Tapjoy has released its Modern Mobile Gamer report which has found that half of today’s mobile gamers prefer an ad-supported model over pay-to-play.

Highlighting changes in the five years since the first Modern Mobile Gamer report, the survey has used market research from Tapjoy’s survey platform as well as data accumulated from five surveys and 9,352 respondents.

According to the report, 57 per cent of people play more mobile games now than five years ago, with 86 per cent playing on mobile compared to 36 per cent playing consoles. Parents are most likely to play multiple times per day, above Gen X. Furthermore, women are more likely to play at this frequency than men.

In terms of in-app purchases, parents are the fastest to spend, waiting only a few days in 27 per cent of cases Almost half of mobile gamers are also open to app tracking, trusting developers with this information.

Tapjoy's findings in December 2021 were that 77 per cent of Gen X play mobile games daily, making them as active as Gen Z on mobile phones.

Puzzle popularity

The top genre of mobile game is now puzzle games, beating action/adventure games from last year. This is now the second most popular and tied with strategy and simulation games. Of those surveyed, 55 per cent consider puzzle games to be their favourite.

Additionally, 60 per cent are most likely to discover new mobile titles because of in-game ads. Rewarded ads are also popular.

"This year marks the fifth anniversary of Modern Mobile Gamer, and to celebrate, we’re examining how mobile habits have changed in that time while also looking to the future," said Tapjoy senior director of marketing Lauren Baca.

"We’ve found that most mobile gamers are playing every day, often multiple times a day, sometimes switching among four or more favourites."

You can download the complete report here.