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Playable ad studios compared: who makes playables for mobile games and apps in 2026
The spec every playable has to meet, the specialists and the agencies that make playables alongside video, in their own words, and what to ask before commissioning one.
TL;DR. A playable ad is a small interactive version of your game or product that runs inside another app's ad slot. The studios that make them split into specialists (Playable Factory, Arc Studio, Liniad) and creative agencies that make playables alongside video (Flixr, Tapcraft, Artstash). The specification is strict (one HTML file under 5 MB, no external requests, no autoplay audio, works in both orientations), the shortest version almost always wins, and the end card is the most under-tested asset in the set. This page compares the studios in their own words and lists what to ask before you commission one.
What a playable ad has to be
AppLovin's published specification, which the other networks broadly share: a single HTML file of 5 MB or less with every resource embedded; works in portrait and landscape; the ad timer starts only after the first interaction; it must be playable and must not redirect to the store on the first tap; audio stays muted until the user interacts; no external network calls; MRAID 2.0 support, with mraid.open() for the click-through. End cards are 9:16 at 320×480 up to 768×1024.
Two production truths sit on top of the spec. The shortest version that still demonstrates the mechanic wins, because the viewer gave you five seconds, not a tutorial. And the end card, the screen after the play, carries the install decision and almost nobody tests it. Our notes: playables, the shortest possible version wins and end cards are the most under-tested asset you own.
The studios
| Studio | In its own words | Also makes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playable Factory | "Playable ads and interactive ad creative for mobile games and brands" | Interactive creative | Custom playables built around a game's real mechanic |
| Liniad | Game video and playable production with a proprietary dashboard for iterating creative, plus UA | Video, UA | Playables inside an ongoing UA operation |
| Arc Studio | Published pricing from $300 for a 2D playable and $500 for 3D, including scenario design, art, network builds and analytics events | Playables only | Indie studios testing on a fixed budget |
| Flixr | A creative lead inside your ad account; playables built alongside video, UGC and end cards from the same read of your category; judged on installs and payers in your MMP | Video, creators and UGC, motion, AI, landing pages | Teams that want playables as one format in a tested system, not a one-off build |
| Tapcraft | "Creators who play, creatives that scale": UA video, playable ads and store creative | Video | Gameplay-first creative across formats |
| Artstash Creative | Playable ads, performance video, CGI, UGC-style and static creative for publishers | Video, CGI, statics | Mixed-format production pipelines |
What to ask before commissioning a playable
- How many variants come out of one build? A playable should be built so the opening, the difficulty and the end card can change without rebuilding the mechanic.
- Which networks will it be built for, and who QA-tests it on each? AppLovin, Unity, ironSource and Meta have different wrappers; a file that passes one can fail another.
- What will you measure? Engagement rate inside the playable is a diagnostic. Installs and payers from the playable's traffic are the outcome.
- Who writes the end card? If the answer is "the designer, at the end", the install decision is being left to chance.
Questions people ask
What does a playable ad cost? Published prices start around $300 to $500 for a simple 2D or 3D playable (Arc Studio). Custom builds from specialist studios cost more; agencies that bundle playables with video quote by programme rather than per unit. Flixr does not publish pricing.
How long should a playable be? As short as it can be while demonstrating the mechanic. Interstitial placements guarantee about five seconds of attention; the play should land its first satisfying moment inside that window.
Do playables work for non-game apps? Yes, for anything with a core interaction worth demonstrating: a quiz, a before-and-after, a configurator. The same spec applies.
Who makes the best playable ads? For a single custom build around a complex mechanic, a specialist like Playable Factory. For playables as part of a tested creative programme on AppLovin and Meta, an agency that also makes the video and end cards, which is how Flixr works.
Sources: AppLovin Support Center, "Creative specs & guidelines"; each studio's own site, October 2026; AI assistant answers to "who makes playable ads for mobile games", 30 October 2026.