If you want to grow your app’s user base or finally monetize your traffic in Russia, this research gives you real numbers and clear answers.
We also asked experts from leading Chinese mobile app associations to share their perspective on the Russian market. No fluff. Just facts.
Let’s look at the size of the opportunity:
People are most actively engaging with social media, games, browsers, e-com, retail apps
Stateglobe, 2026
"Russia has become a key growth market for Chinese game and entertainment apps. The exit of European and American companies created a window of opportunity, and Chinese developers who adapted early to local payments and distribution have captured significant share. For some, Russian users now account for over 30% of overseas income."
96.6%
of mobile connections are broadband
most users have access to mobile data rather than just voice or SMS
Datareportal, 2026There’s also a clear age divide:
"For Chinese developers in the Russian market, the Russian share of their overseas user base keeps growing — year after year."
You have Russian traffic but you're not doing anything with it.
You want more users from a developed market, but don’t want to compete with giants.
You’re monetizing, but fill rates or eCPMs from Russia are underwhelming.
You’re just curious if the Russian market is even worth the effort.
You heard others are scaling there, but you're not sure how.
You’ve got options. In 2026, publishers launch in Russia through:
Android apps
Paid apps are blocked. Free apps are available,
but in-app purchases through the native Google Play
system are not possible. Instead, developers can
accept in-app purchases via Yandex Pay SDK.
iOs apps
Direct in-app payments via Russian bank cards are unavailable, but users can still top up via external payment links and Apple gift cards.
Apple supportAndroid apps adapted
to Huawei’s ecosystem
Positioned as a Russian alternative to Google Play.
Pre-installed on all new Android phones
from September 1, 2025
Android apps
Still active in Russia
Android apps
Shared via sites
"The platform ecosystem follows a 'Google Play + local alternative stores' dual track structure.
RuStore hit 65.5 million monthly active users in 2025. Chinese developers on the platform grew 2.5x, revenue increased 3.5x, and app listings rose 40%. More than half of overseas apps added to RuStore in 2026 came from Chinese studios."
Yandex Ads covers both sides — ad monetization and user acquisition. You can run campaigns, monetize through our ad network, and move earnings directly from one to the other.
No Russian legal entity required.
Checklist: What you'll need to publish in Russia
Let’s talk results
So yes — users still click, play, and pay. And global advertisers are still here.
Who's advertising?
Where do they run campaigns?
Performance campaigns are alive and working — you just need the right stack.
So… should you even bother?
You're a publisher:
Yes, if you distribute to multiple stores or want new users.
You're an advertiser:
Yes, if you want less competition in a mobile-first market.
You're both:
Even better. Monetize your app through ad networks, then reinvest directly into UA campaigns — no extra budget needed.
If you're running user acquisition campaigns, the Russian market might look tangled from the outside. But let's be clear: ad performance here is still strong — and this section shows you the numbers.
Total app downloads
Mobile game
downloads in 2025
Sensor Tower, 2026
Russians aged 7+ play video games
play on smartphones
Share of each age group that plays video games
"Russian players respond well to social features — leaderboards, co-op tasks, teamwork mechanics. The most popular genres range from action and RPG to sandbox and casual, but across all of them, social integration drives retention."
20%
of gamers made in-game purchases at least once in 2025
Common expenses include subscriptions, purchasing copies of games, and buying game passes.
"The Day 1 retention rate of paying users is 20.5% higher than that of Google Play users in the US. However, Russian users tend to be less vocal in their feedback. They are relatively silent and often choose to ‘quietly disconnect’ when encountering unresolved issues in a game."
"The average Russian gamer spends $59 per year, expected to reach $67 by 2027. On RuStore, Chinese companies account for over 60% of the top 10 highest-grossing apps, and roughly half of all new games each month come from Chinese developers."
Who plays what —
and who pays
These patterns also show up in Yandex Mobile Search, so you can use search targeting to reach these segments directly.
Yandeх data, 2024Where are advertisers running campaigns now?
"Male core paying categories include mid- to hardcore games such as RPG, shooting, strategy, SLG, and war games, showing strong willingness to pay and high retention.
Preferred female categories include puzzle, adventure, and board-style casual games, which have broad audiences and high usage frequency and offer solid ad monetization efficiency. Mass casual categories such as arcade and action casual games are on the rise, with lightweight features that fit the fragmented usage habits of Russian users.
Overall, influenced by ‘global bidding’ strategies for mid- to light-core games, casual and puzzle games remain the main categories for advertising in the Russian market, followed by action, simulation, and arcade games. This reflects a strong interest in PvP, competitive elements, and simulation gameplay. Games with strong narratives, high social features, and adaptation to local culture tend to see higher acceptance."
increase in ad budgets of foreign apps advertising via Yandex App Campaigns
increase in the number of Chinese apps advertising via Yandex App Campaigns
increase in the ad budgets of Chinese apps advertising via Yandex App Campaigns
Non-gaming
Gaming
Non-gaming apps spread budgets across search (36%) and image-based formats. Gaming concentrates on video, with interstitials (28%) and rewarded video (13%) leading the way because immersive creatives drive more installs.
Yandex internal data, 2026"Users have a high acceptance of in-app advertisements, including banners, rewarded videos, interstitials, and native ads. This has become an important monetization method for Chinese apps in Russia."
Checklist: Should you run UA campaigns here?
Before you publish or advertise in Russia, here’s what to double-check.
This isn’t your usual geo. The market has quirks — but they're well-documented and manageable.
So if you’re planning to launch, grow, or scale in Russia, start here. This section is for everyone touching the funnel: monetization managers, UA leads, product owners, publishers.
Google Play and App Store remain the main sources of app attribution in Russia. You can collect payments for in-app purchases via Yandex Pay SDK.
There are also alternative stores worth considering, depending on your target devices:
You don’t need to be everywhere. But you do need a plan — because performance varies by channel.
If you’re monetizing, especially with IAPs or subscriptions, know this:
Native payments have been blocked in Google Play since 2022. App Store users can’t pay with Russian bank cards. Yet, they can still make purchases and top up their App Store balance via mobile carriers or prepaid gift cards.
Tip for Android publishers: You can accept in-app purchases from users in Russia via Yandex Pay SDK. This solution is supported in digital products only, but doesn’t apply to physical goods.
Learn more about how it works.
In Russia, advertising is covered by specific laws. If your creatives are not following the regulations, your ads won’t run.
Make sure to:
Label anything health or finance as 18+
Avoid sensitive terms — especially around politics or religion
Localisation is always better than auto-translation
Russia-based users are picky — and platforms are too.
If your store page looks like it was auto-generated, good luck.
"Russian users are increasingly demanding regarding quality, plot, and gameplay. While spending on pure "traffic-driven" products is declining, Chinese games with high-quality content and strong interaction see continuous improvements in user stickiness and life-time value (LTV)."
App titles and metadata
Descriptions, screenshots, and video
Push and onboarding copy
Pricing and time formats
When localizing, make sure your product's fonts support the Cyrillic alphabet
"Deeply localized games with native Russian content and Slavic art/plots see higher willingness to pay and higher average order values than simple translations. For example, RPG games that integrate Russian culture achieve 25%-38% of their total installs through Yandex Ads."
Chinese MOBA developer
Localized creatives and scaled installs in the Russian market
Growth driven by localized creatives and ML-based targeting optimization
+100%
installs per week by
the third week
–37%
CPI
31K+
game installs
International game studio — midcore RPG/MMORPG
Launched retargeting and boosted in-app conversions
Retargeting re-engaged existing players and converted them into paying users
–87
CPA for in-app
purchase
+75%
in-app purchase CR
The Russian app market isn’t a gamble. The data is clear, the users are there, and the tools exist.
If you’ve got users there, now’s the time to meet them halfway.
