Vietnam is one of Southeast Asia’s most active gaming markets. If you’ve worked in mobile marketing long enough, you’ll notice something about Vietnam: People love discovering new games, but they don’t install them right away. Players see new games through short videos, livestreams, creator videos, in-game ads, and everywhere else. But while discovery is high, installs are more thoughtful and take time.
(Source: Vietnam Digital Landscape 2025, AnyMind Group insights)While I attended the MAMA Hanoi event, a key insight shared by many app marketers was the evolving nature of the gaming market in Vietnam. Gaming installs have mostly stabilized, with iOS paid installs becoming more selective. More games are now adopting hybrid monetization, earning from both in-app purchases and ads. This model only works when players remain engaged long term. Getting a lot of installs alone isn’t enough anymore; it’s about getting the right installs.
(Source: AppsFlyer – State of App Marketing 2025)
Vietnamese players are eager to try new games, and they take time to become familiar with a game before making an install decision. Their typical journey includes:
This shows a clear path from Discovery → Search → Evaluation → Install, and where early experience matters because competition is intense and churn is fast.
(Source: Vietnam Digital Landscape 2025; AnyMind insights; Moloco report)
When you offer your game for pre-order, a limited version of your App Store product page goes live before release. Instead of waiting for launch, you can drive traffic to your pre-order page. Pre-orders are discoverable in search results, and if your app is actively featured, pre-orders will also appear on the Today, Games, and Apps tabs. This way, your app is actively visible across multiple placements on the App Store that helps you to build awareness and momentum before release. They can pre-order the game directly from the App Store, even though it’s not released yet. On launch day, the game is automatically downloaded to their devices, and they receive a notification so they can start playing right away.
1. They help marketers optimize early:
With pre-order reporting and attribution, marketers learn early which messages, creatives, and keywords perform best.
2. They create stronger launch visibility:
Early adopters often engage more deeply and fit well with hybrid monetization models, where long-term activity matters more than one-time installs.
3. They bring in higher-quality players:
Early adopters often engage more deeply and fit well with hybrid monetization models, where long-term activity matters more than one-time installs.
4. They match Vietnam’s natural decision cycle:
Players here like to see a game more than once before installing it. Pre-orders allow marketers to build interest gradually and convert that interest early.
1. Make the game available for pre-order
The game is prepared in App Store Connect with a release date and store visuals. Once live, users can reserve it instantly.
2. Run Apple Ads during the pre-order window
Instead of directing traffic to a live download, campaigns send users to the pre-order page. This turns early interest into early commitment.
3. Test keywords and creatives before launch
During the pre-order period, marketers can experiment with:
This stage becomes a lower-risk environment to learn what resonates with Vietnamese players.
4. Measure performance with dedicated pre-order metrics
Apple provides clear insight into:
AdServices attribution supports this with click and view windows, helping marketers evaluate the true impact of their early campaigns.
5. Apply these learnings at launch
When the game goes live, marketers scale the keywords, creatives, and audience segments that already proved themselves, reducing guesswork, improving early CPI, and strengthening App Store ranking from day one.
1. Pre-order phase (4–8 weeks before launch)
Use this period to test keywords, creatives, and placements. Optimize for “pre-orders placed” to understand what resonates.
2. Launch week
Scale the best-performing combinations. Strengthen search placements. Use insights from pre-order testing to make budget decisions confidently.
3. Post-launch
Retarget pre-order users, compare their behavior to other cohorts, and adjust your growth strategy based on real engagement and retention signals.
Vietnam’s gaming market is full of discovery, comparison, and quick shifts in player interest. Pre-order campaigns give marketers a way to meet players earlier, grow awareness with purpose, and gather proof of what works before launch, not after.
With App Store’s improved reporting and attribution, pre-orders have become a reliable and strategic part of launching games in Vietnam. For marketers looking to launch stronger and scale smarter, pre-order campaigns are not just helpful; they are becoming essential.