How a video playable works
- An intro clip sets up the moment, just like the video ad.
- It pauses on a prompt: tap here, swipe to choose, pick A or B, with a hand showing the gesture.
- The next clip answers the viewer's choice, so it feels like they're playing.
- Two or three of those beats, then an end card with the install button.
The interaction is real even though the "game" is footage, which is what makes the format fast to build and true to the original video.
Video playable vs full playable vs interactive end card
| Video playable | Your footage, made interactive with taps and branches. Looks exactly like the video. Fastest to build from an existing ad. |
|---|---|
| Full playable | The game's mechanic rebuilt in HTML5. The player actually plays. See what are playable ads. |
| Interactive end card | A short playable after a normal video ad ends. See interactive end cards. |
When a video playable is the right choice
- You have a video that already performs and want an interactive version without changing the creative.
- The game is hard to rebuild small: high-end 3D, complex systems, or a look that a 5 MB playable can't match.
- The hook is a choice: pick a path, pick an outfit, pick who to save. Branching footage fits it perfectly.
- You need it quickly, since the footage already exists.
How video playables are built
- Clips, not one long video. The footage is cut at each decision point so the playable can jump to the right clip without a pause.
- Inline playback. Mobile web views only autoplay muted video, and iOS needs
playsinlineto keep it inside the ad. Sound starts after the first tap. - Overlays in HTML. Prompts, hand pointers, buttons and the end card are drawn on top of the video, so they stay sharp and can be localized without re-rendering footage.
- Each network's install call, packaged per network like any playable. See the specs by network.
The size budget
Video is the heaviest thing you can put in a playable, and most networks cap the file at 5 MB. Networks that take a single HTML file need the video inlined as base64, which adds about a third. In practice that leaves room for roughly half a minute of footage at around 1 Mbps, less at higher quality. So video playables use short clips, a phone-sized resolution and careful encoding, and they reuse clips wherever the story allows.
Where video playables run
Anywhere a playable runs: AppLovin, Meta, Google, Unity, Liftoff, Moloco, Mintegral, Chartboost, TikTok, Snapchat and Adikteev, each with its own build. To networks it's simply a playable ad.
Common questions
What is a video playable?
An interactive video ad: footage from a video ad split into short clips, with taps, choices or branches between them, ending on an install button. It's built and delivered as an HTML5 playable.
What's the difference between an interactive video ad and a playable ad?
An interactive video ad, or video playable, uses real footage and lets the viewer steer it with taps and choices. A full playable rebuilds the game's mechanic so the viewer actually plays it.
Can you use my existing video ad?
Yes. That's the usual starting point: we cut your footage at the decision points and add the prompts, branches and end card.
How big can a video playable be?
The same limit as any playable, 5 MB on most networks. That's why video playables use short, efficiently encoded clips.
Which networks accept video playables?
Any network that accepts playable ads, including AppLovin, Meta, Google, Unity, Liftoff, Moloco, Mintegral, Chartboost, TikTok and Snapchat. Each needs its own build.