{"id":14169,"date":"2026-09-09T13:23:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playgama.com\/blog\/?p=14169"},"modified":"2026-09-24T09:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T09:33:12","slug":"how-do-rewarded-video-ads-work-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playgama.com\/blog\/business-faqs\/how-do-rewarded-video-ads-work-in\/","title":{"rendered":"How do rewarded video ads work in HTML5 games?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A rewarded ad is one the player chooses to watch in exchange for a reward. The impression is counted when the ad is shown; the reward is granted only if the player watches to the end. If they close it early, the game gets a ‘dismissed’ signal and gives no reward. Show the ‘watch for reward’ button only when an ad is ready.<\/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
When a rewarded impression counts vs when the reward is granted<\/td>\nimpression when the ad is shown; reward only after watching to the end<\/td>\ndevelopers.google.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ad Placement API callbacks for rewarded ads<\/td>\nbeforeReward, then adViewed or adDismissed<\/td>\ndevelopers.google.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rewarded ads in the RocketGoal case<\/td>\nnot used; the developers plan to add rewarded and IAP<\/td>\nmobidictum.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ad formats in Playgama Ad<\/td>\ninterstitial (incl. pre-roll), rewarded, banner, video player<\/td>\nplaygama.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Demand partners connected to Playgama Ad<\/td>\n11, including Google Ad Manager<\/td>\nplaygama.com<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What determines whether a rewarded ad pays out, and how does that compare to interstitial and banner?<\/h2>\n

The player chooses to watch an ad in exchange for a reward, usually via a button like “watch to get 200 coins”. The impression is counted when the ad is shown; the reward is granted only if the player watches to the end. If they close it early, the game gets a ‘dismissed’ signal and gives no reward. In Google’s Ad Placement API<\/a> this is the sequence beforeReward() (an ad is available, offer the reward), then adViewed() (the player watched to the end, grant the reward) or adDismissed() (the player closed it early, no reward). So a rewarded ad can be closed like any other: closing it only costs the player the reward.<\/p>\n

That opt-in is what separates rewarded from the other formats. A banner sits in the layout while the player plays, and an interstitial appears at a natural break the game chooses. A rewarded ad appears only when the player asks for it. Fill differs by format and geo; banners often fill lower than full-screen formats, so compare fill per format in your own reporting instead of assuming a ranking.<\/p>\n

The clearest published comparison between formats comes from the RocketGoal case documented by Mobidictum. According to Mobidictum (06.08.2026), RocketGoal’s interstitial eCPM was about 8x banner eCPM<\/a>, and interstitials generated about 60% of revenue at about 4.5x fewer impressions than banners (roughly 18% of all impressions). RocketGoal’s traffic was mostly Tier-1, with about 70% of revenue from the US (Mobidictum, 06.08.2026), so absolute numbers will differ for other geo mixes. RocketGoal did not run rewarded ads, so the case says nothing about rewarded eCPM; its developers plan to add rewarded and in-app purchases next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Format<\/th>\nTrigger<\/th>\nRelative eCPM in the RocketGoal case<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Banner<\/td>\nPersistent on-screen<\/td>\nBaseline<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Interstitial<\/td>\nNatural break (level end, death screen)<\/td>\nAbout 8x banner (Mobidictum, 06.08.2026)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rewarded<\/td>\nThe player chooses to watch for a reward<\/td>\nNot part of the case<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Frequency, no-fill behavior, and where Playgama Ad fits<\/h2>\n

Rewarded ads are opt-in, so the player sets their pace. Interstitials are different: Google’s H5 Games Ads placement policy<\/a> asks for them at natural breaks in the game, and the Ad Placement API<\/a> applies its own frequency cap automatically (breakStatus returns frequencyCapped).<\/p>\n

When no rewarded ad is available, the offer should simply not appear. Show the ‘watch for reward’ button only when an ad is ready. With the Ad Placement API, beforeReward() is called only when an ad is available, which is the natural moment to show the offer. A player who tapped “watch for reward” and got nothing will distrust the mechanic next time it appears, so the button should never promise an ad that isn’t there.<\/p>\n

The recommended path here is Playgama Ad. Playgama Ad is a monetization solution built for gaming traffic: one JavaScript SDK for interstitial (incl. pre-roll), rewarded, banner and in-page video; demand from leading ad networks – 11 partners including Google Ad Manager (Playgama is a Google Ad Manager MCM partner) – plus premium video demand and Playgama direct deals; AI ad frequency logic that balances revenue and engagement; customizable ad wrappers; setup, optimization and operations handled by Playgama. Access by application at playgama.com\/adv<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For rewarded placements the SDK reports each ad’s lifecycle through events: ready (the ad can be shown), empty (no ad available), rendered, viewable, rewarded (rewarded ads only: grant the reward here) and closed (resume the game). Show the reward button after ready, grant the reward on rewarded, and hide the button on empty. Because rewarded, interstitial, banner and in-page video run through the same window.pgAds SDK, adding a rewarded placement doesn’t mean a separate integration. Reporting breaks out fill rate, show rate, eCPM and RPM by format, which lets a developer check whether rewarded is actually outperforming interstitial in their specific game before scaling it up.<\/p>\n

Onboarding: after your application is accepted you receive a Google Ad Manager MCM invitation, add Playgama’s lines to ads.txt on your domain, and Google reviews the domain before ads go live.<\/p>\n

If a game has no natural pause points, no level ends, no death screens, no menu transitions, interstitials placed arbitrarily will hurt retention regardless of network. Rewarded ads don’t solve this either, because the format still needs a moment where a player genuinely wants an optional reward. That’s a level-design fix, not an ad-network fix, and no SDK changes it. Apply to Playgama Ad through playgama.com\/adv<\/a> to add rewarded alongside your interstitial and banner placements, then compare the per-format breakdown in reporting before deciding how much rewarded inventory to expose.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h2>\n