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Plan your SDK implementation

To get the most value from GameAnalytics, it’s important to plan how you’ll track player behavior from the start. Whether you're using AnalyticsIQ, PipelineIQ, or SegmentIQ, all insights are powered by event-based tracking using one of our lightweight SDKs.

Integrating the SDK is fast–but a bit of planning ensures you get the most value out of your data from day one.

Key steps​

  1. Download and install the SDK - choose the SDK that matches your game engine (Unity, Unreal, Godot, etc) from our SDK library.
  2. Configure your keys - each game has a unique game_key and secret_key. These are used to authenticate your events and ensure data lands in the right place.
  3. Track meaningful events - some events will start triggering automatically when the SDK initializes in your game (e.g. session_start). Otherwise, you can use predefined event types for common use cases (e.g. purchases, in-game economies, level progression) and supplement with custom events as needed.

Event-driven tracking​

GameAnalytics SDKs work by collecting discrete events that describe what’s happening in your game. These are then sent to our backend in real time.

GameAnalytics has a set of predefined events, plus flexible custom events, that cover:

Gameplay and Engagement​

  • Session Start / Session End: Logs session starts and ends. These events trigger automatically with most SDK setups
  • Progression: Monitors level progression, victories, defeats, etc.
  • Resource: Economy balancing (e.g., earned/spent currency)

Monetization and Advertising​

  • Business: In-app purchases, with real currency values
  • Ad: Ad impressions, clicks, and completions
  • Impression: Detailed ad revenue and perforation information per impression (via mediation partner integrations)

Technical Health Monitoring​

  • Error: Crashes, exceptions, and handled errors
  • Performance and SDK Init: FPS and memory usage

Design Events​

Used to track anything outside of the predefined types. These are flexible and ideal for monitoring:

  • Feature usage (e.g. opened_inventory)
  • UI interactions (e.g. shop_button:clicked)
  • Level stats (e.g. tutorial_health_regen_item, tutorial_boss)
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For a full breakdown of the available event types see our Event Types Introduction.

Best Practices for Event Tracking​

  • Start small: Implement the predefined event types first (Sessions, Progression, Business), then iterate with custom events.
  • Be consistent: Use clear naming conventions for custom events and dimensions. It can be helpful to keep a data dictionary available for your team to reference.
  • Avoid noise: Don’t track everything; focus on what you’ll actually analyze.
  • Validate early: Use the Realtime view to confirm your implementation is working correctly.
  • Plan for scale: Consider how your event design supports segmentation, churn prediction, and ML workflows.
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Need help? Reach out to our Support team by contacting support@gameanalytics.com.