Marketers have increasingly turned to gaming to reach core audiences. However, the gaming audience is far from one-size-fits-all, and marketers that incorporate culture into their gaming strategies can see even better results. That is especially true when it comes to Hispanic consumers, according to recent data from Portal Latino, a consulting group which connects marketers to Hispanic gaming audiences.
“Many of these games have cultural nuances,” said Carolina Strifling, co-founder of Portal Latino. “You have all these cultural nuances that resonate a lot with Latinos, and we use that on the go. It's part of our daily ritual, like listening to music or chatting on WhatsApp.”
Portal Latino’s study, which was conducted in partnership with UrVetted, a company which measures consumer trust and purchase intent across various media types, included survey data from 1,691 Hispanic consumers and 1,297 non-Hispanic consumers collected in a December 2025 survey.
The multicultural gamer
Marketers who only think of gamers as younger, usually white, men, could be missing out on connecting with the diverse range of audiences who play games every day. For example, the majority of Hispanic consumers, 81%, play mobile games at least once a week, compared to just 66% of non-Hispanic audiences, according to the study. Hispanic gamers are spending a little under an hour per day playing mobile games and 61% play at least five days per week.
While Hispanic consumers are engaging with mobile games at a higher rate than the general population, the appeal of such games is crosscultural. Sixty-five percent of Hispanic gamers play mobile games to have fun, just a point higher than non-Hispanic gamers. Relaxation was also the reason for playing by 63% of Hispanic gamers and 62% of non-Hispanic gamers.
“The behavior is very similar, which is not a surprise to us. What we were trying to demonstrate is the importance of and the value of casual gaming versus social. And that's when we have a huge lift among Latinos,” said Strifling.
Culture is a key consideration for Hispanic gamers, with 77% saying they want games themed around their culture, or otherwise incorporate it. Additionally, Hispanic gamers were 7.6x more likely to show interest in games that include cultural elements.
Cultural relevance also translates to ad effectiveness. A Candy Crush game with added cultural cues scored in the 77th percentile among Hispanic consumers, while a Hispanic-targeted Instagram ad scored in the 22nd percentile, a 55-point difference. This suggests culturally tailored ads are more impactful in a gaming environment opposed to a social media one.
Brand recall
Among Hispanic consumers, in-game advertisements generated attention and engagement levels 30% higher than those in an Instagram feed. Playable ads performed even better, with a brand recall rate of 83%, 34% higher than video in-game ads. Instagram video ads had a brand recall rate of 38%. Audio ads had a recall rate of 71% and frame ads 69%.
Hispanic consumers were also 42% more likely to finish an in-game ad compared to an Instagram ad, translating to a 60% increase in correct brand recall, according to the study. Two-thirds of Hispanic mobile gamers have purchased or considered purchasing a product they saw on an in-game ad. Food and restaurants was the most popular category among this demographic, with 59% saying they were open to discovery via gaming ads. Entertainment was a close second at 57%.
Completion rates could be a result of the prevalence of rewarded videos among in-game advertisers. Free-to-play mobile games often have the option to watch non-skippable ads in exchange for in-game currency or additional lives.
“When the user actually receives that information in a different mindset, they engage differently,” said Strifling.
Correction: This article has been updated with the correct name of Portal Latino in the subhead.
