In monetization design, ARPDAU (Average Revenue Per Daily Active User) shows how well your game converts attention into money. It reflects the effectiveness of your monetization systems — day by day, user by user.
1️⃣ Definition
ARPDAU is the average amount of revenue generated per daily active player. It combines the performance of both in-app purchases (IAP) and ads, and is central to analyzing F2P and LiveOps-based games.
Metric | Formula |
ARPDAU | Total Daily Revenue ÷ Daily Active Users (DAU) |
📍Example:If a game earns $8,000 from 100,000 DAU → ARPDAU = $0.08
2️⃣ Why ARPDAU Matters
Use Case | What It Enables | Design Insight |
Daily health check | Monitors monetization efficiency in real time | How much value does each player generate per day? |
Event impact tracking | Shows revenue spikes from offers, features | Did your sale actually work? |
UA and CPI matching | Helps determine payback speed | Will a player “pay back” acquisition cost? |
Ad/IAP optimization | Blends both revenue streams into one number | Are ads cannibalizing purchases — or enhancing them? |
📍High ARPDAU doesn’t always mean good UX. Sometimes it means pressure to spend — and that can backfire.
3️⃣ Interpreting ARPDAU
ARPDAU Range | Interpretation | Typical Context |
$0.01–$0.05 | Light monetization | Ad-driven games, hypercasual |
$0.05–$0.20 | Healthy hybrid economy | Casual/midcore F2P |
$0.20–$1.00+ | High-value payers | Gacha, 4X, mid-hardcore systems |
📍Low ARPDAU + High DAU? Likely ad-heavy. High ARPDAU + Low DAU? Niche game with whales.
4️⃣ ARPDAU and Related Metrics
Metric | Focus | Timescale |
ARPDAU | Daily monetization per player | 1 day |
ARPU | Avg revenue per user over time | Lifetime or defined window |
ARPPU | Avg revenue per paying user | Highlights monetization depth |
📍Use ARPDAU for day-to-day tuning, ARPU for long-term planning, and ARPPU to understand payer behavior.
5️⃣ How to Improve ARPDAU
Strategy | Implementation |
LiveOps offers | Add time-limited deals or bundles during high-traffic windows |
Smart IAP timing | Trigger shop popups after high-intensity moments |
Ad balancing | Test ad density vs player fatigue (e.g., rewarded videos only) |
Segmented pricing | Personalize offers by country, player type, or engagement level |
Meaningful rewards | Link monetization to progress boosts, not paywalls |
📍Players pay when value feels fair and impactful. Tune your shop and ad systems accordingly.
6️⃣ Game Examples
Game | Monetization Structure | ARPDAU Effect |
Idle Miner Tycoon | Strong ad rewards + soft bundles | Moderate ARPDAU, high scale |
AFK Arena | VIP systems, gacha, events | High ARPDAU during events |
Subway Surfers | Ads + cosmetic purchases | Low ARPDAU, broad DAU base |
✅ ARPDAU Checklist
📍If your ARPDAU is rising, but retention is falling — you may be squeezing too hard. Sustainable monetization balances both.
Summary
Term | ARPDAU – Average Revenue Per Daily Active User |
What it shows | Monetization efficiency per engaged player |
When it spikes | During events, feature drops, sales |
Best used for | LiveOps tuning, CPI modeling, shop testing |
Paired with | DAU, retention, ARPU, ARPPU |
📍ARPDAU is the monetization pulse of your game — updated daily. Use it to spot patterns, test changes, and refine how your systems turn play into payoff.