How the calculator works
Retention rate formula
Retention on day N is the number of players from a cohort who played on day N, divided by the number of new players in that cohort, times 100. A cohort is the group of players whose first day was the same day, and that first day is day 0.
If 1,000 players start on Monday and 300 of them play on Tuesday, D1 retention is 300 / 1,000 × 100 = 30%.
Classic retention
The calculator uses classic retention: a player counts on day N only if they played on exactly that day. Rolling retention, which also counts players who came back on any later day, is always higher, so check which one your analytics tool reports before you compare it with the benchmarks.
"Didn't play that day" is 100% minus retention. It is not the same as churn, because a player who skipped day 7 may still come back on day 8.
Benchmarks
The benchmark ranges come from the GameAnalytics 2026 Mobile and PC Gaming Benchmarks, which cover more than 16,000 mobile games and 3,582 PC games during 2025. GameAnalytics publishes ranges, so the calculator uses the middle of each one. It doesn't publish a top 10% figure for D30 on mobile.
Benchmarks mix every genre. Use them to check that your numbers are in a reasonable range, and compare each new cohort with your own earlier cohorts for a more useful signal.
For a SQL query that calculates retention for every cohort and the details that change the number, read how to measure D1, D7, and D30 retention.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate retention rate for a game?
Divide the number of players from a cohort who played on day N by the number of new players in that cohort, then multiply by 100. For example, 300 of 1,000 new players playing on day 1 is 30% D1 retention.
What is a good D1, D7, and D30 retention?
In GameAnalytics' benchmarks for 2025, the median mobile game had about 22% D1, just under 4% D7, and under 1% D30 retention. The median PC game had about 7% D1, about 1.2% D7, and about 0.2% D30.
Why is my retention different in another analytics tool?
Tools differ in whether they use classic or rolling retention, calendar days or 24-hour windows, and what counts as active. Rolling retention and looser activity definitions give higher numbers.
Is the retention calculator free?
Yes. It's free to use without an account. It's made by Game Stats AI, a game analytics platform that calculates retention for every cohort from your game's own data.