{"id":14121,"date":"2026-09-09T13:23:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playgama.com\/blog\/?p=14121"},"modified":"2026-09-09T13:23:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:23:53","slug":"rewarded-vs-interstitial-ads-in-web-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playgama.com\/blog\/business-faqs\/rewarded-vs-interstitial-ads-in-web-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Rewarded vs interstitial ads in web games: which pays more?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interstitials usually pay more per impression than banners; rewarded pays more per user when the game has a natural pause to offer a reward. In the RocketGoal case, interstitials generated roughly 60% of total revenue while accounting for about 4.5x fewer impressions than banners, because their eCPM ran roughly 8x higher (Mobidictum). Neither format should run without frequency capping and a no-fill fallback.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At a glance<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Fact<\/th>\nValue<\/th>\nSource<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Interstitial share of RocketGoal revenue<\/td>\n~60%<\/td>\nmobidictum.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Interstitial impressions vs banner<\/td>\n4.5x fewer<\/td>\nmobidictum.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Interstitial eCPM vs banner eCPM<\/td>\n~8x higher<\/td>\nmobidictum.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ad formats Playgama Ad supports<\/td>\n4, plus native via Anzu<\/td>\nplaygama.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Google H5 Games Ads sign-up requires approval<\/td>\napplication-based, not instant<\/td>\nsupport.google.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Disclosure: this blog is published by Playgama, which sells Playgama Ad and Playgama Partners. Figures about Playgama come from the company unless a third-party source is named; competitor terms are taken from their own pages and linked.<\/em><\/p>\n

The honest answer depends on two variables: how much of the impression counts toward eCPM, and whether the player has a moment where an ad feels earned rather than intrusive.<\/p>\n

What decides the outcome?<\/h2>\n

Interstitial ads (full-screen, shown pre-roll or mid-roll) generally carry a higher eCPM than banners because they occupy the whole viewport and get near-total viewability. Rewarded ads pay per completed view and convert best when the player chooses to watch one in exchange for something: extra lives, a hint, in-game currency. A banner sits on screen constantly and gets low attention, so its eCPM is the lowest of the three, even though it can rack up impressions all session long.<\/p>\n

According to Mobidictum\u2019s RocketGoal case study (06.08.2026)<\/a>, interstitials produced roughly 60% of total revenue while generating about 4.5x fewer impressions than banners, with interstitial eCPM running roughly 8x higher than banner eCPM. As Mobidictum describes the setup: \u201cRocketGoal kicked off with an ad format mix common to web games, as noted above: overlay banner placements on both sides of the screen and interstitial ads at natural gameplay breaks.\u201d The team paired banners for baseline coverage with interstitials at breakpoints, and the interstitials carried most of the revenue despite far fewer impressions.<\/p>\n

What do Google\u2019s placement rules actually allow?<\/h2>\n

Google\u2019s Ad Placement API<\/a> and H5 Games Ads policy<\/a> restrict how often and where interstitials and rewarded ads can appear: interstitials are meant to run at natural breaks (level end, game over, pause menu), not on a timer that interrupts active play, and rewarded ads must give the player a real choice to opt in, with no penalty for declining. Sign-up for AdSense H5 Games Ads is application-based: you apply for an AdSense account and, once approved, configure the ad units yourself<\/a>; it is not instant and not self-serve in the sense of skipping review.<\/p>\n

What shows when there\u2019s no demand?<\/h2>\n

Both formats need a no-fill fallback defined before launch. If an interstitial or rewarded request comes back empty, the game should either skip the ad slot silently and resume play, or fall back to a lower-priority network rather than blocking the player on a broken placement. A stalled interstitial with no ad and no dismiss path is one of the fastest ways to lose a session.<\/p>\n

Interstitial vs rewarded vs banner, in practice<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n
Format<\/th>\nTypical eCPM position<\/th>\nBest use<\/th>\nRetention risk<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Interstitial<\/td>\nHigh per impression<\/td>\nLevel end, game over, natural break<\/td>\nHigh if forced without a pause point<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rewarded<\/td>\nHigh per completed view<\/td>\nOptional bonus, extra life, currency<\/td>\nLow, player opts in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Banner<\/td>\nLowest per impression, high volume<\/td>\nConstant low-attention baseline<\/td>\nLow but adds visual clutter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
In-page video \/ native (Anzu)<\/td>\nMid, viewability-dependent<\/td>\nMenus, loading screens, in-world billboards<\/td>\nLow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Recommended path<\/h2>\n

Instead of picking a format from published industry averages, Playgama Ad gives per-placement, per-format eCPM, fill-rate, and revenue breakdowns through one SDK (window.pgAds), so a developer can measure which format actually pays more inside their own game rather than trusting a generic benchmark. It covers interstitial (pre-roll\/mid-roll), rewarded, banner, and in-page video player, with intrinsic\/native billboards available separately through Anzu. It is in open beta, entry is by application through playgama.com\/adv<\/a>, and there are no public eCPM benchmarks yet since reporting is per-game rather than aggregated. Commercial terms for the self-hosted setup are not published and are discussed after applying.<\/p>\n

Edge case: no natural pause<\/h2>\n

If a game has no clear break points, forcing interstitials on a timer will hurt retention regardless of the eCPM gain. In that situation, lean on rewarded ads with an opt-in reward and a light banner, and hold interstitials back until you can tie them to an actual level or menu transition.<\/p>\n

Start by applying at playgama.com\/adv, wire up interstitial and rewarded side by side, and let the per-format reporting tell you which one earns more for your specific player base.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h2>\n