How to treat gaming as a core media line rather than a one-off test - and where Overwolf Ads fits into the plan.
Gaming accounts for less than 5 percent of worldwide media investment despite commanding a large share of consumer attention, according to eMarketer's January 2026 Video Game Advertising Report. In-game advertising is projected to make up just 2.3 percent of overall US digital ad spend in 2026, even though 59.2 percent of the US population is expected to be digital gamers during the same year.
That gap between attention and investment is why more media planners are beginning to treat gaming as a permanent media line rather than an experimental budget allocation.
Adding gaming to a media plan starts with the same questions planners ask of any channel: What is the campaign objective? How should it be bought? How will success be measured? Overwolf Ads is designed around these planning decisions, offering scalable programmatic inventory, audience targeting, and premium native activations. The sections below explain where gaming fits into a modern media plan and how different Overwolf Ads products support different campaign goals.
Why Gaming Belongs in the Plan Now
Media plans typically follow a proven-core, emerging, and experimental split - often described as a 70/20/10 model. Historically, gaming has been treated as part of the experimental allocation, even as consumer time spent gaming continued to grow.
According to eMarketer, the average US consumer now spends more than one hour per day with digital gaming - comparable to, or exceeding, time spent in channels already treated as core media investments.
The mismatch between attention and advertising spend is the strongest argument for reconsidering gaming's role in the media mix. While gaming captures significant consumer attention, it still receives less than 5 percent of worldwide media investment. For planners defending channel recommendations, that gap represents potential incremental reach rather than simple overlap with existing investments in CTV or social.
Choosing the Right Buying Path
Adding gaming to a media plan starts by matching the buying approach to the campaign objective.
For broad awareness campaigns spanning multiple titles, standard display and video inventory provides scalable reach. Campaigns requiring audience-level precision can layer deterministic targeting onto that inventory.
One advantage of adding gaming to a media plan is that it doesn't require a new buying model. Standard Media - IAB-compliant display and video formats built for high-impact, premium visibility - is available through Direct, Private Marketplace (PMP), Programmatic Guaranteed (PG), and open programmatic buying.
For brands seeking greater visual impact, Custom Media offers exclusive, attention-grabbing formats such as takeovers and in-game skins. Custom Activations go a step further, embedding brands into gamified experiences - challenges, tournaments, treasure hunts, custom maps, and more - that engage players directly rather than sitting alongside gameplay.
Adding Audience Targeting
Gamer Grid, Overwolf Ads' audience intelligence layer, uses deterministic gameplay behavior and hardware signals - enriched with third-party purchase data from Experian and LiveRamp - rather than inferred interests.
Gamer Grid allows advertisers to reach and engage the right audience, at the right time, with the right messaging.
Premium Native Activations
Brands seeking deeper contextual integrations can also access premium native formats through direct partnerships.
Rewarded Achievements trigger branded creative from real in-game events, while Branded Mods integrate brands directly into downloadable community content. Because these executions rely on deeper creative collaboration, they are available exclusively through direct deals.
What This Doesn't Solve
Adding gaming to a media plan does not eliminate the need for independent validation.
Comscore ranks Overwolf as the second-largest US gaming property by reach, while Adelaide includes Overwolf as the only gaming platform within its AU Ecosystem alongside publishers such as The New York Times and Spotify. Overwolf Ads has also been recognized industry-wide, including Best Gaming Platform at the Campaign Media Company of the Year Awards 2026, Top Ad Tech Company and Best Gaming Platform at the ADWEEK Tech Stack Awards, and Platform/Tech Partner of the Year and Game-Changing Technology at The Drum Awards. These are valuable third-party validations of Overwolf Ads, but they should not replace campaign-level measurement such as viewability, completion rate, or brand lift.
Overwolf Ads Solutions at a Glance
Practical Takeaways
Gaming should be planned like any other addressable media channel. Start with the campaign objective - from there, Overwolf Ads' gaming and audience expertise identifies the right buying method and the right players to target.
For campaigns focused on scalable reach, Standard Media inventory provides an easy extension of existing CTV and display plans. For campaigns that prioritize contextual engagement or custom creative, direct partnerships unlock Custom Media and Custom Activations formats such as takeovers, skins, Rewarded Achievements, and Branded Mods.
The broader planning case remains the same: gaming continues to receive a disproportionately small share of media investment relative to consumer attention, making it a compelling source of incremental reach within modern media plans.
FAQs
Q: Can gaming be bought the same way as CTV or social, or does it require a separate process?
A: Standard Media (IAB-compliant display and video) is available Direct, PMP, PG, and open programmatic - the same transaction types used for CTV and social. Custom Media and Custom Activations, including formats like takeovers, skins, Rewarded Achievements, and Branded Mods, are sold direct only.
Q: How much of a media budget should go toward gaming?
A: There's no fixed answer, but eMarketer's data shows gaming draws under 5 percent of worldwide media investment despite consumer attention that outpaces that share, which supports moving gaming out of a purely experimental budget line and into a recurring, measured allocation.
Q: What does Gamer Grid add that standard display and video buying doesn't?
A: Gamer Grid layers deterministic gameplay and hardware data on top of Overwolf Ads' inventory, identifying and addressing the exact audience a brand wants to reach - rather than relying on broad demographic targeting. Midnight Players, grouped by late-night gaming sessions, are one example of the kind of precise segment Gamer Grid can build. It's available across Direct, PMP, and PG in eight markets.