What is Playable ads (interactive mini-game ads)?
Playable ads are interactive mini-game ads: short HTML5 experiences that run inside an ad so people try a product before installing, buying or signing up. Sitio Labs is a playable ads agency that designs the mini-game, builds network-ready HTML5 and MRAID files with end cards and variants, and tracks engagement, click-through and installs.
We design and build playable ads: lightweight HTML5 mini-games that let people try your product’s core moment in a few seconds, then land on a clear install, buy or sign-up end card. Built to each ad network’s specs, for apps and for any brand that wants ads people actually play with.
Compare
Playable vs video vs static ads.
Three formats, three jobs. Most campaigns test more than one.
| Playable ad | Video ad | Static ad | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What people do | Play and interact | Watch | Look |
| Best at | Proving value hands-on | Telling a story fast | Cheap reach and retargeting |
| Typical length | A few seconds of play, then end card | 6 to 30 seconds | One frame |
| Users it tends to bring | People who already tried the core moment | Broad awareness | Broad awareness |
| Production | Game design plus HTML5 build | Script, shoot, edit | Design |
Where they run
Built for every network.
One mini-game, a build per network: HTML5 and MRAID files sized to each spec, plus a web version for landing pages and QR codes.
- AppLovinPlayable
- Unity AdsPlayable
- ironSourcePlayable
- MintegralPlayable
- PanglePlayable
- Google App campaignsPlayable
- Meta (Facebook & Instagram)Playable
- Landing pages & QRPlayable
Use cases
Not just for games.
Any brand with a satisfying few-second moment can turn it into a mini-game ad.
- Mobile apps & games
Show the core loop or key feature so installs come from people who already like it.
- D2C & e-commerce
Let shoppers style, build or match a product, then drop them on the product page.
- Fintech & SaaS
Simulate the outcome: savings growing, an invoice paid, a task done in one tap.
- Retail & festive campaigns
A Diwali or sale mini-game that unlocks a coupon and drives store visits.
- Education & edtech
A quick quiz or puzzle that shows how the course or app teaches.
- Events & exhibitions
A QR mini-game at the stall that collects leads while people queue.
Deliverables
What you get.
- Mini-game concept, storyboard and game design
- HTML5 and MRAID builds, sized for each ad network
- End cards, CTAs and A/B variants
- Branded mini-games for websites and social
- Interaction and conversion analytics
- Engagement time
- Click-through rate
- Install or conversion rate
Reported weekly, reviewed monthly, against targets agreed at the start.
How it runs
From audit to always-on.
- Week 1
Audit
Channels, tracking, creative and search presence reviewed, with the leaks ranked by cost.
- Week 1–2
Strategy
Channels, budgets, messaging and the KPIs we will be judged on, agreed in writing.
- Week 2–3
Create
Creative, content, landing pages and tracking, built by one team instead of four vendors.
- Week 3
Launch
Campaigns go live with the first round of tests already planned.
- Ongoing
Optimise
Weekly reports, monthly reviews and budget moved to whatever is working.
Playable ads FAQ/ 08
Questions, answered.
Write to us with what you are working on. You will hear back within 24 hours.
Start a conversationA playable ad is an interactive mini-game that runs inside an ad unit. Instead of watching, people tap and play for a few seconds, experience the product’s core moment, and then see an end card asking them to install, buy or sign up.
No. Any product with a satisfying few-second moment can use one: an app showing its key feature, a D2C brand letting people style or build a product, a fintech app simulating savings, or a retail festive mini-game. The live demo on this page is for a jewellery software product.
Playable ads run on the major mobile ad networks, including AppLovin, Unity Ads, ironSource, Mintegral and Pangle, and on Google App campaigns and Meta for app installs. Each network has its own format and size rules, so we deliver a build per network.
MRAID (Mobile Rich Media Ad Interface Definitions) is the IAB standard that lets an HTML5 ad talk to the app it is shown in, for example to open the store page. Most in-app networks expect playable ads to be MRAID-compatible.
Each network sets its own limit, typically a few megabytes for a single self-contained HTML file. We build to the strictest spec you need, so one game works everywhere.
They do different jobs. Video tells the story quickly and at scale; a playable lets people prove the value to themselves, which tends to bring in users who already understand the product. Many campaigns run both and let testing decide the budget split.
Yes. The same mini-game can live on a landing page, a QR code at a store or exhibition, or a link from Instagram and WhatsApp, as an advergame that collects leads or unlocks an offer.
A first playable usually goes from concept to network-ready build in a few weeks. Variants and new end cards after that are much faster. The exact timeline is agreed after the brief.