Were you looking for alternative ways to monetize your game, and you ran into offerwalls?
And now you’re wondering: Is my game good for an offerwall?
Offerwalls are amongst the most profitable ad formats, but they aren’t a good fit for every game.
Below, we’ve gathered the characteristics that make a game perfect for an offerwall.
What Is an Offerwall?
First things first, let’s go back to basics.
An offerwall is a type of advertising that encourages players to perform an action to get something in return.
These actions can include things like downloading an app, reaching a certain level in a game, completing a survey, and so on.
Offerwalls appear in specific sections of the app or game and resemble an e-commerce store. But instead of products, the listing includes the actions the player can take to earn rewards.
The reward is usually a generous amount of in-app currency that the player can spend on their game.
What Are the Benefits of Offerwalls?
Offerwalls have many benefits, which range from user interaction to revenue.
Offerwalls Are Non-Intrusive
First of all, offerwalls are a non-intrusive ad format, because they are opt-in.
This means that players choose to interact with an offerwall; they aren’t forced to.
When ads aren’t perceived as a nuisance but as an option, they have higher levels of engagement.
They Bring Higher Revenue
Being opt-in and rewarding the player, offerwalls usually have a higher rate of interaction, which leads to higher eCPM (effective cost per mille).
In fact, the average revenue of offerwalls ranges between $200 – $1,700+ eCPM.
Compare that with other formats:
| Type of Ad | Average revenue (in the US market) |
| Banner ads | $0.3 – $1 eCPM |
| Interstitial ads | $7 – $15 eCPM |
| Rewarded ads | $10 – $16 eCPM |
| Playable ads | $20 – $100+ eCPM |
| Offerwalls | $200 – $1,700+ eCPM |
Investing in an offerwall can completely change your monetization and revenue.
They Attract High-Quality Players
If you are advertising your game through an offerwall, then you can expect to attract high-quality players.
This is because players acquired through an offerwall usually spend more time in the advertised app, bringing more value.
Is Your Game a Good Fit for an Offerwall?
Now that you know what an offerwall is and what its benefits are, it’s time to dive right into the main question.
At MAF, offerwalls are our business, and we noticed that the games where they perform better have this in common:
- They have a large user base made up of non-paying users.
- They are already using rewarded video ads.
- They have a virtual currency system.
- They use reward-based mechanics.
Let’s examine them one by one to understand why these characteristics work.
You Have a Large Non-Paying User Base
Offerwalls are so effective because they allow you to monetize non-paying users without disrupting the gameplay.
Let’s say that your game uses a hybrid monetization strategy that combines both in-app purchases and ads.
However, you notice that barely anyone makes a purchase, yet you’re getting good revenue from advertising.
In this case, an offerwall works best, since it gives non-paying users a way to earn rewards while generating revenue for you.
Moreover, since players choose to interact with an offerwall, advertising isn’t as intrusive as other ad formats, which brings in even higher revenue.
The great thing about offerwalls is that they can also increase your IAPs.
When players start interacting with an offerwall, they are more likely to later make an in-app purchase as they get a taste of the premium experience.
It’s a win-win!
You Already Use Rewarded Video Ads
If your game already includes rewarded video ads, you’re in a great position to add offerwalls.
Players are already used to the concept of exchanging attention or engagement for rewards. They’ve learned that watching a short video can get them extra lives, coins, or retries.
But offerwalls take it to the next level.While rewarded videos offer small rewards, offerwalls unlock larger, more meaningful payouts in exchange for more involved actions.
This creates a natural progression: players who already watch rewarded video ads are more likely to engage with offerwalls when they need a bigger boost.
From a design perspective, offerwalls also give you more flexibility.
Rewarded videos are often limited by cooldowns or availability. Instead, offerwalls include more options, which also means more opportunities for players to engage and more revenue for you.
So if rewarded video ads are already working well in your game, an offerwall can make it even better.
Your Game Has a Virtual Currency System
Coins, gems, diamonds, you pick.
Virtual currencies are what make offerwalls work.
Why?
Because offerwalls rely on appealing rewards. If your game already uses a currency, then players know what those rewards are worth, and they’re likely motivated to earn more.
Having a currency system is crucial to match rewards to the offerwall.
When you have one, you can tie offerwall rewards directly to your core economy. Players complete an action, get rewarded, and immediately spend the reward in the game.
It also gives you control.
You can adjust reward values, limit how often players can earn through the offerwall, or connect rewards to specific goals. This keeps your economy balanced while still making the offerwall feel generous.
In short, if you already have a currency system in place, you’re halfway there. Offerwalls simply plug into that system and amplify it.
You Use Reward-Based Mechanics
If your game already has systems that reward players for engagement, like daily logins, quests, achievements, or timed events, then an offerwall is a great fit for your game.
These mechanics train players to expect rewards for specific behaviors.
So, an offerwall fits naturally into this dynamic, since it becomes just one more method of progression, not something strange or disruptive.
What’s really powerful about this is how seamlessly the offerwall can fit into the flow of your game.
For example, if players are used to completing a quest to earn currency, doing a quick offer for a bigger reward feels like an extension of that system, not a separate experience.
This also makes it easier to introduce the offerwall contextually.
You can add it during moments of high motivation, like when a player is just short of enough currency to unlock something, or after they’ve completed a reward-based task and are open to earning more.
When offerwalls align with existing mechanics, they enhance the player’s journey. And since they’re seen as another form of progression, players are more likely to engage, which ultimately leads to better results for both retention and revenue.
Conclusion
As you can see, offerwalls can be a powerful addition to your monetization strategy, but they need to align with your game’s design and player behavior.
If your game has a large base of non-paying users, a virtual currency system, and reward-based mechanics, and if you’re already seeing success with rewarded video ads, then you’re in a strong position to benefit from offerwalls.
At the end of the day, offerwalls work best when they feel like a natural extension of your game. And if you integrate them thoughtfully, you can turn engagement into earnings.
