What happens if I do not update my mobile game?

It can lose visibility to users on new devices, stop earning from ad networks that require current kits, break on new operating systems or be removed from the store.

Is maintenance the same as LiveOps?

No. Maintenance keeps the game working. LiveOps adds events, content and offers to grow revenue, and it has a separate, larger budget.

How often do mobile games need updating?

At least once a year for store and operating system requirements, and several times a year when ad, analytics or payment kits require updates.

Can another studio maintain a game it did not build?

Yes, if you own the source project, assets and store accounts. A short paid audit usually comes first.

Game Maintenance Cost: What to Budget After Launch

The short answer

Plan about 20 percent of the original build cost per year for basic maintenance, plus server hosting and any new content you want to add. A game that cost $50,000 to build needs roughly $10,000 a year to stay healthy on the stores. Online games add hosting, which can run from about $500 a month to $20,000 or more at scale. These figures match our mobile game cost guide.

What maintenance covers

Area	What happens	How often
Operating systems	New iOS and Android versions change permissions, screens and behaviour	Yearly, with smaller updates between
Store requirements	Minimum SDK and target API rules, privacy forms, age rating updates	Yearly deadlines
Third-party kits	Ads, analytics, payments and login kits release required updates	Several times a year
Bugs and crashes	Fixes for issues found by players on devices you did not test	Continuous
Engine	Security fixes and occasional upgrades	Every one to two years
Servers	Scaling, security patches, database upkeep, monitoring	Continuous
Support	Answering players and handling refunds or account issues	Continuous

Store rules force updates

Both major stores set deadlines. Google Play requires apps to target a recent Android API level, and apps that fall behind stop being offered to users on newer devices. Apple requires submissions to be built with current tools and publishes upcoming requirements for developers. Neither rule is optional. A game that is not updated will eventually lose visibility, lose new players or be removed. See our submission checklist for the common rejection reasons.

Third-party kits

A typical free mobile game contains an ads mediation kit, several ad networks, analytics, crash reporting, a purchase library and a login option. Each has its own update schedule, and networks stop serving ads to old versions. Updates sometimes conflict with each other or with the engine, so each round needs a build and a regression test. This is the most underestimated part of maintenance. Our guide to ad mediation explains the moving parts.

Engine upgrades

Engines have support lifetimes. Staying on a supported version keeps you compatible with new devices and store rules. An upgrade can break shaders, plugins and build settings, so it should be treated as a small project with testing. Our Unity 6 upgrade guide shows what a large one involves.

Servers and backend

Online features bring recurring bills and recurring work: hosting, databases, monitoring, backups and security updates. Costs follow concurrent players, so they are small at launch and can jump after a promotion. Read game server hosting cost for the numbers, and choose services with that in mind using Firebase vs PlayFab.

Maintenance is not LiveOps

Maintenance keeps the game working. Live operations make it grow: events, new levels, offers, balance changes and community management. LiveOps is optional but is what drives revenue in free-to-play games, and its budget is usually much larger than maintenance. We break it down in what LiveOps covers and costs.

A simple way to estimate

Base. Take 20 percent of the build cost for the year.
Add hosting. Estimate monthly server cost at your expected player numbers and multiply by 12.
Add services. List paid tiers for analytics, backend, crash reporting and device testing.
Add content. If you plan updates, price each one as a small project.
Add a reserve. Keep 10 percent for surprises such as a sudden policy change.

Example game	Build cost	Yearly maintenance estimate
Hyper-casual, offline	$15,000	About $3,000
Casual 3D with ads and purchases	$60,000	About $12,000
Online multiplayer	$200,000	About $40,000, plus hosting

Retainer or pay as you go

A monthly retainer buys a fixed number of hours and a response time, which suits games that earn money every day. Pay-as-you-go suits small games that only need the yearly store updates. With either model, ask who monitors crashes, how fast urgent fixes ship and what is included.

How to keep maintenance cheap

Own your project. Source, assets, store accounts and keystores should be in your name. Without them another team cannot help you.
Limit kits. Every extra kit is another update to manage.
Automate builds. A build pipeline turns an update from days into hours.
Keep documentation. A short handover document saves the next developer a week.
Test on real devices before each release. See game QA and testing cost.

Taking over an existing game

If your original developer has left, a new team can usually take over if you have the full project and account access. Expect a paid audit first: opening the project, updating the engine and kits, and listing risks. We do this as part of co-development, and small update jobs start at $999 on the offer page.

Sources: Google Play: target API level requirements · Apple Developer: upcoming requirements · Unity: release support. Checked November 11, 2026.

Game maintenance cost: what to budget after launch