App Install Tracking for Game Developers

Games have a unique install tracking problem

Game developers promote their apps differently than SaaS or utility app developers. Your installs don't come from clean, predictable channels like email campaigns and blog CTAs. They come from a YouTube gameplay video that blows up at 2am, a Reddit thread where someone recommends your game, a Twitch streamer who plays it on a whim, and a Discord server where someone shares a link.

These sources are scattered, unpredictable, and often driven by other people — not by you. That makes tracking harder, but also more important.

If a Twitch streamer with 50K followers plays your game for 20 minutes and you can't tell whether it drove 10 installs or 1,000, you're making decisions blind. Did it work? Should you send them a paid offer? Should you reach out to other streamers of similar size? Without per-link tracking, you're guessing.

Where game installs come from

Game installs come from a wider variety of sources than most other app categories. Here are the most common channels:

Channel	How it works	Tracking challenge
YouTube videos	Gameplay, reviews, tutorials. Link in description	Need to know which specific video drove installs
Twitch streams	Live gameplay. Link in chat or bio	Streams are ephemeral — tracking needs to be real-time
Reddit	Posts in game-specific or general subreddits	Multiple posts across subreddits, hard to track individually
Discord	Links shared in game communities	High volume of shares, low individual visibility
TikTok	Short gameplay clips. Link in bio	Bio links are shared across all content, not per-video
Twitter/X	Screenshots, clips, threads	Tweets have short lifespans
Game review sites	TouchArcade, Pocket Gamer, etc.	Usually a single link in the article
Word of mouth	Players telling friends	Hardest to track — referral links help
Cross-promotion	Your other games linking to the new one	Need separate tracking per source game

Each of these channels works differently. A single tracking solution needs to handle all of them. The approach: give each channel (or each individual creator, campaign, or post) its own tracking link.

Setting up tracking links for game marketing

The setup is the same regardless of channel. Create a tracking link, share it, and every click and install is logged.

Here's an example setup for a game called "Dungeon Dash":

Link name	URL	Where it's used
YouTube - @GameOverGreg review	instally.io/l/greg-review	Video description link
YouTube - @IndieGameSpot feature	instally.io/l/indiegamespot	Video description link
Twitch - @SpeedyPlays stream	instally.io/l/speedyplays	Stream chat command / bio
Reddit - r/iosgaming launch post	instally.io/l/reddit-iosgaming	Post body
Reddit - r/androidgaming launch post	instally.io/l/reddit-androidgaming	Post body
Discord - Dungeon Dash server	instally.io/l/discord-main	Pinned invite
TikTok - bio link	instally.io/l/tiktok-bio	Profile bio
Twitter - launch tweet	instally.io/l/twitter-launch	Tweet
TouchArcade article	instally.io/l/toucharcade	Given to journalist
Cross-promo from Tower Quest	instally.io/l/tower-quest-xpromo	In-app banner in your other game

Each link detects the user's device and redirects to the correct store. iOS users go to the App Store, Android users go to Google Play, desktop users see a branded download page with both buttons and a QR code. See how one-link detection works for the technical details.

Tracking installs from YouTube creators

YouTube is the biggest discovery channel for mobile games. A single well-placed video can drive thousands of installs. But only if you can measure it.

The standard approach: give each YouTuber their own tracking link. They put it in their video description. Every click and install from that video is tracked to their link.

Here's what the data looks like after a campaign with three YouTubers:

Creator	Subscribers	Clicks	Installs	Install rate	Revenue (30 days)	Cost per install
@GameOverGreg	120K	4,200	840	20.0%	$2,100	$0 (organic)
@IndieGameSpot	45K	1,800	312	17.3%	$780	$0 (organic)
@MobileGamerKai	280K	6,100	488	8.0%	$390	$0 (organic)

This data tells a clear story. @GameOverGreg has fewer subscribers than @MobileGamerKai but drives a much higher install rate and more revenue per install. If you're going to do a paid partnership with one creator, @GameOverGreg is the obvious choice.

Without per-link tracking, all you'd see is a spike in installs around the time the videos went live. You'd have no way to attribute installs to specific creators, and no data to inform future partnerships.

If you want creators to see their own stats, Instally lets you invite them to a creator dashboard. They see their link's clicks, installs, and revenue. You can set up automatic payouts via Stripe Connect if you're paying per install or revenue share.

Tracking installs from Twitch and live streams

Twitch is trickier than YouTube because streams are live and ephemeral. A streamer might mention your game once during a 4-hour stream, and the install spike happens within minutes.

The tracking approach is the same — give the streamer a unique link — but the patterns are different:

• Install spikes are immediate. Most installs from a Twitch stream happen during the stream itself, within 30 minutes of the mention. Your dashboard needs to show real-time data.
• Chat commands matter. Twitch streamers often set up chat commands like !game that post the download link in chat. Make sure the link in the command is the tracking link.
• VODs extend the window. After the stream ends, the VOD (video on demand) stays up. Viewers watching the VOD might install days later. The tracking link still works.

Game-specific revenue tracking

Game monetization is different from utility apps. Most games don't rely on subscriptions. They monetize through in-app purchases (IAP): coins, gems, battle passes, cosmetics, and premium unlocks.

When you connect a payment provider to Instally, revenue from in-app purchases is attributed back to the tracking link that drove the install.

Metric	Utility/SaaS app	Game
Primary revenue model	Subscription	In-app purchases (IAP)
Revenue timing	Recurring monthly	Spiky, front-loaded
Key metric	Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)	Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)
Revenue tracking period	Ongoing	First 7/30/90 days most important
Typical conversion to paid	2-5% trial-to-paid	1-3% of players make a purchase

For games, the most useful revenue metric is revenue per link within a specific window — typically 7 or 30 days. This tells you the quality of users from each source.

A link that drives 1,000 installs but $50 in revenue is less valuable than a link that drives 200 installs and $400 in revenue. The second group of users is more engaged and more willing to spend. Per-link revenue tracking surfaces this immediately.

Revenue tracking works by connecting your payment provider:

Provider	What it tracks	Setup
RevenueCat	IAP, subscriptions	Webhook integration
Stripe	Server-side purchases	Webhook integration
Superwall	Paywall conversions, IAP	Webhook integration
Adapty	IAP, subscriptions, paywalls	Webhook integration

Once connected, every purchase is automatically linked to the install, and therefore to the tracking link.

Integrating the SDK in a game

Game engines add a layer between your code and the native platform. Here's how the SDK fits into common game development setups.

Swift example (native iOS game or SpriteKit):

import Instally
import SpriteKit

@main
struct DungeonDashApp: App {
    init() {
        Instally.configure(appId: "app_dungeondash", apiKey: "ik_live_dungeondash")
    }

    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            SpriteView(scene: GameScene())
        }
    }
}

Kotlin example (native Android game):

import io.instally.sdk.Instally

class DungeonDashApp : Application() {
    override fun onCreate() {
        super.onCreate()
        Instally.configure(this, "ik_live_dungeondash")
    }
}

Flutter example (cross-platform game with Flame or similar):

import 'package:instally/instally.dart';

void main() {
  Instally.configure(appId: 'app_dungeondash', apiKey: 'ik_live_dungeondash');
  runApp(const DungeonDashGame());
}

React Native example:

import { instally } from 'instally-react-native';

instally.configure({ appId: 'app_dungeondash', apiKey: 'ik_live_dungeondash' });

For Unity and Unreal Engine, Instally provides native plugins that wrap the iOS and Android SDKs. The setup is similar — call configure once on app launch.

The SDK is under 50KB and adds negligible overhead to your game's startup time. It doesn't request IDFA or show an ATT prompt.

Cross-promotion between your own games

If you have multiple games, cross-promotion is one of the most effective install drivers. A banner or interstitial in Game A promoting Game B, with a tracking link.

Create a tracking link specifically for cross-promotion:

instally.io/l/tower-quest-to-dungeon-dash
instally.io/l/dungeon-dash-to-tower-quest

This tells you how effective cross-promotion is between each pair of games. You might discover that Tower Quest players love Dungeon Dash (high install rate, high revenue), but Dungeon Dash players don't care about Tower Quest (low install rate). That's useful information for deciding where to invest in cross-promo creative.

Building a game launch tracking plan

Here's a template for setting up tracking before a game launch:

Phase	Action	Links to create
Pre-launch	Set up teaser campaigns	Social media teaser links (Twitter, Reddit, TikTok)
Launch day	Coordinate creator posts, submit to review sites	One link per creator, one per review site, one per social post
Week 1	Monitor which channels perform, double down on winners	May create additional links for follow-up content
Month 1	Evaluate creator ROI, plan paid partnerships	Links for paid creator campaigns
Ongoing	Maintain evergreen links (bio, website, Discord)	Long-running links for organic discovery

After launch day, your dashboard shows you exactly which channels drove installs and revenue. This data directly informs your next marketing decision: which creators to partner with again, which platforms to focus on, and which channels aren't worth the effort.

FAQ

Does Instally work with Unity or Unreal Engine games?

Yes. Instally provides native iOS and Android SDKs that can be integrated into Unity and Unreal Engine projects via native plugins. The setup involves adding the SDK to your native project and calling configure on app launch. The Flutter and React Native SDKs also work if your game uses those frameworks.

Can I track installs from a game trailer on the App Store or Google Play?

No. Installs that come from browsing the App Store or Google Play directly (not through a tracking link) can't be attributed to a specific link. These are organic store installs. Instally tracks installs that come from links you share outside the stores.

How do I track installs from a Discord bot or automated message?

Same as any other channel. Create a tracking link and use it in the bot's message or command response. Every click is tracked. If the bot sends the link in multiple channels, you can create separate links per channel to see which Discord channels drive the most installs.

Can I see which country my installs are coming from per link?

Yes. Instally's dashboard shows a geographic breakdown of clicks and installs for each link. This is useful for games that are localized — you can see whether your Japanese-language YouTube creator is driving installs primarily in Japan, or if the reach extends to other markets.

What about tracking installs from app review sites like TouchArcade?

Create a tracking link and provide it to the journalist or reviewer. Include it in your press kit. When they publish the article with your tracking link, every click and install from that article is tracked. This is especially useful after launch — you can see which reviews drove the most installs and prioritize those outlets for future games.

I run seasonal events and limited-time offers. Can I track installs during specific campaigns?

Yes. Create a new tracking link for each seasonal campaign (e.g., instally.io/l/halloween-event-2026). Share it in your event marketing materials. After the event, you'll see exactly how many installs and how much revenue the campaign drove.