Aviator, released in 2019, became the turning point that shaped the future of the gaming niche. Over time, classic slots and live entertainment moved into the background, while audiences became hooked on crash games.
By 2026, more than 50 new crash games had entered the market, and old gameplay-based approaches using Aviator and JetX stopped delivering results. Traffic quality declined, and ad spend no longer paid off.
In this article, we’ll explain which crash stratedies are converting in affiliate marketing right now, why understanding user flow is critical and which GEOs deserve attention. To prepare this material, we teamed up with Ilya, Sales Team Lead at ZM Apps, while the creatives were provided by the spy service Tyver.
What Are Crash Games and How Do They Work?
Let’s explain crash games using Aviator as an example.
Source: Aviator Demo Play 100% Free Crash Game Mode
Step by step, the game works like this:
- choose your bet size;
- wait for the round to start;
- the multiplier increases every second;
- at any moment, the plane flies away — and the bet is lost.
Instead of a plane, it could be an astronaut, a fashionista with a jetpack, or even a chicken. The visuals, mechanics, and characters may vary, but the core remains the same: cash out now or wait for a higher multiplier.
Why Players Love Crash Games
Crash games have become one of the strongest trends in the past five years. Spy services are flooded with crash creatives, and these games dominate the homepages of gambling platforms.
Let’s break down why crash games have captured players’ attention.
Illusion of Control
To make the comparison clearer, let’s look at classic slots. In slots, players cannot influence the outcome in any way — they simply “keep their fingers crossed” and hope for the best.
With crash games, users feel a sense of control. They can cash out early and secure a small profit or go all-in and wait for a higher multiplier.
In reality, luck determines the outcome in both cases — not skill — but the illusion of control works in favor of crash games.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
The fear of missing out is a powerful psychological trigger that keeps players engaged.
Imagine this: a player bets $1 and waits until the multiplier reaches x10 — and the game crashes immediately. At that moment, the user realizes they almost made $9 in net profit. That near-win fuels greed and pushes them into the next rounds.
Intuitive Gameplay
Crash gameplay is no more complicated than a simple time-killer mobile game, and the bright visuals make it even more appealing. Players don’t need to memorize poker combinations or understand roulette or blackjack rules.
In terms of replayability, crash games are a hybrid of slots and live games — enhanced by the illusion of control. That’s exactly why they resonate so strongly with players.
TOP 3 GEOs Where Crash Games Are Popular
Within the affiliate community, it’s commonly believed that crash games perform best in Africa, LATAM, and South Asia. This hypothesis is supported by this market study.
These regions offer strong opportunities: relatively untapped audiences and affordable traffic.
However, if we move beyond broad generalizations and look at specific data, our 2026 experience shows the strongest performance in the EU, Argentina, and Vietnam. Among trusted games, Chicken Road is currently considered one of the most stable performers.
To add more specifics, we analyzed data from the spy service Tyver and identified which crash approaches trigger local audiences.
European Union
The European Union is not a single GEO — income and living standards vary from country to country. However, the majority of creatives appeal to the audience’s desire to earn money.
Most creatives follow this structure:
- gameplay demonstration;
- big win (hit);
- withdrawal of winnings;
- balance showcase.
The vast majority are UGC-style videos featuring actors on camera.
Folder with creatives on EU from Tyver Spy
These creatives don’t usually generate massive reach, but they consistently hit 400–1,000 unique users. We've covered the basics, now let's move on to the details.
1. Sexualization is almost absent
Two factors support this conclusion:
- very few such creatives exist;
- those that do gather minimal reach.
The most visible sexualized creative we found attracted around 200 users, while others didn’t even reach ten. Meanwhile, average crash creatives in the EU collect 400–500 uniques.
2. Long videos underperform
During research, we found three creatives longer than 5 minutes. In rare cases, they exceeded 200 uniques, but most capped at around 170.
3. Gameplay-only creatives are still alive
This approach mirrors UGC but without an actor on camera.
Many affiliates use balance demonstrations as the hook, though pure gameplay creatives are also present.
Conclusion for the EU: The most scalable creatives are UGC and gameplay-based videos under 50 seconds.
Vietnam
Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country with a population of over 100 million. Income levels vary by province and industry. For example, workers in Da Nang earn around $350 per month, while salaries in Hanoi often exceed $1,000 in IT and digital sectors.
Here’s what we found regarding crash approaches in Vietnam.
1. UGC Is Again on Top
As in the EU, most Vietnamese creatives follow the formula: gameplay + win demonstration.
In addition to classic on-camera actors, we also see:
- faceless POV-style creatives;
- reaction videos to other people’s wins.
The second format works like this:
Folder with creatives for Vietnam from Tyver Spy
An actor watches random people play Chicken Road and hit big wins, then repeats their actions. Eventually, the observer also “cracks the code” and reveals the “secret earning strategy.”
2. Actor Ethnicity Is Not Critical
One might assume Vietnamese creatives should only feature local actors. In practice, Asian and Caucasian actors appear in roughly equal proportions.
3. News + Emotional Hook
News-style creatives are more typical for nutra than gaming — but Vietnam is an exception.
These creatives usually follow a structure:
- news about ordinary people getting rich;
- emotional reaction to the win;
- bank notification confirming funds received;
- CTA.
News-style creatives are much less common than UGC variations but still perform.
Conclusion for Vietnam: There’s no need to focus exclusively on Asian actors. UGC creatives remain the dominant and most effective strategy.
Argentina
Argentina is a developing Latin American country with an unstable economy. Inflation regularly triggers protests, and the average salary ranges between $1,000–1,500. Despite economic challenges, Argentinians actively engage in gaming.
Here are the key creative trends observed in Argentina.
1. UGC Still Leads
The standard strategy — an actor playing Chicken Road, hitting a win, and then showing the balance — remains dominant.
Folder with creatives for Argentina from Tyver Spy
If you don’t want to reinvent the wheel, this approach is a solid baseline.
2. Local Actors Matter
Compared to Vietnam, Argentina places stronger emphasis on actors with Latin American appearance.
Sexualized creatives exist but are relatively rare (roughly 1 in 10). As for gender distribution, male and female actors appear in equal proportion.
3. Pure Gameplay Without Reactions
While EU and Vietnam creatives usually combine gameplay with emotional reactions, in Argentina affiliates often limit themselves to clean gameplay demonstrations.
The ratio between “dry wins” and emotional reactions is approximately 50/50.
Conclusion for Argentina: Crash creative trends here represent a middle ground between Europe and Vietnam.
How to Analyze GEO and Improve Final Conversion
Understanding trending creative approaches is the foundation of affiliate marketing. No strategy will save you if you skip preliminary GEO analysis and proper bundle testing.
Ilya, Sales Team Lead at ZM apps, shared his approach to preparing campaigns.
Do a GEO Breakdown
According to Ilya, you should research publicly available data and answer three key questions:
- What is the iOS vs. Android smartphone ratio in the country?
- How heavily indebted is the population?
- Which banks and payment systems does your target audience use?
This is basic logic. A campaign will fail if you target iOS devices in a country where the majority uses Android.
“This is the foundation. Many affiliates skip even this basic analysis.”
The same applies to debt levels and payment methods.
Personally Go Through the User Flow
A small obstacle before deposit can completely break a campaign.
To avoid launching obviously unprofitable campaigns, Ilya recommends personally going through the entire user flow. Usually, this process fits into nine steps:
- Click the creative and see where the redirect from Facebook leads.
- Check which browser opens — native or in-app.
- Analyze how the app page or PWA looks in the store.
- Download the app.
- Check how the product opens and whether there are errors.
- Evaluate how pre-landers work (if they exist).
- Assess how convenient the registration form is.
- Check for redirects to non-functional payment methods.
- Attempt to deposit using the most popular payment method in that GEO.
If users don’t see their preferred bank in the deposit options, they’ll most likely leave and switch to another platform. The same principle applies to every other step.
Conclusion
Crash games have been trending since 2019 and remain relevant today. Audiences still enjoy the illusion of control compared to classic slots that rely purely on luck. Judging by the number of creatives in spy services, crash formats are not losing momentum.
At the moment, Chicken Road is recognizable yet not overused. In the near future, another title may replace it, but interest in the crash format itself is unlikely to disappear.
To quickly understand what competitors are currently running, which approaches are scaling, and which creatives generate maximum reach, analytics tools are essential. Tyver allows you to monitor trending bundles and creative formats in real time and make data-driven decisions.
Agency accounts and cards with trusted BINs are just as fundamental as personal expertise and analytics. If you want to remove part of the operational routine, try RentAcc — a platform for launching, managing, and automating ads in Facebook. Our managers will connect you quickly and support you at every stage of your campaigns.
Share this post
