Rewarded Returns. _{An Almedia study}

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January 7, 2026

8 min read

Table of contents

Demand More from Your Ad Spend

What 502 mobile game developers in the US and UK think about reward-based UA, and why most of them are doubling down.

What's inside

How developers rate today's UA environment and where they plan to spend

How rewarded campaigns perform against other UA channels

What's holding non-adopters back, from fraud concerns to internal resources

Where reward-based UA is heading next

Reward-based UA has left its incentivized-traffic reputation behind. 94% of developers now feel positive about it, and 77% have already run a rewarded campaign. Part One of Rewarded Returns asks 502 mobile game developers how rewarded campaigns perform, what holds non-adopters back, and where the channel goes next.

have already run a reward-based UA campaign

77%

say rewarded campaigns outperformed their other UA

82%

say rewarded UA has given them a competitive edge

95%

The 82% and 95% come from developers who have run a rewarded campaign. A small footnote would help here.

Developers who have tried rewarded UA see results. When asked how their rewarded campaigns compared with other UA, 82% said they performed better, and almost a third said much better. Only 2% found them less effective.

Retention is a big part of that. 79% say users from rewarded campaigns retain better than users from non-rewarded sources, and 59% planned to expand their rewarded campaigns in 2025. Among developers who hadn't run one yet, 62% worried about falling behind competitors, and 43% planned to add rewarded UA to their 2025 strategy.

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The full report also covers the biggest UA challenges developers face, how they rate rewarded platforms on support and fraud prevention, and an early look at what gamers think.

Rewarded Returns Pt. 1

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Rewarded UA has earned its place alongside Google, Meta, and AppLovin in the mobile marketing mix. It has become a core channel because the additional user engagement delivered post ad-click drives retention and long-term value that other UA sources struggle to match.

Moritz Holländer

Founder, CEO at Almedia

By showcasing our game directly to people who already play games and tailoring offers around in-game behavior, Freecash helped us scale installs globally faster and more efficiently than traditional channels.

Saras Panigrahi

Marketing Director at Potato Play

Almedia teams deliver full-cycle support for launching campaigns in multiple markets. They monitor KPIs closely, tweak campaign setups in real time, and consistently share new optimization ideas that help elevate results.

Saras Panigrahi

Marketing Director at Potato Play

We required UA partners who can perform at high spend levels and still hit key metrics like retention and a positive return on investment while scaling our game installs.

Saras Panigrahi

Marketing Director at Potato Play

We have been successfully working with Almedia for several years and are looking forward to the next years to come.

Pascal Ludynia

CEO at Ayet Studio GmbH

Almedia’s Talented team delivering results at scale! Always available and supportive.

Ben Asbach

CEO at Bitburst GmbH

Working closely with Almedia, we built and optimized a strategy that outperformed our goals. With aligned targets, transparent feedback, and a shared drive for innovation, we created a funnel that delivered real impact at scale.

Adi Tubul

User Acquisition Manager at Candivore

Almedia stands out as a partner that not only scales but also focuses on long-term performance. They’ve become an essential part of our UA mix.

Antella Yu

User Acquisition Lead at Stillfront (Super Free Games)

Almedia helped us scale high-quality U.S. users across iOS and Android, driving a 120% uplift in Day 7 retention and ROAS while doubling our budget in a competitive market.

Hyekang Seo

UA Lead at Actionfit

Almedia enabled us to achieve consistent monthly growth with profitable margins, fostering a sustainable path to success and ensuring long-term profitability.

Mad Brain Games

Almedia drives top-quality users to our games, among the best of all UA channels. We're happy to keep scaling and strengthening our partnership with this talented team.

Mor Stone

VP of Marketing at Innplay Labs

This was more than a reactivation, it was a relaunch powered by insight. The results speak for themselves: 550% growth in daily spend, 2x competitor performance, and a successful iOS expansion.

Dukryul Kim

UA Manager, Treeplla

We came into this partnership with aggressive growth goals, and Freecash helped us blow past every one of them. Doubling our 30-day ROAS against top competitors was something we hadn’t achieved before.

San Heo

CEO, Treeplla

The close collaboration between Candivore and Almedia’s team allowed us to design and iterate on a strategy that exceeded our performance goals. Through aligned targets, transparent feedback loops, and a shared commitment to innovation, we built a funnel that drove meaningful impact at scale.

Adi Tubul

User Acquisition Manager at Candivore

Almedia offers the broadest worldwide geo coverage among all the incentivized partners we’ve worked with, giving us valuable insights into T2/T3 markets and helping us scale efficiently with lower CPIs.

Antella Yu

User Acquisition Lead at Stillfront (Super Free Games)

Almedia proved that rewarded UA can deliver both high ROAS and strong retention - a combination we hadn’t been able to achieve before. The process was smooth from start to finish, and the ongoing optimization made a huge difference in campaign success.

Jade Baeck

Senior Manager at SUPERBOX

Almedia delivered nearly 3x higher D30 retention compared to other rewarded channels: all while maintaining strong ROAS. It was the first time we found a UA partner that could truly balance both retention and profitability.

Jade Baeck

Senior Manager at SUPERBOX

Partnering with Freecash has been a great fit for our games and community. Their rewarding platform integrates naturally with our player experience, delivering strong engagement and meaningful value for both sides. We’re excited to continue expanding our collaboration and building long-term success together.

Dima Gorodnev

COO, Ovivo

Rewarded Returns. An Almedia study

What's inside

have already run a reward-based UA campaign

say rewarded campaigns outperformed their other UA

say rewarded UA has given them a competitive edge

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Rewarded Returns. _{An Almedia study}