Mobile game developers are constantly looking for new ways to bring in new players and keep existing players engaged with their games. One of the most successful ways to do this is to introduce meta items (game items and mechanics from other game genres) into your game.
More than 70% of mainstream iOS games from the top 20% grossing in the US now include meta items, whether through platforming minigames or side quests with RPG mechanics, but renovation and construction items are by far the game’s top-rated games. some of its popular items. The developers are promoting their games.
As our snapshot report of casual mobile games shows, gamers can’t get enough of the renovation and construction stuff. So what is it about these meta elements that keep players so engaged? And if you’re not already using refurbishment and construction items in your casual mobile game, what can you gain by doing so? To find out, check out some of the best examples of renovation and construction items in casual mobile games and dive into the numbers behind them.
Player motivations that ensure the success of renovation and construction staff
If we take a look at the main player motivations for casual games, we can see that completing milestones (mastery) and customization and decoration (expression) are two of the main drivers. The elements of construction and renovation in casual games directly address these two primary motivations. Players can express themselves by renovating and decorating a game environment (usually a room or property) with specific furniture to their liking. After players finish decorating, they begin to think they’ve accomplished (usually a much neater and better looking environment!) and feel a sense of accomplishment.
If you’ve seen mobile ads pop up on your social media charges, we bet you’ve seen your fair share of ads with refresh items. There’s something inherently satisfying about the idea of cleaning or getting things done that everyone loves. Satisfying cleaning videos are a new trend on TikTok, cleaning-based console and PC games like PowerWash Simulator have millions of players, and Animal Crossing, one of the most successful games on Nintendo Switch, involves a lot of cleaning and housework. No wonder the same items are so popular in mobile games!
How these remastering and building elements are implemented in-game often depends on the core gameplay mechanics and narrative nature of the game. However, we can generally classify renovation and construction elements according to one or a combination of the following styles:
- Single domain renovation (like mansion) – This is where you can refresh an area by choosing the style of an object from several options with players remaining in the main regeneration area. Good examples of this style are Homescapes, Merge Mansion and Lily’s Garden. There is often a strong focus on the narrative.
- Room renovation and completion – This includes renovating and decorating areas (usually rooms) by choosing different furniture styles and then moving on to the next area, basically segmented renovation! Games that implement this style of renovation often combine it with story elements such as Home Design Renovation and Project Renovation, with narrative progression supporting the renovation progress.
- Field renewal without options – A stripped down refresh model with no story options and core regen mechanics like the regen mechanic in Royal Match.
- Event based updates – These games are not based on refresh items but are promoted as limited time game modes through events and updates. Phase 10, Gummy Drop, Toon Blast, Word Cookies and Solitaire Grand Harvest did it all.
You can find detailed breakdowns of the above refresh styles in action by downloading our casual games snapshot report.
What types of mobile games are best suited for renovation and construction elements?
Unless you’re developing a new game from scratch, promoting construction and refurbishment items as part of a limited-time event will be one of the easiest ways to capitalize on the appeal of these meta-items and hopefully gain new players. There are many ways to do this through new game modes that can be launched as part of updates; This means that construction and renovation items can be added to various game types. However, some genres, such as Match3, are particularly suitable for renovation and construction elements, seen in 42% of the top-grossing 20% Match3 games.
Royal Match and Zen Match are two examples of Top 200 grossing Match3 games that include elements of renovation and construction. In both games, refresh features are implemented along with puzzle mechanics as part of the core cycle: game levels → earn money → refresh in meta.
Want to learn more about renovation and construction meta elements? To see more examples of these meta items in practice, download our casual games snapshot report.
What are the latest trends in renovation and construction games?
For many mobile game developers, their games are a constantly evolving work as they grow with new features. This means that the implementation of renovation and construction elements is also constantly evolving, and this meta has some surprising uses in various games.
Lily’s Garden, a puzzle and renovation game, recently introduced a new game mode called Home Design, where you can renovate different rooms of Lily’s house to earn boosters and soft currency rewards. The Home Design mode features 2D pictures of the room to be renovated, instead of using the typical top-down bird’s eye view found in most remodeling games, adding an interesting twist to the usual gameplay. Also interesting is the implementation of Home Design as a permanent side-progress mod instead of a limited-time event, as limited-time events are often the most popular way to implement refresh items.
Other puzzle and renovation games like Homescapes introduced features that focused on player upgrade/customization rather than building renovation. The game’s latest update, Dream Date, is the latest iteration of a makeover meta that was introduced in January this year.
In this final mode, players are tasked with sculpting one of the game’s characters to impress their history, resulting in a series of makeup-themed missions they must complete. You will need money to complete these missions, which you can earn by working at normal levels in the game. The more makeup-themed missions you complete during the event, the more rewards you’ll get. Not only are makeup metas like this becoming more popular, but the warm welcome from players has led Playrix to expand them to other games in its portfolio, such as Township’s Unforgettable Wedding event.
It’s interesting to see games like Homescapes use events to promote a makeover meta that you’d usually associate with games like Project Makeover, and we’ll be watching to see if this particular meta element is as successful as renovation and construction. elements.
Thinking of adding renovation and construction items to your game?
While Match3 games and other riddles are particularly well suited for renovation and construction elements, this meta can be incorporated into a variety of casual game genres if done right, and remains relevant to your core playstyle, like the Serenitea Pot system in the action RPG Genshin Impact. This allows players to create their own houses.
If you are considering adding renovation and construction elements to your game, you need to think about the implementation methods that will best suit your game and its players. For example, narrative-driven games may want to follow the style of room renovation and completion used by Home Design Renovation and Project Renovation, while other developers may want to see how their players react to the renovation and construction items at an event.
If you’re looking for inspiration, the GameRefinery platform is the best way to compare examples of the most successful refurbishment and construction items in casual games, showing how they’ve been implemented and the UI and revenue impact of refurbishment and construction-themed game updates. .
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