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Personalisation is transforming how games connect with players, ensuring every interaction feels relevant and engaging. When done right, it strengthens engagement, increases retention, and keeps new users active long after installation.
As part of the Mastering UA series, this report explores how personalisation is shaping the future of user acquisition (UA). With real-world strategies and emerging trends, we uncover how game publishers can refine their UA approach and build lasting player connections.
How Personalisation Enhances Player Engagement and Retention
Why Personalisation Matters in UA
Players today expect experiences tailored to their preferences. Generic interactions no longer stand out, making personalisation a key factor in successful UA strategies. As Sven Jürgens, App Growth Consultant & Advisor at Sven Jürgens Consulting, puts it:
Personalisation is key to winning users over. When you tailor experiences to what people like, they’re more likely to stick around. The retention will be higher, and it gives users the feeling of 'This is my game.'
1. A Better Player Experience
When a game adapts to a player’s preferences, it feels more engaging. Whether it’s suggesting content based on past gameplay or customising in-game challenges, personalisation makes players feel valued and understood.
Example: A strategy game could offer beginner-friendly tutorials to new players while providing advanced tactics to experienced users.
2. Stronger Player Retention
Players are more likely to return if a game evolves with them. Dynamic difficulty adjustments, personalised event recommendations, and tailored challenges keep users engaged for the long run.
Example: A puzzle game might increase or decrease challenge levels based on a player's skill progression, keeping them motivated without frustration.
3. Standing Out in a Competitive Market
With thousands of games competing for attention, personalisation helps publishers create unique, player-centric experiences. When a game consistently delivers relevant content, it fosters loyalty and keeps players engaged.
Example: A multiplayer game could offer different event recommendations based on a player's favorite game modes, ensuring they always find something exciting to participate in.
How Personalisation Enhances UA and Player Engagement
At Gamelight, we know that personalisation works best when it aligns with both gameplay and UA strategies. Here are some key ways game publishers can use it effectively:
1. Personalised Messaging
Players respond better to messages that feel relevant. Whether through notifications, emails, or in-game prompts, tailored messaging keeps players engaged.
2. Customised In-Game Experiences
Adjusting the game experience based on player behavior creates a more immersive journey. This could include unlocking specific rewards, adjusting difficulty, or tailoring content recommendations.
David Vargas, UA Consultant, emphasises the importance of leveraging all available tools for effective personalisation:
Using all available features across the main ad networks to customize the user experience as much as possible will positively impact your campaign performance, especially when running retargeting campaigns. A combination that typically performs well in gaming is CPPs/CSLs with deep links. With this combo, you not only offer a tailored app page that is highly relevant and connected to the creative used to acquire the user, but you also redirect the user to the feature that initially attracted them, creating a much better experience.
Balancing Personalisation and Privacy
Personalisation should enhance the player experience without feeling intrusive. Game publishers must ensure transparency and respect user preferences regarding data use.
Finding the Right Level of Personalisation
Over-personalisation can feel overwhelming, while too little can make the experience feel generic. Testing different levels of personalisation helps strike the right balance.
Scaling Personalisation Efficiently
Applying personalisation at scale requires the right tools. AI and automation can help streamline the process, ensuring every player receives a meaningful experience without overwhelming development teams.
Future Trends in Personalisation for UA
As personalisation technology evolves, new trends will shape how game publishers engage players. Renata Ravilova, Head of PR & Community at UGC Ninja, highlights the growing role of personalisation across all aspects of UA:
I think personalisation is the word of 2025. In every aspect of users' experience, including marketing campaigns and their acquisition and personalised monetisation approach. In terms of creative strategy and UGC ads, that means using a variety of creators and building user personas that attract hyper-specific audiences.
1. Predictive Personalisation
Instead of reacting to player behavior, AI will predict what players need before they realise it, offering personalised content in advance.
2. Omnichannel Personalisation
Seamless personalisation across platforms — mobile, PC, and console — will create unified experiences for players, no matter where they play.
3. Real-Time Adaptation
Games will dynamically adjust based on real-time player data, ensuring every session feels fresh and engaging.
Beyond traditional personalisation, an emerging trend in the industry is "fake onboarding." As Jakub Remiar, Founder & Host of two & a half gamers, explains:
Gamelight’s Approach to AI-Powered Personalisation
Gamelight takes personalisation in UA to the next level through AI-driven targeting and adaptive user experiences. Gamelight’s matches players with games that align most with their interests, ensuring more relevant game recommendations, resulting in higher engagement and retention rates. Gamelight’s algorithm dynamically refines acquisition strategies, allowing game publishers to scale efficiently while maintaining high return on ad spend (ROAS).
Conclusion
Personalisation isn’t just about improving gameplay; it’s about creating an experience that players connect with on a deeper level. Games that adapt to user preferences, offer meaningful recommendations, and evolve with their audience are the ones that build lasting communities
As the landscape of user acquisition continues to evolve, one thing is clear: the more personal and relevant the experience, the stronger the connection between players and the games they love.
The era of fake ads has evolved into the era of 'fake onboarding' as the gameplay seen in the fake creatives is now implemented into the actual onboarding of the game in such detail that it has become an integral part of the core loop. So developers now need to create not only the main game, but also the additional core gameplay that they will use in the marketing creatives and onboarding of the game to drive down CPI. This trend should persist and get even more widespread this year.
Challenges in Personalisation (and How to Overcome Them)