Puzzle Game Engagement & Retention Statistics

3.5T hours

Players spent 3.5 trillion hours on mobile games in 2024, an 8% increase year-over-year

+12%

Total mobile gaming sessions rose by 12% in 2024 over 2023

63%

63% of mobile gamers report playing puzzle games at least once per week

1.2B+

More than 1.2 billion people engage with puzzle titles regularly worldwide

10M+

NYT Games platform attracts over 10 million daily players across all puzzle titles

24.5 min

Average puzzle game session length increased to 24.48 minutes in 2024, up from 23.89 minutes in 2023

18%

Puzzle games achieve 18% Day-30 retention, significantly higher than the 13% mobile game average

8-9 min

Top 25% of mobile game projects had average session lengths of 8-9 minutes, with median at 5-6 minutes

+7.9%

In-app purchase revenue was up 4%, time spent up 7.9%, and sessions up 12% in 2024 vs 2023

+40%

Puzzle games with daily challenges see retention rates increase by up to 40%

69%

69% of top puzzle games use daily streak and engagement bonuses as a key retention strategy

52%

52% of leading puzzle games incorporate engaging in-game events and challenges

1.6 days

Puzzle games have the shortest time to first purchase at 1.6 days on Android and 1.7 days on iOS

$11.8B

The brain training apps market was valued at USD 11.8 billion in 2024, projected to reach USD 115.8 billion by 2034

-15%

Board game players have a 15% lower risk of developing dementia than non-players

3 areas

Crossword puzzles improve executive functioning, spatial recognition, and processing speed

5.2M+

Over 5.2 million students use brain training apps such as Elevate and Lumosity