How long should a playable ad be?

Most run 15 to 30 seconds of play before the end card. Networks don't set a hard playable duration in the docs we checked, so keep it short enough that most players reach the CTA.

What file format is a playable ad?

HTML5. AppLovin and Unity want a single HTML file with assets embedded. Meta accepts HTML or ZIP. Google Ads takes a ZIP.

What's the size limit?

5 MB on AppLovin, Meta and Google Ads, and under 5 MB on Unity Ads, per their docs as of 26 Oct 2026. Smaller files load faster on weak connections.

Which network should I start with?

The one that already drives most of your installs. You'll have a baseline to compare against and enough volume to read the result.

What should I measure?

IPM, CPI and early retention (D1 or D7) against your best video. CTR alone can mislead with playables.

Can I make a playable from a video ad?

Yes. Video-to-playable tools and studios do this. Keep the interaction true to the game, or the install won't match the ad.

How many versions should I make at first?

Two or three that differ in one thing, such as the hook or difficulty, so you learn what moved the result.

How to make a playable ad: a beginner's guide (2026)

To make a playable ad, pick one moment from your game, turn it into a 15 to 30 second interactive loop with a hook, a single mechanic, a fail or win state and an end card, then package it to each network's specs and test it against your current video. You can start from your own game build, from a playable format that's already working in the market, or from a written brief.

This guide is for UA managers, creative leads and small studio founders making their first one. It covers the three starting points, then the nine steps every playable goes through, whatever tool you use.

Key takeaways

A playable is a short interactive ad, usually a single HTML file, that lets players try one core moment before they install.

There are three ways to start: from your build, from a format that already works, or from a brief.

Every playable needs the same five creative parts: hook, mechanic, fail state, win moment and end card.

Packaging is where beginners lose days: single HTML files, 5 MB caps, network click-through calls and no store redirect on the first tap.

Test playables against your best video, judged on IPM, CPI and early retention, not only CTR.

Genie Playable supports all three starting points without a developer and exports for eight networks, with Moloco coming soon.

What is a playable ad, in one paragraph?

A playable ad is an interactive mini version of your game that runs inside another app or a social feed. The player taps, swipes or drags for a few seconds, wins or fails, then sees an end card with an install button. In-app networks run it inside an MRAID container, the IAB standard for rich media in apps. If you want the longer version, start with what is a playable ad.

Why bother? Liftoff's 2025 Mobile Ad Creative Index reported that in 2024, impression-to-install rates for playables were eight times those of non-playable formats for top spenders, and 16 times for other game advertisers. Averages hide a lot, but the direction is clear enough to justify a test.

What are the three ways to start?

Before any steps, decide what you're starting from. It shapes how close the playable feels to your game and how fast you can make new versions.

Starting point	What you bring	Best when	Watch out for
From your build	An APK or HTML build, plus your art, characters and UI	You want the playable to look and feel like the real game	Choosing one moment; a full level is too much for 30 seconds
From a format that already works	A playable or ad concept that's proven, yours or a known market format	You need a fast first test or a fresh variant of a winner	Reskin sameness; the format must still be true to your game
From a brief	A written idea: genre, mechanic, hook, theme, audience	You have no build to share yet, or want to test a feature idea	Vague briefs produce generic playables; be specific about the first five seconds

From your build. This is the route most likely to set honest expectations, because the player sees your actual characters and core loop. It also tends to help D7, since the people who install already know what they're getting. Our guide to making a playable from your own game covers which moment to pick.

From a format that already works. Many teams start here: a pin pull, a merge board, a tap-to-steer runner, a "choose the right item" puzzle. The format is known to perform. The risk is that it's known to everyone, so make it yours through your characters, your art style and a mechanic that is actually in the game. If your winner is a video, see turning a video ad into a playable.

From a brief. Useful for testing before the build exists, or for testing a feature before you commit dev time to it. Write the brief like a storyboard: what the player sees at second one, what they do at second three, what happens when they fail.

Genie Playable works from all three. Upload your APK or HTML build and use the assets already in Genie, start from a format that's already working, or describe it in a brief to Genie Agent. One brief in. A network-ready playable out.

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What are the nine steps to make a playable ad?

Whatever the starting point and tool, every playable goes through these steps. Skip one and it usually comes back as a rejection or a weak test.

1. Concept: pick one moment

Choose the single most satisfying 10 seconds of your game. Not the tutorial, not a menu. For a merge game it might be the first big merge; for a puzzle game, a near-miss solve. Check that your genre fits the format with which games work as playable ads.

2. Hook: win the first three seconds

Players decide almost immediately. Show the problem before they touch anything: a character in danger, a board one move from clearing, a timer. Add a hand or arrow hint so the first interaction is obvious.

3. Mechanic: one input, done well

Tap, swipe, drag or hold. One input that's in the real game. If the mechanic needs explaining, it's too complex for an ad.

4. Fail state: let them lose

A small, fair failure ("so close") makes players want another try, and the next try happens in your game. Decide whether a fail sends them to the end card or gives one retry.

5. End card: one clear action

Game logo, a short line, an install button. Networks are strict here: AppLovin and Unity both forbid opening the store on the first tap or without interaction, so the CTA must come after gameplay. For what goes where, see the anatomy of a playable ad.

6. Specs: package for each network

The same playable has to be packaged slightly differently per network. Key rules, checked in each network's docs on 26 Oct 2026:

Network	Format	Size	Click-through call
AppLovin	Single HTML, assets embedded, MRAID 2.0	5 MB	mraid.open
Unity Ads	Single minified index.html, MRAID 3.0	Under 5 MB	mraid.open(url)
Meta	HTML or ZIP	5 MB	FbPlayableAd.onCTAClick
Google Ads	ZIP with relative paths	5 MB, up to 512 files	ExitApi.exit or an automatic Install button

All four restrict runtime network requests, so every image, sound and font goes inside the file. Per network detail lives in the specs hub, and size tactics in playable ad file size.

7. QA: test like a player, then like a reviewer

·Play it on a low-end Android phone and an older iPhone, in portrait and landscape.

·Check sound is muted until the first touch and stops when the ad is hidden.

·Confirm the CTA opens the right store on both platforms.

·Run it through each network's preview or validation tool before you upload. AppLovin's preview tool flags format and size errors.

8. Upload: one network first

Don't launch everywhere on day one. Pick the network that drives most of your installs today and upload there. If that's AppLovin, follow running your first AppLovin campaign with a playable.

9. Test: compare against your best video

Run the playable next to your current top video in the same campaign. Judge on IPM, CPI and D1 or D7 retention, not CTR alone. Playables can pull lower CTR and still win on installs and quality. For how many variants to run, see how many playables to test, and for the setup, A/B testing playable ads.

What mistakes do first-time teams make?

Mistake	What happens	Fix
Cramming a full level in	Players drop before the payoff	One moment, 15 to 30 seconds
Hook starts after a logo screen	Low engagement in the first seconds	Action on frame one; logo goes on the end card
Store opens on first tap	Rejected by AppLovin and Unity	CTA only after gameplay
Mechanic not in the real game	Good IPM, weak retention, policy risk	Show gameplay players will actually get
One version only	No way to learn what worked	Ship two or three variants that differ in one thing

One more from experience. Teams we talk to often spend weeks on the first playable and then have nothing ready when it wins. The creative fatigues, the network wants a fresh variant, and the next version is another project. Plan version two before version one goes live: a new hook, a different difficulty, a new end card. That plan matters more than polish. Our playable ad best practices checklist covers it in order.

New versions start from the last one, so a winning playable becomes a family of variants without starting over or opening a dev ticket.

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Do you need a developer to make one?

Not for most playables. Template builders, network editors, AI tools and build-based platforms can all produce network-ready files without code. You still need a developer for custom mechanics no tool supports, for engine exports such as Unity Playworks, or for custom SDK work. The full breakdown is in can marketers make playable ads without a developer?

Where does Genie Playable fit?

Genie Playable is built for the three starting points in this guide. It builds a playable from your APK or HTML build plus the assets in Genie, from a format that's already working, or from scratch from a brief with Genie Agent. No developer is needed at any step. You iterate from the last version and export optimized builds for Meta, AppLovin, Unity Ads, Liftoff, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, Pangle and Mintegral, with Moloco coming soon.

Self-serve starts at $490 a month, or $249 a month for startups, and sign-up is free, with enough tokens to create your first two playables before you pay. Larger companies usually start with a custom plan: a full one-month pilot where the Genie team onboards you and helps build the playables you want.

Who it's not for: if you want to learn the format with zero spend, a free template trial is a fine place to start. If your concept depends on a custom mechanic or engine feature, a developer or specialist studio is the better route. And if you plan to run one playable a year, a freelancer is likely cheaper.

Make your first one. Bring a build, a working format or a brief. Your first two playables are covered on self-serve.

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FAQ

Sources

A playable ad from your own game is a 30 to 90 second interactive slice of your game: your characters, your art and one clear mechanic, packaged as a small HTML5 file an ad network can run. You can't ship your game build as it is. Networks cap playables at about 5 MB in a single HTML file or ZIP, with strict rules on code and clicks. So you have three options: export a stripped-down scene from your engine, rebuild the moment in an HTML5 framework, or use a tool that builds the playable from your game's build and assets. This guide walks through all three.

Key takeaways

What does "a playable ad from your own game" actually mean?

It means the player sees your game, not a generic template with your logo on top. Studios that do this well keep three things fixed and treat the rest as open.

Keep fixed	Open to change
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This matches what UA and creative leads tell us. Brand fidelity is non-negotiable. Gameplay is often borrowed from whatever is trending. The catch is policy. The UK ASA now treats even a genuine but non-core mechanic as potentially misleading, and Google Play bans ads that don't represent the app. The closer your playable is to what players actually get, the safer it is, and the better it tends to retain.

Why can't I just ship my game build as a playable?

Ad networks run playables inside their own ad containers, not as apps. Every playable has to fit this box:

SizeAbout 5 MB on every major network (AppLovin, Meta, Google, TikTok, Unity, Mintegral, Moloco, Snapchat). A WebGL export of a real game is usually far bigger. An empty Godot export is already over the limit.

FormatOne self-contained HTML file with every asset inlined (AppLovin, Unity, Moloco), or a ZIP with an index.html (Google, TikTok, Mintegral, Snapchat). Meta accepts both.

No external callsNothing loads from your servers at runtime.

Click-out callmraid.open() on AppLovin and Unity, FbPlayableAd.onCTAClick() on Meta and Moloco, ExitApi.exit() on Google, window.openAppStore() on TikTok, window.install() on Mintegral.

Behavior rulesMuted until the first interaction, no store redirect on the first tap, no auto-redirects, works in portrait and landscape.

The full list lives in our Playable ad specs by network (2026).

What are the three ways to turn my game into a playable?

	1. Engine export	2. HTML5 rebuild	3. Build from your APK or HTML and assets
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Most studios mix routes: a hand-built hero playable for a launch, and faster tooling for the weekly variations that keep a campaign alive.

What buyers expect to pay and wait: roughly $3,000 to $8,000 and two to four weeks per new playable from an external studio, and roughly $600 to $2,000 in-house once the setup exists. Nobody has a clean source for these numbers, so treat them as market expectations. One mid-size studio we spoke to put it simply: the market norm is "two weeks onwards", and their target is under a week.

Your game is already the brief.

Upload your APK or HTML build. Genie Playable turns it into a playable ad with your own art, characters and live events, ready for 10 ad networks.

Try it free on your game

How do I make a playable ad from my game, step by step?

01\Pick the moment worth playing

Choose one mechanic a stranger understands in three seconds. Good sources: your core loop at its most satisfying, the live event running now, or a format already converting in your genre. If you can't explain the moment in one sentence, it's too complex. One mechanic beats two.

“Merge plus puzzle looks clever and almost always tests worse.”

Segwise

02\Script the arc

Almost every playable follows the same shape:

03\Prepare your assets

Export characters, backgrounds, UI and sounds from your game, then cut hard. Compress images, use sprite sheets, trim audio to short loops and subset fonts. Base64 inlining adds about a third to file size, so aim for 2 to 3 MB in total and treat 5 MB as the ceiling.

04\Build it

Whatever route you use, keep the logic in plain HTML and JavaScript, make the layout work in 9:16 and 16:9, and keep sound off until the first tap.

05\Package it for each network

This is where engineer time quietly disappears. "A unit that passes on AppLovin can bounce on Unity," as Segwise puts it. Each network needs the right file format, the right click-out call and any required hooks. Mintegral, for example, expects gameReady() and gameEnd() calls. Build once and generate network variants from one source. Hand-editing copies is how bugs creep in.

06\Test before you upload

Then test on a real low-end Android phone. A desktop browser hides most of the problems.

07\Launch and measure

Give each playable enough data before you judge it. A common rule of thumb is about 50 conversions in four days, or 100 in seven. Judge on D7 ROAS and retention, not CPI alone. If you can, add events inside the playable (start, first interaction, win or lose, CTA tap, drop-off point), because network dashboards only show the last step.

08\Plan the next version before this one fatigues

Top-grossing games ship dozens of new playables a month, and most of that volume is variations of a winner. Leading teams put roughly 70% of output into variations and 30% into new concepts. Decide now which single thing you'll change next: the hook, the fail state, the character, the event skin or the end card.

What should I keep from my game, and what can I borrow?

Keep everything that helps a player recognise your game after install: art, characters, UI language, sound. Borrow structure freely, whether that's a proven hook, a pacing pattern or a format working in another genre. Racing and narrative studios often tell us their game "isn't playable". The honest read: a playable doesn't need your full core loop. It needs one true moment from your world.

What are the most common mistakes?

Mistake	What happens	Fix
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The next version, not a new brief.

When a playable fatigues, Genie Playable lets your UA or creative team change the hook, the character or the event skin on the last version and ship it again. No dev queue.

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Where does Genie fit?

Genie Playable takes the third route, and adds two more ways in. You can build from your game: your APK or HTML build together with the assets, narrative, mechanics and live events already in Genie. You can start from a format that's already working and rebuild it with your game inside. Or you can start from scratch and describe the playable to Genie Agent.

Genie Core keeps every version on brand, and Genie Playable exports network-ready variants for Meta, AppLovin, Unity Ads, Liftoff, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, Pangle and Mintegral from one source, with Moloco coming soon. No developer is needed at any step, and your team makes the final call on every version. Sign-up is free and covers your first two playables. Try it on your game.

Where to go next

First playable? Follow how to make a playable ad step by step, then run it through the playable ad best practices checklist. Once it's live, read how to know if your playable ad is working and how to A/B test playable ads.

What is a playable ad, in one paragraph?

What are the three ways to start?

What are the nine steps to make a playable ad?

1. Concept: pick one moment

2. Hook: win the first three seconds

3. Mechanic: one input, done well

4. Fail state: let them lose

5. End card: one clear action

6. Specs: package for each network

7. QA: test like a player, then like a reviewer

8. Upload: one network first

9. Test: compare against your best video

What mistakes do first-time teams make?

Do you need a developer to make one?

Where does Genie Playable fit?

FAQ

Sources

Keep reading

How to make a playable ad from your own game (without rebuilding it)

Your first playable for your first AppLovin campaign

Playable ad best practices: a checklist from first build to advanced

Ready to ship playables from your game?

What does "a playable ad from your own game" actually mean?

Why can't I just ship my game build as a playable?

What are the three ways to turn my game into a playable?

How do I make a playable ad from my game, step by step?

01\Pick the moment worth playing

02\Script the arc

03\Prepare your assets

04\Build it

05\Package it for each network

06\Test before you upload

07\Launch and measure

08\Plan the next version before this one fatigues

What should I keep from my game, and what can I borrow?

What are the most common mistakes?

Where does Genie fit?

Where to go next

FAQ

Sources

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FAQ

Sources

Keep reading

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Ready to ship playables from your game?