Data from advertising company Yango Adds reveal that there is a remarkably stable annual trend in which during the eight to ten days of public holidays that mark the New Year period, gaming activity across these markets surges at every stage of the user journey.

Accordingly, searches for gaming content climb sharply as soon as the holiday begins, often reaching some of the highest levels recorded throughout the entire year.

This heightened interest quickly translates into action: install volumes rise simultaneously, with clear peaks between January 2 and 9, a period when users have more leisure time, increased device usage, and a greater appetite for discovering new forms of entertainment.

“What makes this pattern especially valuable for developers is its predictability. The same surge appears consistently across both the 2023 - 2024 and 2024 - 2025 holiday cycles, making January one of the most reliable growth windows for gaming apps in CIS,” said Thu Nguyen, business development manager, Yango Ads Vietnam.

Beyond seasonal behaviour, Thu explained, these markets naturally align with the strengths of Vietnamese studios. “Audiences in the region respond well to polished, lightweight, mobile-first titles, the very genres where Vietnam has consistently excelled.”

She said puzzle, match-3, casual, simulation, and hybrid-casual games all demonstrate strong user engagement across the region.

“Combined with a digitally active population, widespread smartphone penetration, and a sustained appetite for visually driven, accessible gameplay, CIS emerges as a market offering not just scale but also cultural and behavioural compatibility. Unlike saturated Tier-1 regions, it provides room to grow without facing overwhelming bidding pressure or creative fatigue,” she added.

Vietnam’s gaming industry is entering a defining moment.

According to xsolla.com, a gaming company, local Vietnamese studios have already proven their ability to create globally appealing titles, from polished casual hits to inventive puzzle games enjoyed across continents.

As the industry matures, however, the challenge is no longer simply building a great game; it is finding markets where creativity can translate into efficient and scalable growth.

To capture opportunity, experts advise Vietnamese studios to consider three strategic shifts in how they approach expansion into these holiday-driven markets.

Thu said timing must be treated as a core element of growth.

Maintaining an always-on presence ensures steady visibility, but the real acceleration happens when campaigns intensify during the New Year holiday surge.

In addition, by acquiring users efficiently during the holiday period and monetising through in-app purchases and advertising, studios can reinvest earnings into further UA, reinforcing momentum each subsequent season. This approach reduces reliance on continual influxes of new capital and is particularly effective for rapidly evolving mobile genres.

With the right adtech partners and automated optimisation tools, Vietnamese developers can test, learn, and scale without establishing local legal entities or navigating complicated administrative processes. AI-driven systems can optimise budgets in real time, improve creative performance, and ensure that studios make the most of high-conversion periods like the New Year holidays, they said.

“Vietnam's game developers have already shown that they can build global hits. The next stage of growth will depend on choosing markets where timing, culture, and user behaviour create natural pathways to scale. Eastern Europe and Central Asia stand out as one of those rare regions, offering predictable seasonal peaks, lower competition than traditional Tier-1 markets, high-intent players, and the most cost-efficient UA window of the year,” said Thu.

Rather than fighting for increasingly expensive users in oversaturated environments, Vietnamese studios can unlock sustainable, long-term growth by looking toward this region. Here, the New Year holiday season does more than mark the beginning of another calendar year; it opens a powerful, data-backed gateway to the next chapter of Vietnam’s global gaming success, she said.

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