Strategy games are quietly reshaping top-tier pricing, proving that the once-untouchable $99.99 ceiling is no longer the limit.

The analysis, written by Lera Kalashnikova and Alina Zlotnik and based on AppMagic data, was featured alongside other pieces in AppMagic’s biweekly newsletter.

Historically, Strategy has always been a genre driving significant player spending. In 2025, however, it has reached truly record levels.

By day 90, iOS paying users in the US today would have invested around $600 in Strategy titles, outspending even Casino players, one of the highest-spending segments historically.

This shift did not happen overnight. According to AppMagic, the genre’s surge since mid-2024, largely driven by several major releases in Card Battler, 4X Strategy and Turn-Based Strategy subgenres, helped reshape player expectations and drive lifetime value growth.

As a result, some developers are now confident enough to aim higher than ever.

The trend is also reflected at company level. Nexters ($GDEV), which is headquartered in Cyprus and is best known for Hero Wars, has seen Hero Wars: Alliance officially surpass $1 billion in lifetime in-app purchase revenue, according to AppMagic. Launched in 2017, the title has grown into a top nine team battler globally by lifetime revenue.

However, a closer look shows that the picture is less dramatic on Google Play. This comes as no surprise, as ARPPU for Strategy players on the App Store has been four to five times higher than on Google Play.

This year, despite Google Play showing similar positive momentum, the gap has widened even further.

The reason may also lie in contrasting spending patterns. Google Play users convert more often but spend less, with the average transaction staying below $7.

App Store players, by contrast, convert less frequently but at a much higher price point. Many make their very first purchase above $15, which sustains ARPPU even as overall purchase volume declines.

Against this backdrop, the numbers show that Strategy games remain a gold mine. Yet to reach these spending highs, studios still need to convert players first.

According to AppMagic, the genre’s entry point, the lowest price across both stores, typically sits at $0.99.

From a developer’s standpoint, the amount may look insignificant, but for non-paying users it represents a strong, low-friction first step that opens the door to higher-value offers.

One example illustrates this “spending level-up” in action. Whiteout Survival’s Myriad Bazaar offer starts with an entry at $0.99 and gradually raises the cost of each paid tier until it reaches $99.99, with each step offering increasingly valuable “free rewards” woven into the paid track.

Just as each tier of the chain encourages players to move past their comfortable price threshold, the game’s monetisation guides them from the conversion entry point toward higher spending levels.

This, in turn, raises the central question: how far can prices go?

Until this year, the highest price most Strategy developers typically placed on offers was $99.99.

Unlike other genres, these high-end purchases often rank among their top in-app purchases.

In Evony: The King’s Return, for example, the most common purchase across all offers is the $99.99 pack, accounting for more than 50 per cent of all in-app purchase revenue.

Other major titles, including Mobile Legends, Pokémon TCG Pocket and Puzzles & Survival, also feature at least one $99.99 offer among their top five purchases.

Still, 2025 has pushed this ceiling further. According to AppMagic, a growing number of 4X Strategy games are testing higher-tier pricing.

Total Battle introduced $149 and $249 offers. High Seas Hero added €119 and €279 hard-currency packs. Puzzles & Survival launched a $199.99 time-limited bundle.

While this remains an emerging trend, for some titles these prices have already become a permanent feature rather than a one-off experiment.

Total Battle, for instance, recently added multiple offers priced above $99, typically unlocking only after a player’s first purchase.

In addition, its pass includes a second premium tier priced at $149, while seasonal events feature chains of offers climbing as high as $249.

In this case, the move toward higher prices may reflect the game’s strong focus on paying users, as it offers relatively little to players who choose not to spend.

Yet its ARPDAU remains lower than that of top-grossing titles such as Whiteout Survival or Last War. This suggests the game does not rely on whales as heavily as the pricing might imply.

Most of its revenue comes from mid-tier offers in the $19–$49 range, while $249 purchases account for less than 10 per cent.

Here, a clear tension emerges between pricing ambition and actual player behaviour.

According to AppMagic, this approach requires a very specific audience, as most players will avoid spending so much on a single purchase.

As a result, some studios are experimenting more cautiously.

Puzzles & Survival, for example, tested a $199.99 limited-time offer in October, available for only a few days, likely to gauge how much of its audience was willing to pay at that level.

Ultimately, while high price points may look tempting across genres, AppMagic notes that true mastery of monetisation lies in balancing features, perceived value and all pricing levels between, and beyond, the $0.99 to $99.99 range.