off" in any image.

What are the App Store's rules for game visuals?

On the App Store, screenshots must show the app in use (Guideline 2.3.3), and App Review approves a set only when more than half of the screenshots for each device show the game in use. App previews may "only use video screen captures of the app itself" (Guideline 2.3.4), are 15–30 seconds long and can be up to 3 per language and device size. Apple's search page says your rating and up to three screenshots or previews can show in search results, so the first three images do most of the work. Metadata must suit a 4+ audience even if the game is rated higher (Guideline 2.3.8): no gore or guns pointed at a character in the icon or screenshots.

How do events and promotional content help a game?

Both stores let you advertise what happens inside the game.

	App Store in-app events	Google Play promotional content
Who can use it	All apps and games	All games; apps that meet eligibility criteria
Where it shows	Event cards in search, on your product page and in editorial spots; people who downloaded before see the event card in search	Your store listing, and with featuring possibly the homepage and search results
Limits	Up to 10 published at once, 15 approved; up to 31 days; published up to 14 days before start	Submit up to 60 days ahead; approval can take up to 4 days; up to 4 weeks; preview up to 14 days
Text	Event name 30, short description 50, long description 120 characters	Event name is internal; content set per event type
Featuring	Through editorial selection	Featuring requests at least 14 days before start; app developers get up to 6 broad-audience featuring slots per quarter

Plan events around real content: a new season, a limited mode, a holiday update. An event with nothing new inside tends to waste the card.

What should you know before launching a game?

Accounts and costs. Apple Developer Program 99 USD a year; Google Play developer account 25 USD once, 18+.
Google Play testing rule. Personal developer accounts created after 13 November 2023 need a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 continuous days before applying for production.
Age rating. Loot boxes push an App Store rating to at least 9+, infrequent simulated gambling to 13+, and real-money gambling to 18+. Answer honestly (Guideline 2.3.6).
Loot boxes. Guideline 3.1.1 requires games that sell randomized items to disclose the odds of each item type before purchase.
Spam rules. Guideline 4.3 warns against apps "indistinguishable from what's already widely available" and names drinking games among low-value kinds; Google Play's spam policy forbids repetitive content and multiple near-identical apps.
Measure from day one. Record keyword ranks and chart positions before launch, so the launch effect is visible.

Where does Uptika fit?

Kategori listeleri (category charts) in the Uptika panel follows your game's rank in the free and grossing charts of each market, read every 3 hours, and the apps moving around you. Kelime radarı (keyword radar) tracks genre and mechanic searches daily, and Rakip günlüğü (competitor log) shows when a rival game changes its title, icon or screenshots. The free Chart Movers tool shows today's climbers and new entrants in a category, including games launched in the last 90 days. Start free, and see the ASO checklist for the full pre-launch list.

Questions

How do I do ASO for mobile games?

Research the searches players use (genre, mechanic, theme), put the strongest in the title and, on the App Store, the subtitle and keyword field; choose Games subcategories that describe how the game plays; show real gameplay in the first screenshots and the video; use in-app events on the App Store and promotional content on Google Play for updates and seasons; and track ranks and category charts daily.

How do I publish a game on Google Play, and what does it cost?

Create a Google Play developer account (a one-time 25 USD fee; you must be at least 18), create the app in Play Console as a game, complete the store listing and App content forms, and release through a testing track. New personal accounts created after 13 November 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 continuous days before production.

How much does it cost to publish a game on the App Store?

The Apple Developer Program costs 99 USD a year, shown in local currency in some regions. There is no extra fee per game.

Can I publish a game on the Play Store for free?

Not entirely: the Google Play developer account has a one-time 25 USD registration fee. After that there is no fee per game or per update; Google takes a service fee only on paid apps and in-app purchases.