Players search for games by genre (RPG, puzzle, racing), mechanic (merge, match 3, tower defense), theme (zombie, fantasy, farm), mood or context (relaxing, offline, multiplayer), and audience (for kids, for adults). Build a keyword map from these dimensions using store suggestions, competitor listings, reviews, and keyword tools. Place the strongest terms in the title and subtitle or short description, avoid other games' trademarks, and refresh the map as trends and your game evolve.
How players search for games
Many game installs come from browsing charts, featured placements, and ads, but search remains important, especially for players looking for a specific type of experience. Their queries usually combine a few dimensions: genre, mechanic, theme, mood, and context. A player might search for offline zombie shooter, relaxing farm game, or tower defense strategy.
Understanding these dimensions helps you find keywords that match your game honestly and attract players who will enjoy it. Ranking for broad terms like games is nearly impossible for most titles; ranking for specific combinations is achievable and brings better players.
Build a keyword map by dimension
List terms for each dimension that fits your game. Genre: puzzle, RPG, strategy, racing, simulation. Mechanic: merge, match 3, idle, tower defense, battle royale, card battler. Theme: fantasy, sci-fi, medieval, zombie, farm, cooking. Mood and context: relaxing, offline, multiplayer, with friends, no wifi, short sessions. Audience: for kids, for adults, family.
Combine dimensions into phrases and evaluate them for relevance, popularity, and competition. Our ASO keyword research framework explains scoring, and long-tail app store keywords shows how specific combinations can be easier to win.
Sources: suggestions, competitors, and reviews
Store search suggestions show popular queries as players type. Explore suggestions for each dimension in your target markets. Competitor listings reveal which terms leaders emphasize in titles, subtitles, and descriptions. Our competitor ASO analysis guide explains how to analyze them.
Player reviews and community discussions reveal the language players use, such as satisfying, grindy, or cozy. These words can become keywords and caption copy. Our guide to mining reviews for keywords shows how to extract them. Keyword tools add estimated popularity and difficulty; see keyword research tools.
Placing keywords in metadata
On the App Store, the title and subtitle carry the most weight, and the 100-byte keyword field extends coverage. Use the title for your game's name plus a strong genre or mechanic term where natural, and the subtitle for a combination of genre, theme, or mood. Our App Store keyword field guide explains how to use the field efficiently.
On Google Play, the title, short description, and full description are indexed. Use natural language that includes priority terms without stuffing. Our Google Play keyword optimization guide explains the balance.
Avoid trademarks and misleading terms
Do not use other games' names or trademarked franchises in your metadata unless you hold a license. Store policies prohibit it, and players searching for a specific game rarely want an alternative. Avoid keywords that misrepresent your game, such as claiming multiplayer when it is single-player.
Misleading keywords may bring impressions but produce low conversion, poor retention, and negative reviews, which ultimately hurt visibility. Our white hat vs black hat ASO guide explains the risks.
Localize keyword research
Game vocabulary differs by language and culture. Genre names, slang, and popular themes vary, and direct translation often misses real queries. Research keywords in each priority market using local suggestions and native speakers. Our game localization ASO guide covers this in depth.
Some markets use English game terms alongside local language terms. Check which forms players actually use in search before choosing.
Trends and seasonality
Game trends shift quickly. New sub-genres emerge, such as a mechanic popularized by a breakout hit, and seasonal themes like Halloween or winter holidays spike temporarily. Monitor trends and adapt promotional text, events, and seasonal content, but keep core metadata aligned with your game's lasting identity.
Our seasonal ASO calendar helps plan seasonal keyword and creative updates.
Measure and iterate
Track rankings, impressions, and installs for priority keywords, and connect them to conversion and retention where possible. On iOS, App Store Connect shows search impressions; Apple Ads search terms reports reveal which queries convert. On Google Play, Play Console shows search terms that bring visitors and installs.
Iterate metadata in planned cycles, changing a few elements at a time so you can attribute results. Our keyword ranking tracking guide explains how to monitor rankings meaningfully.
Common game keyword mistakes
Targeting only broad terms like game or fun game wastes metadata space on unwinnable keywords. Another mistake is using competitor names, risking rejection. Many games also ignore mood and context terms like offline or relaxing, which players frequently search.
Teams sometimes translate keywords instead of researching locally, missing real queries. Finally, changing metadata too frequently makes it impossible to learn what works.
A worked example: a cozy farming game
A cozy farming game uses the subtitle Fun and relaxing game, which is vague. Keyword research reveals players search for farm game, cozy games, offline farming, and farming simulator, and reviews frequently mention relaxing and cozy. The team rewrites the subtitle as Cozy farm and village simulator and fills the keyword field with related terms like harvest, crops, animals, offline, and village.
On Google Play, the short description becomes Grow crops, raise animals, and build a cozy village, even offline. Search impressions for farming terms rise, and conversion improves because players see exactly the experience they searched for.
How to do it, step by step
- List terms by dimensionWrite genre, mechanic, theme, mood, context, and audience terms that fit your game.
- Gather data from multiple sourcesUse store suggestions, competitor listings, reviews, and keyword tools.
- Score and prioritizeRank phrases by relevance, popularity, competition, and fit with your game.
- Place keywords strategicallyUse title, subtitle or short description, keyword field, and description appropriately per store.
- Localize and iterateResearch each market locally and update metadata in planned cycles.
Before and after examples
Illustrative examples written for a generic app in this category, not client results. Swap in your own product, audience, and data.
Fun and relaxing game
Cozy farm and village simulator
Why it works: Specific genre, theme, and mood terms match player searches.
game,fun,best,free,farmville
harvest,crops,animals,offline,village,cozy,simulator
Why it works: Relevant terms without trademarks or wasted words.
The best farming game ever made!
Grow crops, raise animals, and build a cozy village, even offline.
Why it works: Natural language with priority terms converts and ranks.
Action plan
- Map keywords by genre, mechanic, theme, and mood
- Mine store suggestions and reviews
- Prioritize specific combinations
- Avoid trademarks and misleading terms
- Localize research per market
- Iterate in planned cycles
Metrics to monitor
- Rankings for priority keywords
- Search impressions and installs
- Conversion rate from search
- Retention of search-acquired players
- Search terms reported by stores
Record the baseline, release date, audience, markets, and external changes before interpreting movement. Rankings and conversion are useful signals, but a decision is stronger when activation, retention, and business value confirm that the page attracted the right users.
Frequently asked questions
How do players search for mobile games?
By combining genre, mechanic, theme, mood, and context, such as offline zombie shooter or relaxing puzzle game.
Can I use other game names as keywords?
No, not without a license. It violates store policies and attracts players looking for a different game.
Where should game keywords go?
In the title, subtitle, and keyword field on the App Store, and in the title, short description, and full description on Google Play.
Should game keywords be localized?
Yes. Research keywords in each market, because game vocabulary differs by language and culture.
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