Reddit Rolls Out Playable Ads to Win Over its Toughest Critics

Reddit is trying to solve its advertising paradox—how to make money from a user base that famously hates ads—by launching new "Interactive Ads" that users can play with. The format is designed to make brand messages feel more like native content and less like an interruption.

• From scroll to play: The new ad unit, powered by Reddit's Developer Platform, allows brands to embed experiences like quizzes and mini-games directly into the user feed. Early pilots include a movie-themed escape game from Paramount to promote "The Running Man" and a group mission from Electronic Arts to build hype for its next Battlefield title, as detailed by TheDesk.net. The goal is to turn passive scrolling into active participation.

• Riding the revenue wave: The launch, first reported by Adweek, comes as Reddit enjoys strong financial performance, recently reporting quarterly revenue of $585 million—a nearly 70% jump from the previous year—and more than 115 million daily active users. "Interactive Ads are a Reddit-unique format that offer ad innovation at scale," said Jyoti Vaidee, Reddit’s VP of Ads Product, framing the move as a way to "earn attention and create lasting impact."

Reddit is betting that by making ads more engaging, it can finally crack the code on monetizing its vibrant but skeptical communities. The format is currently in a limited alpha test, with a full rollout to managed advertisers planned for 2026, according to Adweek. The move is part of a wider industry push toward interactive advertising, with companies like Amazon and Samsung also launching their own playable or participatory ad formats to better capture user attention.