Rewarded Ads vs Offerwalls: Which Delivers Better Results?
- Fátima Castro Franco
- Sep 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 15
Incentivized advertising has become one of the most effective ways to acquire high-quality users in mobile gaming. But within the rewarded user acquisition ecosystem, two formats dominate the conversation: rewarded ads and offerwalls.
Both models incentivize players to take action, but they deliver very different experiences, attract different types of users, and ultimately impact ROAS in unique ways. For UA managers, growth marketers, and game developers, knowing the difference is crucial for building a balanced and profitable strategy.
So which delivers better results: rewarded ads or offerwalls? The answer depends on your goals, your audience, and your monetization model. Let’s break it down.
What Are Rewarded Ads?
Rewarded ads are short, voluntary ad experiences where players earn an in-game reward — such as coins, gems, boosters, or lives — in exchange for watching a video or engaging with a playable ad.
Length: 15–30 seconds
Player perception: Positive, since they choose when to opt in
Best suited for: Casual and midcore games that need scale and frequent engagement
Key advantages:
Extremely high opt-in rates (70–90%)
Seamless integration into game loops
Great for building daily retention habits
Drawbacks:
Rewards are typically small, so impact on revenue may be limited without scale
Overuse can cause reward inflation in the in-game economy
What Are Offerwalls?
Offerwalls take the idea of incentivized advertising to a deeper level. Players access a list of “offers” — tasks such as installing another app, subscribing to a service, or completing a survey — and earn a large in-game reward in return.
Length/effort: Several minutes or more
Player perception: Valuable, but higher effort than rewarded ads
Best suited for: Midcore and hardcore games with premium economies
Key advantages:
High-value rewards encourage deeper commitment
Players acquired through offerwalls often show stronger monetization potential
Good fit for players who are willing to grind for progress
Drawbacks:
Lower scale compared to rewarded video
May attract “reward hunters” if not optimized
Requires careful balance to avoid cannibalizing IAP revenue
Rewarded Ads vs Offerwalls: Key Differences
Factor | Rewarded Ads | Offerwalls |
User effort | Low (watch 15–30s video) | High (complete app install or task) |
Reward size | Small, frequent | Large, infrequent |
Scale | Very high | Moderate |
Best for | Casual & midcore games | Midcore & hardcore games |
Opt-in rate | 70–90% | 10–30% |
Retention impact | Strong daily engagement | Stronger long-term monetization |
Both rewarded ads and offerwalls are essential parts of a balanced incentivized UA strategy. To understand how they connect to the bigger picture, see our Rewarded UA guide for 2025.
Which Performs Better for ROAS?
The short answer: both can deliver strong ROAS, but in different ways.
Rewarded ads drive scale and retention. Because players opt in frequently, they create a steady stream of engaged users who are more likely to stick around.
Offerwalls drive depth and monetization. While fewer players participate, those who do tend to be more committed and have higher lifetime value.
In practice, most successful studios use a hybrid approach — rewarded ads for volume, offerwalls for depth.
When to Use Rewarded Ads
Rewarded ads work best when:
You’re launching a new game and need scale fast
Your economy can handle frequent, smaller rewards
You want to encourage daily logins and repeat sessions
Your audience skews casual, where attention spans are short
When to Use Offerwalls
Offerwalls shine when:
You want to monetize non-spenders by offering alternative progression paths
Your game economy can absorb big, infrequent rewards
Your audience is motivated by premium currencies or competitive progress
You’re targeting midcore or hardcore players willing to invest effort
Mistakes to Avoid
Treating them as interchangeable – rewarded ads and offerwalls serve different purposes.
Over-rewarding – too many incentives (either small or large) destabilize your game economy.
Ignoring user quality – measure not just installs but long-term retention and ARPU.
Failing to test hybrid models – the best mix is rarely 100% one format.
The Future of Rewarded UA
Looking ahead, rewarded ads and offerwalls are set to evolve in complementary ways:
AI-driven optimization will help match the right reward type to the right player.
Rewarded playables may blur the line between ads and offerwalls.
Cross-genre adoption will continue, with even non-gaming apps using incentivized formats.
The future isn’t about choosing rewarded ads or offerwalls — it’s about learning how to blend them strategically.
Final Thoughts
So, rewarded ads or offerwalls — which delivers better results?
The truth is that they’re two sides of the same coin. Rewarded ads excel at scale, retention, and building daily engagement loops. Offerwalls excel at depth, monetization, and maximizing value from highly motivated players.
The most successful UA strategies in 2025 combine both. By balancing frequency with depth, you can create an acquisition engine that attracts users at all levels of commitment — and turns more of them into long-term, high-value players.
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