Albums, battle passes and milestones: Mobile’s top event types to introduce this summer

As summer 2025 arrives, mobile games of all genres will be launching their latest events tied into seasonal celebrations.

AppMagic’s new blog post has analysed some of the most noteworthy summer event formats and the games that leveraged them in 2024 to offer devs some insight into strategies they could echo in 2025 and beyond.

Albums, battle passes and milestone events were deemed some of last summer’s most notable formats to engage them.

Album advantages

Albums were found to be one of summer’s most popular event types in casual and midcore, built around collection mechanics in tandem with other events. This type of content can motivate players to invest more time and resources into a mobile game to complete a full set.

AppMagic noted that building an album collection through a gacha system can also "consistently" drive retention and revenue.

Dream Games’ Royal Match was highlighted as an effective example of this, with a summer event spanning July 1st to September 1st last year. There were 15 collections to assemble, each with nine cards, meaning a total of 135 to collect in the time period.

These cards had a summer holiday theme and came in various rarities. They were obtainable through other events, completing levels and more, with a complete collection rewarding players with in-game currency, boosters and high-value items.

"Technically, the event functioned as a layer on top of other activities," AppMagic explained. "You play match-3s, participate in tournaments, open chests - and keep filling the album as you go along."

Magic Tavern’s Project Makeover was also highlighted for featuring its first-ever album in summer 2024 and establishing "best practices" straight away. There were 24 collections to complete, each with eight cards, meaning 192 in total.

Those cards had a beach aesthetic, were collected through completing levels and events, and notably, could be traded between players to add a social element.

Beach battles and milestone mechanics

AppMagic has deemed battle passes "one of the most effective live ops tools" with its impacts on revenue and engagement, encouraging daily logins and regular play to unlock all rewards.

Royal Match was again mentioned for its use of a season pass last summer, though over a shorter period than its album event. The pass was available from July 1st to August 1st, 2024 with two paths - one free and one premium - motivating free-to-play and spending players to engage.

Album cards were also available as pass rewards, further syncing the game’s summer-themed events.

Supercell’s Squad Busters also featured a battle pass last summer, shortly after its release as part of the title’s first large-scale seasonal event.

Lastly, AppMagic put the spotlight on Boombox Games’ Triple Match 3D for its use of milestone rewards, having featured eight back-to-back events last summer. Each week a new event went live, typically with a small shift in theme, with a "predictable rhythm" that likely helped players form a habit.

Integrated into core gameplay, these milestone events served as a "background layer" to earn extra rewards while playing, such as extra lives.

"As we head into summer 2025, it is the perfect moment to reflect on your seasonal live ops strategies and maybe introduce some of the practices we’ve explored," AppMagic said.

AppMagic’s full blog post analyses more mobile games leveraging these event types.