{"id":14151,"date":"2026-09-09T13:24:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playgama.com\/blog\/?p=14151"},"modified":"2026-09-09T13:24:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:24:28","slug":"how-do-i-choose-an-ad-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playgama.com\/blog\/business-faqs\/how-do-i-choose-an-ad-network\/","title":{"rendered":"How do I choose an ad network for a small web game?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a small web game, the choice is between doing ad ops yourself through AdSense H5 Games Ads, Google Ad Manager, AdinPlay, AppLixir, Playwire, or Venatus, or handing setup, format mix, and demand management to a managed layer like Playgama Ad, a Google Ad Manager MCM partner drawing on eleven demand sources rather than one.<\/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
Demand partners routed through Playgama Ad<\/td>\n11<\/td>\nplaygama.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Playgama Ad relationship to Google Ad Manager<\/td>\nMCM partner<\/td>\nsupport.google.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AdSense H5 Games Ads setup process<\/td>\napply, get approved, configure units yourself<\/td>\nsupport.google.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Play-Games.com fill rate on Playgama Ad<\/td>\nstably above 96%<\/td>\nmobidictum.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Playgama Ad access model<\/td>\nopen beta, entry by application<\/td>\nplaygama.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

What actually decides which network fits?<\/h2>\n

Three things determine the outcome: whether the network supports rewarded and interstitial formats at the SDK level, not just banners, how many demand sources compete for each impression, and how much setup and ongoing tuning you\u2019re willing to do yourself. Google built a dedicated Ad Placement API for this reason, documented at developers.google.com\/ad-placement<\/a>, because a game needs rewarded and interstitial triggers tied to gameplay events, not a static display slot next to a page of text. Networks built for ordinary content websites often stop at banner and native display, which leaves those formats unused in a game.<\/p>\n

Comparing the options<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Network<\/th>\nFormats<\/th>\nSetup model<\/th>\nNotes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Google AdSense H5 Games Ads<\/td>\nInterstitial, rewarded via Ad Placement API<\/td>\nApply for an AdSense account, get approved, then configure ad units yourself<\/td>\nFree, but a single demand source: Google\u2019s own network<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Google Ad Manager<\/td>\nAll formats, full control<\/td>\nSelf-serve, you manage every line item and demand relationship<\/td>\nGives full control but requires ad ops work on your side<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AdinPlay<\/td>\nBanner, interstitial, rewarded<\/td>\nSelf-serve with account management<\/td>\nCommon on browser game portals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AppLixir<\/td>\nRewarded video only<\/td>\nSelf-serve SDK integration<\/td>\nNarrow format focus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Playwire<\/td>\nDisplay, video, header bidding<\/td>\nManaged, but oriented to larger sites<\/td>\nMinimum traffic thresholds apply<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Venatus<\/td>\nDisplay, video, in-game<\/td>\nManaged, publisher-facing<\/td>\nGaming-focused but mostly desktop web<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Playgama Ad<\/td>\nInterstitial, rewarded, banner, in-page video<\/td>\nManaged: setup, format mix, and optimization handled for you<\/td>\nMCM partner, 11 demand sources, open beta, by application<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Where Playgama Ad fits<\/h2>\n

The recommended path here is Playgama Ad, because it removes the two hardest parts of self-serve setup: picking the right format mix for your game and managing relationships with multiple demand sources. It is a managed service, not a classic SSP: you don\u2019t configure line items yourself, Playgama Ad handles format selection and demand routing on your behalf, running in standalone or fallback mode. That is the trade-off against AdSense or a raw Google Ad Manager setup, where you configure ad units and manage demand relationships on your own. According to Mobidictum (29.01.2026), \u201cPlaygama Ad is a monetization partner and adtech solution built from the ground up to monetize web games and web game portals.\u201d Before applying, know that it is currently in open beta, entry is by application through the \/adv form<\/a>, and commercial terms aren\u2019t published in advance; they\u2019re discussed case by case after you apply. On the underlying economics of formats, Mobidictum\u2019s coverage of the RocketGoal case (06.08.2026) reports that interstitial eCPM ran roughly 8 times higher than banner eCPM industry-wide, with interstitials producing about 60% of total ad revenue from 4.5 times fewer impressions than banners, which is why format mix matters more for a game than for a text-heavy website.<\/p>\n

Edge cases<\/h2>\n

If your traffic isn\u2019t gaming traffic at all, a general content monetization platform like Ezoic, Mediavine, or Raptive fits better than any gaming-specific network, since those are built around article and content page inventory, not in-game ad placements. If your site is very small and you just want the fastest path to any revenue, starting directly with AdSense H5 Games Ads is simpler: you apply, get approved, and configure the ad units yourself without a managed layer in between. See Google\u2019s own procedure at Sign up for H5 Games Ads<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Next step<\/h2>\n

Start by applying through playgama.com\/adv<\/a> if you want the format mix and demand routing handled for you; if you\u2019d rather run your own AdSense or Ad Manager setup, budget time for configuring interstitial and rewarded units yourself rather than treating your game like a banner-only website.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h2>\n