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.
- "From your game" means your brand, characters and assets. The mechanic can be your core loop, a live event, or a proven format rebuilt in your art.
- Three routes: engine export (Unity via Playworks), HTML5 rebuild (Cocos, Phaser, PixiJS), or building from your APK or HTML build and assets.
- Every route ends in the same box: 5 MB at most, no external requests, a different click-out call per network, both orientations, sound off until the first tap.
- Plan the second version before you ship the first. On the fastest networks a playable gets one to two weeks before it fatigues.
- Genie Playable builds network-ready playables from your own game, from a format that's already working, or from scratch, and your team makes the next version from the last one.
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 |
|---|---|
| Brand: characters, art style, UI, logo, sound identity | Mechanic: your core loop, a meta feature, or a borrowed format such as a match-3 or runner moment in your art |
| Tone: how your game feels in the first three seconds | Narrative: a live event, a story beat, a "save the character" setup |
| Store truth: what the player gets after install | Length and structure: fun in three seconds, or a 60 to 90 second loop |
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:
- Size: about 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.
- Format: one 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 calls: nothing loads from your servers at runtime.
- A click-out call per network:
mraid.open()on AppLovin and Unity,FbPlayableAd.onCTAClick()on Meta and Moloco,ExitApi.exit()on Google,window.openAppStore()on TikTok,window.install()on Mintegral. - Behavior rules: muted 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | Strip a scene in your engine and export it as a playable, for example Unity to Playworks (formerly Luna) | A playable developer rebuilds the moment in Cocos, Phaser, PixiJS or plain JS and Canvas, using your exported art | A tool reads your build, art, narrative and live events, then generates the playable and its variants |
| Best for | Unity studios that want to reuse real code | Studios with dedicated playable developers and custom ideas | UA and creative teams that need many versions without a dev queue |
| Strength | Real gameplay, real code | Full creative control, smallest files | Speed to the next version; your team directs without coding |
| Risk | File size and per-network setup. The free Playworks tier exports to Unity Ads only | Capacity. Every change goes back to the developer | Quality varies by tool, and "AI playables are just reskins" is a real perception. Check it uses your game, not a template |
| Who does the work | Game engineers | Playable developers | UA or creative lead, with a technical check |
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.
How do I make a playable ad from my game, step by step?
1. 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."
2. Script the arc
Almost every playable follows the same shape:
- 1Hook: a two to three second video or animated lead-in. Around nine in ten new playables embed video, and eight in ten open with it (AppAgent and Apptica, 2025).
- 2Tutorial hint: a hand or arrow showing the first move. Sett's study of 3.5 million sessions found first-three-second drop-off of about 47% without onboarding and about 29% with it.
- 3Interaction: two to five satisfying actions.
- 4Win or fail: most playables end in a win. A near-miss fail can drive curiosity. Test both.
- 5End card: a clear call to action, your logo, the store button.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Test before you upload
- AppLovin: the Playable Preview web tool, then the Playable Preview app through its QR code.
- Unity Ads: the Ad Testing app, with a QR code from the dashboard.
- Mintegral: the Mindworks Playable Test Tool. Every test case has to be green.
- Meta, TikTok, Moloco: the preview inside Ads Manager.
- Google: the HTML5 Validator.
Then test on a real low-end Android phone. A desktop browser hides most of the problems.
7. 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.
8. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping over 5 MB | Rejected upload, or slow load and drop-off | Budget 2 to 3 MB from day one |
| Calling MRAID before it's ready | Frozen ad or failed click on AppLovin and Unity | Wait for the MRAID ready event |
| First tap goes to the store | Policy violation, low-quality installs | First tap plays; the CTA comes later |
| Sound autoplays | Rejection | Muted until the first interaction |
| Portrait only | Broken layout on landscape placements | Responsive 9:16 and 16:9 |
| Two mechanics in one file | Heavy export, unclear goal, usually tests worse | One mechanic; test the second as its own version |
| Generic template look | "It's just a reskin", and players can tell | Build from your real art, characters and events |
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, Google, TikTok, AppLovin, Unity Ads, Mintegral, Liftoff, Moloco, Snapchat and Digital Turbine from one source. Your team directs and approves every version. The product is moving fast, and we'll keep this page current as it grows. Try it free on your game.
FAQ
Can I convert my Unity game directly into a playable ad?+
Partly. Unity Playworks (formerly Luna) can export a stripped-down Unity scene as a playable, but you still need to get it to about 5 MB and set it up for each network. The free Playworks tier exports to Unity Ads only.
Do I need a developer to make a playable ad?+
For an HTML5 rebuild or an engine export, yes. With a tool that builds from your game's build and assets, a UA or creative lead can direct the work, with a technical check before launch.
How big can a playable ad be?+
About 5 MB on every major network in 2026. Aim for 2 to 3 MB so the ad loads fast and you have room for localized variants.
Does my playable have to show real gameplay?+
It should represent what players get. Regulators and app stores are tightening the rules on misleading ads, and playables built from your real game usually retain players better after install.
How many versions of a playable should I make?+
Plan for a steady stream: one strong concept, then regular variations. Leading teams put roughly 70% of output into variations of winners and 30% into new concepts.