Ad Tips For Midcore, RPG & Idle Games

Advertisement requirements

Check our Advertisement requirements page for any restrictions.

Midcore, RPG, strategy, and simulation games are quite different from quick hypercasual titles. They usually have deep economies, complex upgrade paths, and much longer play sessions. According to our top games data:

Strategy games average 17 minutes of play time and a Day 1 retention of 7.5% (12% above the platform average of 6.7%).
Adventure games average 17 minutes of play time and a Day 1 retention of 7.4%.
Simulation games average 14 minutes of play time and a Day 1 retention of 7.4%.

These genres perform incredibly well with optional, rewarded ads. In fact, top strategy games average 21 ad impressions per play, with a massive 14 coming from rewarded ads. Adventure games average 9.8 impressions (with 4.5 rewarded), and simulation games average 7.9 impressions (with 3.3 rewarded). Monetization in these genres is all about helping players progress rather than interrupting their play.

This guide explores how to integrate monetization into deep economy games without breaking balance or frustrating your player base.

Economy & Premium Currency

In deep games, players highly value their time and premium currency (like gems, crystals, or gold).

Free Daily Gems

Set daily caps: Offer small amounts of premium currency via rewarded ads, but set a limit (e.g., up to 5 times per day).
Show the value of premium items: Letting free players earn small amounts of gems helps them see the value of premium shop items, which can encourage them to make a purchase later.

Scaling Rewards

A reward of 100 gold is great at level 1 but useless at level 50. Make sure to scale your ad rewards based on the player's current level, upgrade costs, or average grinding speed so the rewards always feel worth their time.

Loot Boxes & Energy Systems

Rewarded ads fit naturally into stamina and randomized reward loops.

Daily Loot Boxes

Let players watch an ad for a free pull in your gacha system or to open a chest.
Limit views: Restrict this to once every few hours to keep the items rare and exciting.

Energy Refills

If your game uses an energy system, let players watch an ad to refill a portion of their energy bar.
This helps keep your most active players in the game longer.

Minimizing Midgame Ads

Restrictions

Check the Advertisement requirements for an up-to-date list of CrazyGames requirements.

For deep economy games, forced midgame ads should be used very sparingly, if at all.

Players in RPGs are deeply invested in their gameplay. Interrupting an inventory check or a boss run with a forced ad can be very frustrating.

If you do use midgame ads, only show them during major transitions (like after completing a quest).
It's usually best to rely on rewarded ads and menu banners instead.

Keeping the Economy Balanced

With deep economies, you'll want to make sure ads don't throw off the game balance:

Currency Inflation: Ensure players aren't getting so much currency from ads that the game becomes too easy.
Store Balance: Make sure rewarded ads aren't so generous that players have no reason to purchase items from your store.

Learnings from other genres

Why not try something a bit different? Here are some "left-field" ideas inspired by other game genres. While these aren't proven practices for this genre yet, they might be just what your game needs to stand out:

Clicker - Offline Boosters: Clicker games are masters of the "welcome back" flow. Try offering players a rewarded ad to double or triple their accumulated offline earnings when they return. It's a huge motivator for players who have been away.
Action & Driving - Pre-Level Trials: Let players watch an ad to temporarily test out a high-level hero, rare weapon, or powerful vehicle for a single dungeon run or raid. It's a great way to show them how awesome your late-game content is!
Puzzle - Battle Undo: In a tough strategy or turn-based RPG, try offering a rewarded ad that lets players "undo" their last move or restart a battle if they make a critical mistake. It acts like a revive but fits strategy mechanics perfectly.