Ad Network Guide
Playable Ads for Chartboost
Chartboost is one of the earliest mobile gaming ad networks, founded in 2011 with a direct developer-to-developer ad model that has since evolved into a full programmatic DSP. Now part of LoopMe, which acquired it at the end of 2024, Chartboost maintains its identity as a gaming-native platform with strong relationships among independent mobile game studios. Its publisher base is concentrated in casual, puzzle, and arcade game categories where engaged players see several ad units per session.
Chartboost publishes no strict size limit for playables: its exchange documentation, which is what remains published after its advertiser pages moved in the LoopMe acquisition, recommends staying under 5 MB. A recommendation, not a rejection threshold. Playable Ads Maker holds Chartboost exports to 3 MB anyway, as a safety margin of our own: Chartboost's inventory is between-rounds gaming, where a playable that takes more than a moment to appear loses a player who has already moved on, and a smaller file shows faster. Building to that budget takes asset discipline: compressed WebP images, minimal animation frame counts and no redundant creative elements.
The Chartboost export workflow itself is the same as for the other single-HTML MRAID networks. The Playable Ads Maker's Chartboost preset generates a single HTML file with MRAID initialisation and mraid.open() on the CTA, and draws no close button of its own, because Chartboost adds one. The export modal shows a live size estimate. Watch this carefully as you adjust image quality and animation complexity. Upload to the Chartboost dashboard under Creatives, attach to your campaign, and Chartboost's review team evaluates within 1–2 business days. Because it began as a cross-promotion network, it is a good way to reach the players of other independent game studios.
Export specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Accepted format | Single .html |
| Playable Ads Maker exports | Single HTML file |
| Published size limit | No published cap |
| Playable Ads Maker builds to | 3 MB |
| MRAID | MRAID 1.0 / 2.0 |
| Store-exit call | mraid.open() |
| External requests | None allowed at runtime |
| Inventory focus | Mobile gaming publishers (casual, puzzle, arcade) |
| Review time estimate | 1–2 business days |
Size, format, MRAID and store-exit rows are taken from Chartboost’s own documentation; “Playable Ads Maker builds to” is our exporter’s own target. Every network side by side: playable ad size limits by network.
If you already have a build, drop the HTML file into the free Playable Ad Spec Checker and it will grade it against these Chartboost requirements (size, packaging, MRAID and the store-exit call) in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
Check my Chartboost playable adHow to upload to Chartboost
- Before designing your playable, plan your asset budget. Playable Ads Maker builds Chartboost exports to 3 MB (Chartboost itself recommends under 5 MB), so allocate roughly half of that to background and character images, a small share to UI elements, and keep the rest in reserve for the HTML and script payload.
- Use WebP format for all images at 70–75% quality rather than PNG. WebP typically reduces image size by 25–35% versus PNG without visible quality loss at typical playable screen sizes.
- Select the Chartboost preset in the Export modal. Watch the live file size estimate: the modal will not export a Chartboost build over 3 MB.
- Download the HTML file. If you need to go smaller, return to the editor, reduce image resolution or quality, and re-export.
- Log in to the Chartboost dashboard at dashboard.chartboost.com and navigate to Creatives in the left sidebar.
- Click Add Creative, select Playable HTML as the format, and upload the file. Fix anything Chartboost flags before submitting.
- Navigate to Campaigns, open or create your UA campaign, add the creative to an ad group, and submit for review.
File size tip
Chartboost publishes no hard size cap; Playable Ads Maker builds Chartboost exports to 3 MB. If your export is too large, reduce image resolution, switch to WebP at 75–80% quality, or trim animation frame counts in the Playable Ads Maker Export modal. The live size estimate updates as you adjust each setting.
Tips for Chartboost playable ads
Design a simpler playable instead of compressing harder
The most effective way to stay inside a 3 MB budget is not compressing assets harder. It is designing a simpler playable from the start. A single animated character on a clean background with two interactive elements is far lighter than a visually complex scene, and Chartboost's gaming audience is used to fast, simple interactions; a stripped-down playable that appears at once gives the mechanic its best chance.
Weigh every audio file against the size budget
Audio files, even short loops at low quality, can consume 200–500 KB of a 3 MB budget, which makes audio a costly inclusion on a lean Chartboost build. Design your playable to work without sound. Use visual particle effects, animation bounces, and scale pulses to communicate feedback instead of sound effects. If audio is critical to your app's experience, represent it with an unmute icon in the corner rather than autoplay.
Chartboost's core strength is gaming cross-promotion between indie studios
Chartboost originated as a direct developer-to-developer cross-promotion network, and its publisher base still skews heavily toward independent mobile game studios with dedicated gaming audiences. This means your playable ad is shown to players who are already active mobile gamers with game-install habits. They have lower friction toward trying a new title than audiences on social or general networks. Make the playable feel like part of the gaming session rather than an interruption.
Playable Ads Maker does the Chartboost packaging (Single HTML file), wires the mraid.open() store exit and inlines every asset when you export.
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