Mobile game ads that ran, and why
Eight real video ads from top-grossing games, each with the hook doing the work. Every card opens the ad in our library.
VideoGossip Harbor“Classic merge puzzle game”The genre is the headline. Merge players search for merge games, so the ad says it in four words and keeps saying it.
VideoWhiteout Survival“Eternal Winter”Sells the world before the game: cold, scarce, urgent. Survival strategy leads with the setting.
VideoLast War:Survival Game“Try it directly!”A mini-game hook with a dare in the copy. "Try it directly!" and a warning that you are about to get hooked.
VideoEvony - The King's Return“Only 1% Can Defeat the Boss! ⚔️”Fail bait. 99% fail the boss, can you? The viewer plays it in their head and wants the rematch.
VideoCall of Dragons“Start… never stop 🔥”Reverse psychology. "Never start this game" is the whole hook.
VideoRoyal Match“🚨 NO ADS. NO BATTERY DRAIN. NO PROBLEM. 🚨”Sells against the category. No ads, no battery drain, no Wi-Fi needed: the three complaints players have about other games.
VideoCandy Crush Saga“Can you complete all the moves? 🏆”A puzzle posed as a question. You solve the board before the end card.
VideoRoblox“Roblox: Millones de aventuras”One promise, localized per market. "Millones de aventuras" is the same ad, in the viewer’s language.
The mobile game ad formats
Five formats carry almost all game UA. Video is most of it. Playables convert hardest.
Short vertical video
Six to 30 seconds, built for the first three. GameAnalytics puts video at 74% of all mobile game ads. Runs on Meta, TikTok, YouTube and every in-app network.
Rewarded video
The player chooses to watch for an in-game reward. GameAnalytics puts it at $10 to $30 CPM in top-tier markets, the highest of any format.
Playable ads
A playable demo of the game inside the ad. GameAnalytics reports 4.8 installs per thousand impressions for playables against 2.9 for video. See what playable ads are.
Playable end cards
A short interactive card after a video. The video earns attention, the end card earns the tap.
Interstitials
Full screen between levels in someone else’s game. Mostly video and static, served by the in-app networks.
The hooks that keep a game ad running
Every long-running game ad in the library opens on one of six hooks. Pick one per ad, never two.
- 1
The fail
Show a player losing a level they should win. Viewers cannot stand it and install to fix it.
- 2
The challenge
"Only 1% can beat this." A number and a dare. Evony runs a whole series of them.
- 3
The satisfying loop
Merge, sort, clear. The core action on repeat with no words. Works with the sound off.
- 4
The world
Strategy and survival games sell the setting: winter, ruins, an army. The game is the reason to be there.
- 5
The complaint
No ads, no Wi-Fi, no battery drain. Royal Match runs against the category’s pain points.
- 6
The person
A creator or a reaction on camera. GameAnalytics finds UGC-style creative wears out 30 to 40% slower than studio-made ads. On TikTok, run the creator’s own post as a Spark Ad.
Why game studios need so many ads
Because they die fast. GameAnalytics puts creative lifespan in mature markets under five days.
A game ad lives about a week. Playables last longer - 15.4 days on average against 9.2 for a Meta video, by GameAnalytics’ count - but nothing lasts. So the job is a pipeline, not a hero spot.
The studios that scale ship variations every week: same game, new hook, new first three seconds, new end card. Most get killed in a few days. The few that hold become the ads you see in the library running for months.
That is why the AppLovin, Meta and TikTok algorithms reward volume. They pick the winner. Your job is to give them enough candidates. More on how AppLovin prices that in AppLovin ads cost.
Playable game ads you can play
Real playables from the AppLovin network, mirrored whole, so they run in your browser exactly as they run in an ad slot.
How to make mobile game ads
Capture real gameplay, cut it to one hook, test five versions of the first three seconds, keep what installs.
- 1
Record clean gameplay
Capture the core loop at 9:16 with no UI clutter. One good session is a month of raw material.
- 2
Write hooks, not scripts
Ten hooks on one page. Fail, challenge, loop, world, complaint, person. See ad hooks for the patterns across every category.
- 3
Cut the first three seconds five ways
Same body, five openings. The opening decides the result; the rest is the same ad.
- 4
End on one action
An end card with the game, the rating and one button. Or a playable end card if the network supports it.
- 5
Ship weekly, kill fast
Launch the batch, cut the losers in days, iterate on the one that holds. Specs per platform are in ad specs.
Or get the ads made for you
If the bottleneck is volume, hand off the making.
Director by Sprites is a full creative team for your startup, in private beta. Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human.
Strategy, hooks, scripts, shooting and editing, end to end. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.
Every video is checked by a person before it reaches your inbox. No endless revisions.
Questions
What are mobile game ads?
Paid ads that sell a mobile game and send the viewer to the App Store or Google Play. Mostly short vertical video, plus playables, rewarded video and interstitials inside other apps.
Why are mobile game ads so fake?
Some show a mini-game that is a small part of the real game, because the mini-game hooks more people. The ads that last are the ones the game can live up to: players who feel tricked uninstall, and the network stops buying them.
How do I make app promo videos for Apple Search Ads and TikTok app install campaigns?
Shoot one gameplay capture, then cut it two ways: a 16:9 or 9:16 app preview for the store, which Apple Search Ads can use, and 9:16 video ads with a hook in the first three seconds for TikTok. The full workflow is in app promo video.
How many creative variations does a game studio need?
Enough to replace what dies each week. With a creative lifespan under five days in mature markets, per GameAnalytics, a studio spending seriously ships new variations every week, not every quarter.
Do playable ads work better than video for games?
On installs per impression, usually. GameAnalytics reports 4.8 IPM for playables against 2.9 for video. Video still carries most of the volume because it is faster to make and runs everywhere.
Where can I see real mobile game ads?
In our mobile game ad examples, the gaming ads library and the AppLovin ads library, where the playables run in the browser.
Keep going
Need new game ads every week?
Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.