How Does Game Design Impact Player Retention?

Sensor Tower introduced the Meta Feature Filter in Game Taxonomy to analyze how mobile games achieve long-term retention through design.
It includes tags like Character Collection, Levels, Resource Management, Social Clans, Narrative Stories, and Decoration/Renovation.
In September 2022, top US games by revenue totaled $286.7 million, down 4% from August, likely due to inflation.
However, monthly active users remained stable.
Social Clans were the most popular meta feature, followed by Levels, spanning Casual, Mid-Core, and Casino genres.
Notably, 70% of top games use two or more meta features to sustain their player base.