What is a playable ad?
A playable ad is a mini version of a mobile game, or a demo of an app, that runs as an ad. Instead of watching a video about the game, the viewer plays it for a few seconds, then decides whether to install. They're also called playables, interactive ads or try-before-you-install ads.
Most playable ads are for mobile games, and they run on the in-app ad networks that game studios buy installs from: AppLovin, Unity, Liftoff, Moloco, Mintegral, Chartboost and others, plus Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat. Want to see some? Play our examples.
How a playable ad works
- It's shown full screen inside another app, usually as an interstitial or rewarded ad, or right after a video ad as an interactive end card.
- The hook comes first. The opening frame shows the most tempting moment of the game, with a hand pointer showing what to tap, hold or swipe.
- The player tries the mechanic. A short loop of real or simplified gameplay: a few moves on a puzzle board, a race, a merge, a choice.
- It ends on an end screen. A win, a near-miss or a time-out leads to an end card with the app icon and an install button.
- A tap installs. The install button calls the ad network's own function (
mraid.open()on MRAID networks,FbPlayableAd.onCTAClick()on Meta, and so on), which opens the store and records the click.
Under the hood it's a web page: HTML, JavaScript, and images and sounds packed inside the file. Networks ban loading anything from the internet, cap the file at 5 MB on almost every network, and each wants its own packaging and install call. Our playable ad specs by network compare them side by side.
Where playable ads run
| Interstitial | Full screen between levels or screens of another app. The most common placement. |
|---|---|
| Rewarded | The viewer opts in to earn something in the app they're using, so they're paying attention. |
| After a video | As an interactive end card once a video ad finishes. Unity, Moloco, Liftoff and Chartboost run this. |
| In a feed | On TikTok, the ad starts as a video and a button invites the viewer to play the playable inside the app. |
Types of playable ads
- Gameplay playables: the real core loop of the game, rebuilt small. The player gets exactly the game they'll install.
- Hook playables: a mechanic chosen to grab attention, such as a puzzle, a choice or a rescue. It's sometimes not the game's main loop, and it's the format behind most "fake gameplay" ads.
- Video playables: footage from a video ad with tap moments, choices and branches.
- Interactive end cards: a short playable that follows a video ad.
- 2D or 3D: 2D is light and fast to load; 3D runs real-time WebGL and takes more work to fit the size cap.
- Variants and reskins: the same mechanic with a new theme, difficulty, hook or language, made to test what performs.
Why UA teams use playable ads
- People install knowing what they're getting. Someone who played the mechanic and liked it is a better-qualified install than someone who tapped a video.
- They hold attention. The viewer is doing something, not watching, so the ad is harder to ignore.
- They test ideas cheaply. A playable variant is far less work than a feature, so teams use them to test hooks, themes and difficulty before building them into the game.
- Every major network runs them, in their highest-attention placements: interstitial, rewarded and after video.
What makes a playable ad convert
From building more than 7,000 of them, these matter most:
- Action in the first second. No logo intro, no loading screen longer than a moment.
- One gesture, shown with a hand. Nobody reads text in an ad.
- A quick win or a near-miss. Let the player succeed fast, or fail just short so they want another go in the real game.
- A visible install button the whole time, which networks require anyway, and a clear end card.
- Built for sound off and both orientations. Sound starts only after a tap, and most networks require portrait and landscape.
- Well under the size cap, so it starts fast on a weak connection.
- Variants to test. The first version is rarely the winner. Change the hook, difficulty and end card, and let the numbers pick.
How playable ads are made
A playable is built in HTML5 and JavaScript, often with a 2D engine like Phaser or PixiJS or a 3D one like Three.js, then compressed to fit the size cap and packaged separately for each network. Our step-by-step guide covers it: how to make a playable ad. For the API most networks use, see MRAID explained.
Common questions
What is a playable ad?
An interactive mobile ad that lets people play a short version of a game or app before installing it. It runs as an HTML5 file inside another app and ends with an install button that opens the App Store or Google Play.
How do playable ads work?
The ad network shows the playable full screen, usually as an interstitial, rewarded ad or after a video. The player tries the core mechanic for a few seconds, reaches an end card, and taps install, which calls the network's own function to open the store and record the click.
Are playable ads only for games?
No, but most are. Apps use them too, to demo a feature in a few taps, like a photo filter or a first lesson.
What format is a playable ad?
HTML5: HTML, JavaScript and every asset packed inside, usually under 5 MB. Depending on the network it's one HTML file or a ZIP, and each network needs its own build.
How long should a playable ad be?
Short. The mechanic should be clear in the first few seconds, and most playables reach their end card in well under a minute.
What's the difference between a playable ad and an interactive end card?
A playable ad is the whole ad. An interactive end card is a shorter playable that appears after a video ad ends, in place of a static install screen.
Who makes playable ads?
Game studios' in-house creative teams, no-code playable tools, and specialist playable ad studios like Bolt Playables, which builds custom playables and packages them for every major network.