If you’ve ever passed a lazy rainy afternoon or long train ride playing Ludo King with friends scattered across different cities, you’ve probably wondered how such a simple, free-to-play game stays online for hundreds of millions of users. It doesn’t lock core gameplay behind a paywall, and it doesn’t flood your screen with unskippable ads every two minutes, so where does its revenue come from? We’re breaking down exactly how Ludo King makes money, from its most visible income sources to the lesser-known partnerships that keep its servers running smoothly 24/7. All the information here is rooted in public disclosures from the game’s Indian developer, Gametion, plus real user insights from the global Ludo King community, so you don’t have to worry about unfounded rumors or guesswork.
Core ways how Ludo King makes money without locking core gameplay
One of the biggest reasons Ludo King has retained its popularity for over six years is that it never forces players to spend money to enjoy the core game. You can log in right now, join a 4-player public match or private room with friends, and play for hours without ever seeing a payment prompt. All of its revenue streams are optional, and most users never spend a single cent on the game. Its core income sources fall into five main categories:
- In-app purchases for cosmetic and quality-of-life upgrades
- Non-intrusive in-game advertising partnerships
- Paid tournament entry fees for competitive players
- Brand collaboration and sponsored in-game events
- Licensing deals for merchandise and offline experiences
In-app purchases: the largest, most user-friendly income stream
More than 45% of Ludo King’s annual revenue comes from in-app purchases, and all of them are for non-pay-to-win items. You won’t find special dice that give you more 6s, or power-ups that let you knock other players’ tokens back extra spaces, which keeps the game fair for everyone. Most purchases are for fun cosmetic items like custom dice skins, themed game boards (think Bollywood movie themes, holiday themes, or regional cultural themes), and avatar frames that let you show off your personality in matches. The average in-app purchase is only $2 to $5, which is low enough that casual players don’t mind spending a little bit for a fun upgrade if they want to. One of the most popular purchases is the one-time $3.99 ad removal pass, which gets rid of all in-game ads permanently for your account. I’ve played Ludo King on and off for three years, and I bought this pass two years ago after getting tired of ads popping up when I was playing with my family during holidays. It’s one of the best small purchases I’ve made for a mobile game, and I know dozens of other regular players who’ve done the same. This low-pressure approach is a big part of how Ludo King makes money consistently, even from casual players who only log in once a week. They don’t spam your screen with pop-ups begging you to buy things, either—you only see the in-game store if you intentionally click on the store icon in the main menu.
In-game advertising: balanced to avoid frustrating casual players
Advertising makes up roughly 35% of Ludo King’s total annual revenue, and the team at Gametion has worked hard to make it as unobtrusive as possible. If you use the free version of the game, you won’t see ads in the middle of a match, and you won’t get unskippable 30-second ads after every single game. Ads only appear between matches, and you can skip 90% of them after 3 seconds, which is a huge improvement over most other free casual mobile games. They also offer rewarded ads, which you can choose to watch in exchange for in-game rewards like extra coins, bonus rolls, or free entry to small cash tournaments. A lot of casual players opt for these rewarded ads when they want to enter a tournament without spending real money, so it feels like a fair trade instead of a nuisance. The game only partners with reputable ad networks, too, so you won’t get scammy get-rich-quick ads or inappropriate content, which is important because nearly 30% of Ludo King’s user base is under 18. Some players still find the occasional ad annoying, but the option to remove all ads for a one-time small fee fixes that issue for most regular users. This user-first ad strategy is another key part of how Ludo King makes money without alienating its player base, which is why it has a 4.4-star rating on both Google Play and the App Store after millions of reviews.
Tournaments and brand partnerships: the fast-growing revenue segment
The remaining 20% of Ludo King’s revenue comes from a mix of competitive tournament fees and brand partnerships, and this segment is growing faster than any other as the game’s global user base expands. Paid competitive tournaments let players pay a small entry fee (usually between $1 and $10) to compete against other players of similar skill levels for cash prizes, premium in-game items, or physical rewards. The game takes a 10% to 15% cut of all entry fees, and the rest goes into the prize pool for winners. Their annual global Ludo King championship draws over 2 million participants every year, making that one event alone worth millions in revenue for the company. They also run smaller weekly and daily tournaments that draw hundreds of thousands of players each, so this is a steady, growing income stream. Brand partnerships are another big part of this segment, too. Ludo King has collaborated with major brands like Bollywood film studios, snack companies, telecom providers, and even sports teams to run themed in-game events. For example, they ran a special event for a popular Indian cricket league a few years ago, with custom team boards, avatar frames, and prizes for top players. Brands pay Gametion a flat fee to run these events, plus extra for ad placements within the event space. Brand partnerships now make up nearly 20% of the game’s total annual revenue, and that number is expected to grow as more brands look to reach the game’s 300+ million global users. The company also makes money from licensing deals, where they let third-party manufacturers sell physical Ludo King board games, apparel, stationery, and even run pop-up Ludo King cafes in India and Southeast Asia. They get a small cut of every sale from these licensed products, which adds up to a nice passive income stream with very little extra work for the Gametion team.
The biggest reason Ludo King’s monetization strategy works so well is that it never puts profit ahead of user experience. Unlike many free-to-play mobile games that push constant purchases and intrusive ads to squeeze as much money as possible out of players, Gametion has built a system that lets users choose how, and if, they want to support the game. It’s why the title has stayed one of the top 10 most downloaded casual games in the world for over six years, with a loyal user base that plays regularly. Now that you understand how Ludo King makes money, you’ll probably notice these small, unobtrusive revenue streams the next time you log in for a match with your friends or family.