Roblox Expands Immersive Advertising with Rewarded Video Ads, Partners with Google to Scale Reach

At IAB Playfronts, Roblox announced the launch of Rewarded Video ads, an innovative ad format that allows brands and agencies to reach engaged audiences within immersive experiences. To scale this offering, Roblox is partnering with Google, enabling advertisers to buy Rewarded Video ads programmatically via Google’s advertising solutions and through direct buying (Direct IO) in the coming weeks.

This collaboration is a major step in Roblox’s advertising vision, helping brands connect with consumers where they already engage. To further enhance media quality, performance, and measurement, Roblox is also working with industry leaders including Cint, DoubleVerify, IAS, Kantar, and Nielsen, providing brands with deeper insights into the impact of their ad investments.

Enhancing Engagement with Rewarded Video Ads

Rewarded Video ads allow users to opt in and watch up to 30-second full-screen video ads within Roblox games and experiences. In return, they receive in-game rewards from the creators of those experiences, also known as ad publishers.

Early tests show promising results, with an average completion rate exceeding 80%, and select experiences seeing completion rates above 90%. Players recognize the value of the rewards—such as power-ups and in-game currency—making these ads an additive, non-disruptive part of their experience.

By integrating Google Ad Manager into its ad technology stack, Roblox can rapidly scale immersive ad formats to meet brands’ advertising needs. In the coming weeks, advertisers can seamlessly incorporate Rewarded Video ads into their existing media buys and connect with Roblox’s massive Gen Z audience, which includes tens of millions of daily active users.

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For Roblox’s creator community, this new ad format unlocks expanded earning opportunities, allowing them to enhance their experiences while increasing user engagement. Over the next few months, Roblox will bring more ad formats—including Billboards (formerly video and image ads)—to Google Ad Manager. Additionally, Roblox will connect to more demand sources, integrating leading supply-side platforms (SSPs) like PubMatic and demand-side platforms (DSPs) via Google’s Authorized Buyers solution. All ads will strictly adhere to Roblox’s Advertising Standards.

“This new format is a win-win-win for brands, creators, and users, and we’ve been excited by the early results of our tests which have proven this out,” said Stephanie Latham, Vice President of Global Brand Partnerships and Advertising at Roblox. “Our partnership with Google makes it very easy to buy these engaging ads and reach key audiences at scale. We are continuing to remove barriers for brands and agencies that are quickly realizing the massive potential of immersive gaming platforms like Roblox where Gen Z are increasingly spending their time.”

Google Partnership Fuels Growth in Immersive Ads

For Google, this partnership aligns with its broader immersive advertising expansion strategy, now incorporating video formats in both Google Ad Manager and AdMob. Roblox is one of the first platforms to roll out immersive ads at scale through Google’s Immersive Ads beta, benefiting from global demand for Rewarded Video ads via Google Ad Manager. This ensures that Roblox’s creator community can quickly monetize their experiences.

“We’re thrilled about the potential for clients in immersive gaming, with Roblox leading the charge as the go-to platform for Gen Z connections,” said Cara Lewis, Chief Investment & Activation Officer at dentsu. “Rewarded Video is an ad format that’s not only proven its effectiveness but also offers familiar measurement tools for brands and agencies. With the ease of buying and reaching Roblox’s massive, highly engaged audience, we’re excited to see brands in our network experiment with Rewarded Video to connect with consumers in a safe and scalable way.”

Strengthening Measurement & Brand Safety with New Partners

Roblox is committed to providing brands with robust measurement tools to assess and optimize their media investments. Advertisers using Google’s media-buying tools can now measure the success of Rewarded Video ads and other immersive ad formats within Roblox. These measurement capabilities ensure that advertisers can evaluate their cross-platform investments alongside traditional digital media.

To further enhance measurement and brand safety, Roblox is expanding partnerships with:

• DoubleVerify and IAS – Providing insights into media quality, performance, fraud prevention, brand safety, and viewability.

• Cint – Offering brand lift studies to measure awareness, consideration, and intent.

• Kantar – Enabling brands to track campaign ROI, brand equity, and behavioral outcomes like favorability and purchase intent.

• Nielsen ONE Ads – Delivering cross-platform measurement with deduplicated audience reach and frequency metrics.

As Roblox continues refining its advertising ecosystem, these partnerships will play a key role in defining how brands measure engagement in immersive gaming environments—where users aren’t just playing, but also creating, exploring, and sharing content.

Expanding Advertising Opportunities in 2025

While Rewarded Video ads are a major focus for Roblox’s 2025 advertising strategy, the company is also innovating with unique ad formats designed to engage Gen Z users in creative ways.

New offerings include:

• Premium Home Ads – A high-impact ad unit that allows brands to own an entire row on the Roblox home page for a 24-hour takeover, reaching a massive audience. Brands like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice have already leveraged this solution during its pilot phase.

• Sponsored Experience Ads – A new way for brands to integrate advertising directly into immersive experiences.

• Commerce Integrations – Features that seamlessly turn brand awareness into action, providing a frictionless path from discovery to purchase.

As Roblox continues to redefine advertising in the metaverse, its commitment to scalability, brand safety, and measurement transparency ensures that brands can reach and engage Gen Z audiences in meaningful, immersive ways.