Preparing Marketing Materials and Screenshots for Mobile Games

Preparing Marketing Materials and Screenshots for Mobile Games

Game developers often lose conversions due to unoptimized screenshots in stores. We know how to fix this. App Store requires screenshots for iPhone 6.7", 6.5", 5.5", and iPad Pro 12.9" — four different sizes with different aspect ratios. A competitor with a similar game but correctly made store screenshots with localized callout texts and a clear USP on the first slide gets 2-3 times higher conversion. Our experience preparing marketing materials for 50+ game projects over 5+ years confirms: a professional approach pays off.

Technical Requirements Often Ignored

App Store accepts screenshots in PNG or JPEG, max 10 per locale. Minimum resolution for iPhone 15 Pro Max is 1320×2868. Important: App Store displays screenshots cropped to the device's rounded corners — if a screenshot has a critical element in the corner, it will be cut off. For iPad, separate uploads are required, rotation (landscape/portrait) is supported, but you cannot upload only landscape without portrait. According to App Store Review Guidelines, screenshots must reflect actual gameplay.

Google Play requires a Feature Graphic (1024×500) — without it, your app won't appear in recommended lists. Phone screenshots: minimum 2, maximum 8, aspect ratio from 16:9 to 9:16. Recent versions of Play Console show a preview of how screenshots will appear in search — with automatic rounding and shadows.

Size limits. PNG screenshots for App Store must not exceed 500 MB total when uploaded via Transporter. In practice, uncompressed PNGs from a 4K render can weigh 15-20 MB each — optimization via pngquant or Squash is mandatory.

Comparison of App Store and Google Play Requirements

How to Prepare Screenshots That Increase Conversion?

We use a render from the engine at the required resolution, not simulator screenshots. The process looks like this:

1. Render the scene via Camera.Render() into a RenderTexture of the needed size, then Texture2D.ReadPixels() and EncodeToJPG/EncodeToPNG. This gives a frame without system UI, with debug overlays disabled, and at the correct FOV.
2. Scene selection: first screenshot — the most spectacular gameplay frame or primary art driver (visible in search before click), second and third — key mechanics, last ones — social proof (rating, player count).
3. Preparing callout texts in Figma with correct safe zones for each form factor. For localized versions — a template system: text layers are replaced without recomposing the entire layout.
4. PNG optimization via pngquant or Squash to stay within store limits.
5. Testing on real devices in dark and light themes.

This approach yields a 2-3x conversion boost compared to simulator screenshots.

Why Not Use Simulator Screenshots?

Simulator screenshots contain system UI, may have suboptimal compression, and don't show the game in its best light. Engine render gives a clean frame with correct FOV and post-processing settings. Additionally, we guarantee pixel-perfect compliance with each store's requirements.

Video Previews

App Store Preview video: up to 30 seconds, must be gameplay footage (not a trailer), muted by default (autoplay without sound). Resolution requirements match screenshots for the corresponding device. Video is encoded in H.264, AAC audio, MOV or MP4. The first 3 seconds are critical because users scroll quickly in App Store.

Rendering marketing video from Unity: Timeline + Cinemachine for camera staging, Recorder package for capture at the required resolution without fps drops. Post-processing (Color Grading, Bloom) is turned up full — marketing content is not limited by target hardware.

What's Included?

• Screenshots preparation for one platform: 2–4 days.
• Full set for App Store and Google Play (1 locale): 4–7 days.
• Multilingual set (5 locales): 2–3 weeks.
• Video preview: additional 3–7 days.
• Guarantee of compliance with store requirements and consultation on conversion optimization.
• Source files in Figma and recommendations for further localization.

Timelines

Cost is calculated after assessing the scope of localization and availability of ready art assets. Savings from proper preparation — conversion growth of 2-4%, which brings additional revenue. Contact us to evaluate your project — we'll calculate timelines and cost individually. Order a full set of materials and get a conversion increase in the first month.