The rewarded video placement rulebook

Rewarded video is the highest-CPM format in mobile advertising — when it's placed correctly. When it isn't, it's an annoying interruption that tanks retention. Here's the placement rulebook we've learned across 200+ game publishers.

Why rewarded video pays so much

The two-word answer: opt-in intent. When a player chooses to watch an ad in exchange for in-game currency, extra lives, or removed friction, they're signalling buying intent the advertiser would never get from a normal banner. Advertisers pay 5-10× normal mobile CPMs for that signal.

Typical CPM ranges across our publisher base in 2026:

• Banner ads: $0.50 – $3 CPM
• Interstitial: $8 – $20 CPM
• Native in-feed: $4 – $12 CPM
• Rewarded video: $15 – $40 CPM

Placement matters more than format

The mistake newer game devs make: bolting rewarded onto generic UI buttons ("watch ad for X coins") without thinking about WHEN the player wants the reward. Three rules.

Rule 1: Offer rewards at peak frustration

Players want the reward most when they've just failed. Died on the boss? Offer a revive for an ad watch. Ran out of moves? Offer +5 moves. Failed a quest? Offer a hint. The ad watch becomes a relief, not an interruption.

Don't offer rewards when the player is already winning. Offer them when the game just took something away.

Rule 2: Cap frequency, but not too low

Hard cap of 5-7 rewarded videos per session is the sweet spot for most games. Below 3 and you leave money on the table; above 10 and the ads themselves get repetitive (the demand pool runs dry mid-session).

Rule 3: The reward must feel proportional

A 30-second ad for 5 coins (when items cost 500 coins) is a feel-bad deal. A 30-second ad for "keep playing this run" (with 20 minutes of progress at stake) is a no-brainer. Calibrate your reward economy so the player feels they came out ahead.

Anti-pattern: forced viewing

Some game devs disguise interstitials as "rewards". Don't. Reward = opt-in. The CPM premium evaporates the moment the player feels forced. Plus most ad networks will rate-limit you or kick you out for it.

What Adbris does on rewarded

The SDK handles the demand mediation: AdMob, AppLovin, Unity Ads, Vungle, Liftoff. Whoever bids highest in real time wins. The publisher writes a single call site ("show me a rewarded ad for this placement") and we route to the best bid.

Build the placement logic well, integrate the SDK once, and rewarded video typically pays for 50-70% of a free-to-play game's total ad revenue. The other formats stack on top.