The three surfaces
Charts (top games by current popularity), Today’s Recommendations (the personalized home row — the algorithmic surface that matters most for new games), and Search. New games typically enter through recommendations: the system tests your game on small audiences and, if early engagement holds (click → play → stay), expands the audience.
What the algorithm rewards
The public signals creators watch: click-through rate (icon and title), average session time (retention), repeat-play rate (returning players) and monetization per user. A game with great icons but weak retention spikes once and dies; a game with modest icons and excellent retention climbs for months. This is why polish and playtesting outrank marketing for new developers.
The update rhythm
Frequent meaningful updates keep a game in the algorithm’s rotation — events, seasonal content and new features give the system reasons to re-test your game on audiences. Abandoned games fall out of rotation regardless of quality. The rhythm is: ship, measure, improve, repeat — weekly if possible.
