01๐ Is CPI high in Japan? Comparing with the world and the US
The short answer: Japan is a high-CPI market. According to Adjust's "The gaming app insights report: 2026 edition," game app CPI in 2025 was $0.56 globally (+30% YoY), $1.71 in the US ($1.31 in 2024) and $0.27 across APAC. In the report's chart, Japan is the second-highest market in APAC after Singapore, at a level close to the US.
Japan-only figures come from Adjust ร Sensor Tower's "Mobile app trends 2025: Japan edition." Japan's game app CPI rose from an average of $1.26 in 2024 to $1.46 in Q1 2025.
The periods do not line up exactly, so a strict comparison is not possible, but you won't go far wrong by remembering that Japan's game CPI is more than twice the global average and close to the US. Japan is a market where each user spends a lot, which tends to drive up competition between advertisers.
02๐ฎ CPI by game genre
Even within games, CPI varies widely by genre. These are the Q1 2025 values from Adjust's Japan report.
The highest is RPG ($2.78), followed by strategy ($1.96) and simulation ($1.76). These genres sit at the center of Japan's mobile game revenue, and because each user spends heavily, advertisers are willing to pay more to win them. Genres built on ad revenue or light play, such as arcade ($0.67) and music ($0.39), are much cheaper.
RPG CPI has come down from $4.28 in 2023 to $3.44 in 2024 and $2.78 in Q1 2025, but it remains the most expensive genre.
03๐ What changed in 2026
After rising in 2025, CPI eased in early 2026. These are the four genres published in Adjust ร Sensor Tower's "Mobile app trends 2026: Japan edition."
| Genre | 2024 | 2025 | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action | $0.86 | $0.99 | $0.84 |
| Adventure | $1.37 | $2.45 | $1.61 |
| Arcade | $0.63 | $0.75 | $0.69 |
| Board | $1.95 | $2.26 | $2.11 |
Source: Adjust ร Sensor Tower, "Mobile app trends 2026: Japan edition," p.19. Some 2024 values differ from the 2025 edition because the dataset was refreshed.
All four genres rose from 2024 to 2025 and fell in Q1 2026. Adventure dropped about 34%, from $2.45 to $1.61. However, only these four genres were published, and there are no 2026 figures for RPG or strategy, so it is not accurate to say that CPI in Japan has fallen across the board.
04๐ Japan vs. the US on Apple Ads
For Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads), which appear in App Store search results, AppTweak publishes country benchmarks based on 2025 data (medians across about 3,500 apps and 50,000 campaigns).
| Metric (search results ads) | Japan | US | Global |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPI (median) | $2.57 | $4.06 | $1.80 |
| CPT (cost per tap) | $1.11 | $1.91 | $0.92 |
| CR (tap โ install) | 46% | 55% | 56% |
| TTR (tap-through rate) | 6.40% | 6.60% | 7.40% |
Source: AppTweak, "Apple Ads benchmarks 2026" (August 19, 2026). Medians across all categories.
What stands out is that on Apple Ads, both CPI and cost per tap are lower in Japan than in the US. Japan, which matches the US on overall game CPI, looks relatively affordable on App Store search ads. On the other hand, the share of taps that become installs (CR) is 46%, below the US and global figures. That suggests room for improvement through a fully localized Japanese store page and well-designed screenshots.
Japan has a high iOS share; Adjust's 2026 Japan report puts it at 67โ68%. Because Apple Ads reliably reaches iOS users, it is one of the first acquisition channels to consider in Japan.
05๐งพ CPI for non-game apps
For non-game apps such as finance, e-commerce, entertainment, manga, social, dating and education, we found no reliable public data on CPI in Japan. Adjust's Japan reports cover installs, sessions and retention for non-game apps, but no cost data.
A useful reference is AppTweak's US Apple Ads CPI by category (medians, 2025 data). These are not Japan figures, but they give a sense of which categories are relatively expensive or cheap.
| Category (US, Apple Ads) | Median CPI |
|---|---|
| Finance | $9.65 |
| Entertainment | $4.99 |
| Games | $4.63 |
| Health & Fitness | $3.77 |
| Education | $2.91 |
| Utilities | $2.25 |
| Social Networking | $1.45 |
| Shopping | $1.33 |
Source: AppTweak, "Apple Ads benchmarks 2026." US values only, not Japan.
In the US, finance is far more expensive than other categories, while shopping and social are cheap. In Japan too, finance apps that require users to open an account or verify their identity are likely to cost more. For non-game CPI in Japan, though, the reliable approach is to test with a small budget and measure it yourself. For business decisions, cost per action (CPA), such as cost per sign-up or account opening, is often more useful than cost per install.
06๐ How to read the numbers
CPI benchmarks differ in scope and method by source. Even "Japan game CPI" can vary by an order of magnitude. Check the following before using any figure.
- What the number covers: Adjust's figures cover paid installs across all networks Adjust measures, including cheap networks and rewarded traffic, so they tend to come out lower than averages for a specific ad network
- Median or average: Adjust describes its global figures as medians and its Japan figures as averages. AppTweak uses medians that are not weighted by spend
- Apple Ads CPI is a different metric: it is App Store search ad spend divided by downloads, covering iOS only and only users with search intent. It cannot be compared with network-wide CPI
- iOS and Android are combined: Adjust's Japan reports do not split by OS. iOS CPI is generally higher than Android's, which tends to push the average up in iOS-heavy Japan
- Periods do not always match: comparisons may mix "Q1 2025" with "full-year 2025"
In short, don't line up numbers from different sources and compare them. If you compare, compare genres or years within the same source.
CPI alone also does not tell you whether a channel is good. According to Adjust, Japan has the highest day-1 retention in APAC (25%). Judge a high CPI by whether retention and spending can earn it back.
07๐งฎ Setting your expected CPI
When turning public benchmarks into a business plan, this order makes it easier to build.
- Find the genre's going rate: pick values for genres close to yours from within one source. For games, start from Adjust's Japan report; for iOS search ads, from AppTweak
- Work back to an acceptable CPI: from lifetime value (LTV) per user, subtract your payback period and target margin to set a ceiling on what you can pay
- Test small and measure: benchmarks are only a guide. Run a small test to measure actual CPI with your own creative and store page
- Lower costs through creative: with the same budget, CPI varies widely depending on whether creative is built for Japan. Keep testing and scale the winners
For how to build creative for Japan, see Anatomy of winning vertical video ads in Japan.
08โ Checklist before setting your expected CPI
- You compare benchmarks within one source, not across sources
- You checked whether each number is a median or an average, and whether iOS and Android are combined
- You worked back from LTV to a ceiling for acceptable CPI
- For non-game apps, you plan to judge on CPA (sign-ups, account openings) as well as CPI
- You set aside budget for a small test to measure your actual CPI
- You prepared a Japanese store page and screenshots for Apple Ads
๐ Plan your CPI targets and creative for Japan side by side with our hands-on Duo team
From campaign design worked back from your target CPI or CPA to producing and testing creative for Japan, all in one team. Rough, early-stage questions are welcome!
Book a free consult โโ FAQ
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๐ Related articles
๐ Sources
- Adjust ร Sensor Tower, "Mobile app trends 2025: Japan edition" (July 2025), p.20 โ Japan game CPI (2024 average $1.26, Q1 2025 $1.46, by genre, RPG 2023โ2025)
a.storyblok.com/f/47007/x/9682af56e4/japan-app-trends-2025.pdf - Adjust ร Sensor Tower, "Mobile app trends 2026: Japan edition" (2026), p.19 โ CPI for action, adventure, arcade and board (2024, 2025, Q1 2026); iOS share 67โ68%
a.storyblok.com/f/47007/x/32ee615805/japan-app-trends-2026.pdf - Adjust, "The gaming app insights report: 2026 edition" (March 2026), pp.28โ31 โ global game CPI $0.56 (2025, +30% YoY), US $1.71, APAC $0.27; Japan day-1 retention 25%
a.storyblok.com/f/47007/x/20551740ee/gaming-app-insights-report-2026.pdf - AppTweak, "Apple Ads benchmarks 2026: CPT, CPI, CR & TTR by category" (August 19, 2026) โ medians by country (Japan, US, global) and by category (US), 2025 data
www.apptweak.com/en/aso-blog/apple-ads-benchmarks