Playable Ad

A playable ad is an interactive ad formatGlossaryAd UnitA specific ad placement or format inside an app — banner, interstitial, rewarded video, native, app-open, or offerwall — the container an ad renders in and the unit... that lets users play a 15-60 second mini-experience demonstrating the advertised app — typically a slice of the actual game or app functionality. Instead of watching a video showing gameplay, the user IS the gameplay. By the time they're invited to install, they've already experienced the app first-hand — install intent and downstream retentionGlossaryRetention (D1 / D7 / D30)The percentage of users from a cohort who return to the app N days after install. D1 = day-1 retention, D7 = 7-day, D30 = 30-day. The single most important non-reven... both benefit.

Performance vs video ads

• IPMGlossaryInstalls Per Mille (IPM)The number of installs generated per 1,000 ad impressions — a creative-quality metric ad networks use to decide which ads to show more often. lift: 2-5× higher than equivalent video ads. The pre-install engagement drives higher install conversion.
• Downstream retention: users who installed from a playable ad retain 20-40% higher D1 / D7 than users from video — they've self-selected.
• eCPMGlossaryeCPM (Effective Cost Per Mille)The revenue a publisher actually earns per 1,000 ad impressions — the publisher-side counterpart to CPM, after auction dynamics, fill rates, and floor prices. (publisher side): $8-20 vs $5-15 for video interstitialGlossaryInterstitial AdA full-screen ad format shown between app sessions, level transitions, or natural break points. Forced-view (unlike rewarded video), so timing and frequency are crit... — advertisers pay more for the higher-quality engagement.

Where playables work best

• Casual / hyper-casual gamesGlossaryCasual GamesA broad genre of easy-to-learn, short-session mobile games — the highest-volume segment of mobile gaming, monetized through a hybrid of ads and in-app purchases and... — entire game loop can fit in 30 seconds, perfect playable demonstration.
• Match-3 / puzzle games — single-level demo translates directly.
• Card / strategy games — one round of gameplay communicates the core loopGlossaryCore LoopThe central repeatable engagement cycle in a mobile app or game — the action → reward → progression sequence users return to perform again and again..
• Productivity apps with interactive features — increasingly used outside gaming for apps with strong demoable features.

Where playables don't work

• Mid-core / deep games with multi-hour onboardingGlossaryOnboardingThe first-time user experience that guides new installs from app launch to the "aha moment" — where they understand the product's value and become more likely to ret... curves — can't fit value in 30 seconds.
• SubscriptionGlossarySubscriptionA recurring in-app purchase that charges the user on a fixed cadence (weekly, monthly, annual) until they cancel. consumer apps where value emerges over time, not in a single interaction.

Production cost reality: playables typically cost $5,000-$50,000 each to produce (vs $1,000-$10,000 for video creativeGlossaryAd CreativeThe visual and audio content of an ad — video, image, copy, sound. The single most important variable in modern mobile UA, lifting IPM and lowering effective CPI.). Cost is justified for major UAGlossaryPaid UA (Paid User Acquisition)Mobile app user acquisition via paid advertising channels — Meta, TikTok, Google, AppLovin, ironSource, and other ad networks. programs spending $100K+ / month on the channel — the 2-5× IPM lift translates to material CPIGlossaryCost Per Install (CPI)The average amount an advertiser pays for a single install attributed to a campaign — total spend divided by attributed installs. reduction at scale. For smaller UA programs ($10K-$50K / month), playables are usually not yet justified vs higher-volume video creative production.