Roblox Tested Pre-Roll Video Ads for Advertisers
The platform is expanding ad inventory to include non-integrated slots for brands seeking to reach its 130 million daily users.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Advertising
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Roblox has initiated testing for pre-roll video advertisements that display during game loading screens. This move aims to make advertising on the platform more scalable and measurable for media planners targeting its base of 130 million daily active users.
Why it matters
By introducing ads that require no creator integration, Roblox is positioning itself to capture a larger share of the projected $13.3 billion global gaming advertising market. The move prioritizes standardized formats that align with broader media buying practices.
Global gaming advertising is projected to reach $13.3 billion in 2026, a 33% increase compared to the current period. These figures support an environment where users already spend an average of 2.5 hours daily on the platform.
The players
Roblox
An online platform and game creation system that commands a massive daily audience and is expanding its programmatic advertising infrastructure.
A global technology leader in advertising infrastructure that partnered with Roblox in 2025 to scale its programmatic video capabilities.
IAB
A leading trade association for the digital advertising industry that provides standards for measurement and media planning.
The details
The new pre-roll format functions through the open exchange and deal IDs, allowing advertisers to purchase inventory without needing to build custom game integrations. This format functions independently of existing reward-based video ads, which currently maintain completion rates above 90 percent and viewability rates above 95 percent. By automating the placement process, Roblox intends to integrate itself into standard programmatic media plans.
Timeline
April 2025: Roblox announced a programmatic video partnership with Google.
2025: The IAB released the Gaming Measurement Framework.
January 2026: Roblox reported its rewarded video performance metrics.
September 2026: Roblox announced the testing of pre-roll video ads.
Market Landscape
Roblox is aligning its ad inventory with the standardized measurement requirements established by the IAB Gaming Measurement Framework. This development marks a move toward treating gaming as a primary programmatic channel rather than a niche experimental buy.
Brands evaluating gaming as a channel should monitor whether this pre-roll format provides the standardized reporting required for traditional media plans. Operations teams should prepare for new inventory procurement workflows as programmatic access to gaming audiences becomes more automated.
The takeaway
The transition toward standard programmatic formats makes gaming a more viable component of a diversified media budget. Operators should track the reported viewability metrics of these new ad slots to determine if they meet the same performance benchmarks as the platform's rewarded video.
Further reading
For more on shifts in digital promotional strategies, see Advertising.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Beet.TV - The Root to the Media Revolution.
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