Cooking games are a consistently strong category in mobile gaming. From Cooking Fever to Overcooked, the genre proves that simple, satisfying mechanics around food preparation create strong retention loops. Auni Kitchen is our take on this category — a casual mobile cooking game developed by Aunimeda in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
It's live on Google Play: Download Auni Kitchen
Here's how we built it.
Why a Cooking Game?
The data supported it. Cooking-themed games consistently appear in top charts across Google Play's casual category. The genre appeals to a broad demographic, has clear visual appeal, and the core mechanic — prepare, serve, progress — is universally understood without localization.
The name "Auni Kitchen" ties directly to our studio brand (Aunimeda / Auni) while being short, memorable, and self-explanatory. It works in English, Russian, Korean, Spanish — no translation needed to understand what the game is about.
Game Design: The Kitchen Loop
The core gameplay loop in Auni Kitchen follows the classic time-management cooking format:
- Customer arrives with an order
- Player prepares ingredients and cooks the dish
- Player serves before the timer runs out
- Stars and currency are earned; used to upgrade kitchen equipment
What makes this loop addictive is the escalating challenge: as you master one kitchen station, the next level adds complexity — more customers, faster orders, new recipes. The player always feels on the edge of control.
Key design decisions:
- Short sessions (2–4 min) — designed for commutes and breaks
- Clear visual feedback — every tap has immediate visual and audio response
- Progressive difficulty — new mechanics introduced gradually, not all at once
- Kitchen upgrades — give the player a sense of permanent progress between sessions
Technology: Flutter + Flame
Flutter with the Flame game engine was the right choice for Auni Kitchen:
- Flutter's rendering pipeline (Skia/Impeller) delivers consistent visuals across the wide range of Android devices — from budget models to flagships
- Flame's component system — every kitchen station, customer, and food item is a Flame component; state machines are handled cleanly with Flame's built-in support
- FlameAudio — kitchen sounds are a core part of the experience; sizzling, chopping, dinging timers all managed through Flame's audio layer
- Firebase (FlutterFire) — analytics, crash reporting via Crashlytics, Remote Config for live game tuning without app updates
- Dart — the language's async/await model handles simultaneous timers elegantly
The biggest technical challenge in a cooking game is managing multiple simultaneous states: multiple food items at different cooking stages, multiple customers with different patience timers, upgrade states affecting timers. We used an event-driven architecture with Flame's component messaging to keep this manageable.
Art Style: Bright, Food-Forward
The visual style needed to make food look good on a small screen. We went with:
- Saturated, warm colors — food photography principles applied to game art
- Soft cartoon style — approachable, not hyper-realistic, works at small sprite sizes
- Clear visual hierarchy — the food and cooking station are always the visual focus
- Consistent iconography — every ingredient and dish is immediately recognizable
All art was created in-house. Having the artist and developer on the same team means rapid feedback — "this apple needs to look more appetizing" gets implemented same day, not next sprint.
Monetization Strategy
Auni Kitchen uses a hybrid monetization approach:
Rewarded video ads — players can watch an ad to get extra time, revive a failed level, or earn bonus currency. This is the primary revenue driver because it's opt-in and feels fair to players.
Interstitial ads — shown between levels. We calibrated frequency so it doesn't interrupt flow: showing ads after a successful level completion, never immediately after a failure.
In-app purchases — premium currency for kitchen upgrades. Positioned as optional acceleration, not a requirement to enjoy the game.
The balance matters: too many ads kills retention. Too few leaves money on the table. We calibrated through playtesting with real users, not theoretical models.
Launch and Store Optimization
Getting Auni Kitchen live required more than just submitting a build:
Play Store listing: The icon, screenshots, and description were treated as a marketing asset. We A/B tested icon variants through Google Play Experiments. Screenshots show active gameplay moments, not static menus.
Keyword research: We identified which cooking game keywords had volume but not overwhelming competition. The title and description were optimized for these terms.
Rating strategy: We prompted players for a rating at a moment of satisfaction (after completing a difficult level), not randomly. First impressions in reviews matter for algorithm placement.
Localization: Store listing localized to multiple languages. The game content itself works without heavy localization — food is universal.
Global Audience, Local Team
Auni Kitchen is played across dozens of countries. The majority of installs come from markets where casual cooking games are well-established: Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
Building a globally-playable game from Bishkek is possible when the team has the right skills. The cost structure of developing in Kyrgyzstan versus Western Europe or North America creates a meaningful advantage on the unit economics of game development.
We continue to update Auni Kitchen based on player data, with new content added regularly.
Play Auni Kitchen on Google Play
What We Can Build for You
If you have a game concept — especially in the casual or hyper-casual space — we have the full stack: design, Flutter and Flame development, art, monetization integration, store optimization, and post-launch support.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to develop a casual mobile game?
It depends on scope. A casual or hyper-casual MVP — one core loop, a handful of levels, basic monetization — typically runs $5,000–15,000. A polished game with lots of content, progression systems, custom art and live-ops tuning runs $20,000+. The main cost drivers are art volume, number of levels/mechanics, and backend/monetization complexity.
What engine do you use to build mobile games?
Flutter with the Flame engine. A single Dart codebase compiles to native Android and iOS, and Flutter's rendering pipeline (Skia/Impeller) delivers consistent 60fps from budget Android phones to flagships. For 2D casual and hyper-casual games this is faster and leaner than a heavier engine, and the whole game ships from one codebase.
How long does it take to build and launch a casual game?
A focused MVP is a few months from design to a live Google Play build. Budget additional time for store optimization — icon and screenshot A/B testing, keyword research, and a rating strategy — because launch is where most of the discoverability is won or lost.
Can you build and publish the game to Google Play and the App Store for us?
Yes — full stack: game design, Flutter/Flame development, in-house art, monetization integration (rewarded and interstitial ads, IAP), store optimization, and post-launch updates based on player data. Auni Kitchen and Kitty Girlfriend are both our own published proof of that pipeline.
Aunimeda — mobile game, app, and software development with teams in Los Angeles, Bishkek, and Almaty since 2010. We build and ship products for clients across Central Asia, the US, and worldwide. Discuss your game →