Playable ad guides for UA and creative teams
Specs, production, testing and pricing, written from the build side. Short, practical and checked against each network's own documentation.
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Guide
What are playable ads? A practical guide for UA teams
How an HTML5 playable actually runs inside an ad network, the four parts every good one has, where the format earns its cost and where it does not.
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Specs
Playable ad specs by network: the 2026 checklist
File size, packaging, MRAID version, the exact CTA call and review rules for AppLovin, Unity Ads, ironSource, Mintegral, Google, Meta and TikTok, checked against each network's own documentation.
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Production
How to make a playable ad: from storyboard to network-ready HTML5
The production path we follow on every build: brief, one-page storyboard, asset prep, a lean HTML5 engine, one adapter per network, and QA on real phones.
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Design
Playable ad best practices: hooks, tutorials and end cards
What separates a playable that converts from one that only gets played: the opening frame, a tutorial that teaches in one gesture, honest difficulty and an end card that closes.
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Testing
A/B testing playable ads: hooks, difficulty, end cards and variants
Concept tests before iteration tests, one primary metric, the order we vary things in, and how to build a playable so new variants are a config change rather than a rebuild.
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Strategy
Playable ads vs video ads: when each one wins
The formats do different jobs. A framework for deciding where a playable earns its production cost, where video should lead, and how to compare them without fooling yourself.
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Pricing
How much does a playable ad cost? Pricing explained
Where the money goes in a playable, why a template reskin and a custom build sit at different price points, and the questions to ask before you compare quotes.
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Brands
Playable ads for brands: interactive ads beyond gaming
Playables are not only for games. Mechanics that suit food delivery, retail, fintech, travel and consumer apps, and how to design the interaction around the offer.
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