The quick answer
A playable ad is a small interactive HTML5 creative built for an ad network. It looks like your game and gives the viewer a short interaction inside the ad unit. A playable game demo is your actual game running in a browser tab — either a native web build, or a Windows build streamed from a machine you control.
If you are buying mobile user acquisition and need a creative that fits Meta, Google, TikTok or an ad network, you want a playable ad. If you want players to try the real PC build — for Steam Next Fest, a Kickstarter page, a playtest, or a store page — you want a playable game demo link.
What a playable ad actually is
A playable ad is a self-contained HTML5 package, usually 2–5 MB, that runs inside an ad placement. It is not the full game. It is a carefully scoped slice: one mechanic, one level, one loop, a store button, and a hard size budget.
Building one is a production task. You either rebuild the mechanic in a web engine or use a playable-ad toolchain (Unity PlayWorks, a specialised playable engine, or an agency). The output has to load fast on a low-end phone, work with touch, and pass each network’s specs.
Best at: reach and creative testing at scale. Not good at: showing the real game, its full visuals, or its actual controls.
What a playable game demo is
A playable game demo is the real build behind a URL. There are two ways to do it:
- Native web: the game is ported to WebGL/WebAssembly/HTML5 and runs in the browser.
- Streamed: the game runs on a Windows machine you control, and the browser receives video and sends input. This is what Gamespace does.
Best at: an honest demo, PC-quality visuals, playtests, store-page conversion, and publisher or press previews. Not good at: buying millions of cheap impressions — that is the ad network’s job.
Side by side
| Playable ad | Playable game demo | |
|---|---|---|
| What runs | A mini-game or sliced mechanic in HTML5. | Your actual build, native web or streamed. |
| Where it lives | Inside an ad placement (Meta, Google, TikTok, networks). | Any URL: store page, Kickstarter, Discord, email, press kit. |
| Size limit | Usually 2–5 MB, set by the network. | No creative size limit; the build stays on your host. |
| Build effort | Rebuild or re-author a slice for web; QA per network. | Run the existing Windows build; no port. |
| Fidelity | Approximation of the game. | The real game, real controls, real performance. |
| Best for | Mobile UA, creative testing, broad reach. | Steam/Kickstarter demos, playtests, store conversion. |
| Measurement | Network impressions, CTR, installs. | Click → host → connected → played → store click. |
When a playable ad is the right tool
- You are buying mobile user acquisition and need a creative for Meta, Google, TikTok, AppLovin, Unity or ironSource.
- You need many variants for creative testing and a fast iteration loop.
- The game loop can be communicated in 15–30 seconds on a phone.
- You can afford a production cycle per creative, or you have an agency/toolchain.
When a playable game demo wins
- Your game is a PC or console build that would be expensive to port.
- You need an honest demo: the real graphics, the real controls, the real performance.
- You are running a playtest and cannot hand out the build.
- You want a store-page button, a Kickstarter reward, or a press-kit link that opens the game.
- You want to measure the full funnel from click to store, not just ad CTR.
Can you use both?
Yes, and they work well in sequence. A playable ad or video ad buys attention on a network. The click can land on a playable game demo link, where the player tries the real game and then continues to the store. The ad’s job is reach; the demo’s job is conviction.
The mistake is asking one format to do the other’s job: forcing a 40 GB build into a 3 MB ad, or buying media against a demo link that has no distribution.
How Gamespace fits
Gamespace is not a playable-ad builder. It turns your Windows build into a playable game demo link:
- Create a game and bind the process or Steam AppID.
- Connect a Windows host you control.
- Create a campaign link and share it.
- Measure the full session funnel, not just clicks.
The build stays on your machine. You can password-protect it, limit session length, and send players to your store when the demo ends. That makes the same link usable for a public demo and a private playtest.
FAQ
No. A playable ad is a small HTML5 creative for an ad network. A playable game demo is your real game running in a browser, either native web or streamed from a Windows machine.
Not directly. Ad networks require a small HTML5 package with strict limits. You have to rebuild a slice for web. If you want players to try the real build, use a playable game demo link instead.
They can, but they are usually mobile-first and limited to a short interaction. For a PC or console game, a playable demo link represents the game more honestly.
No. Gamespace turns a Windows build into a playable game demo link. It is not an HTML5 playable-ad builder.