How to Write a Script for Mobile Game Ads?

If you want to acquire more users for your mobile game, your best bet is paid advertising campaigns, especially video ads on social media. 

Don’t know where to start?

The first step is writing a script for your mobile game ads. Scripting matters because it sets the foundation for videos that actually convert.

In this guide, we’re sharing the exact scripting techniques we’ve used to produce high-performing mobile game ads for top studios like Sybo and King. These strategies are backed by years of experience and millions in ad spend, so keep reading.

Understand What Works

Before we get into writing a script, you must understand what makes a great mobile game video ad. 

Ultimately, great mobile game ads share a few common traits:

Nail those elements, and you’ve got an ad that not only grabs attention but actually drives installs at a low cost.

Identify Genre Trends

The next step is doing market and competitor research. 

Identify the top game publishers in your genre and check out their video ads. (We recommend using Facebook Ads Gallery or mobile intelligence tools). 

When analyzing competitors’ video ads, keep an eye on the following things. 

• Video ad length
• Does the video consist mostly of gameplay footage or animations?
• What game features are highlighted?
• How the video is edited
• Are there any special effects?
• How interesting are the first couple of seconds of the ad 
• Is there a CTA at the end?
• Which sound effects/music is used?

From there, start spotting creative patterns. What do these ads have in common? Are certain styles, formats, or hooks popping up repeatedly?

Following these genre trends is usually smart – if many publishers are doing something, it likely means it works. Just make sure to add your own twist. Copying doesn’t win attention – creativity does.

Study Your Audience

Before you start writing the script, take time to understand who you’re writing it for.

A video ad that hooks young men who love mid-core games might completely miss the mark with middle-aged women who play puzzle games.

According to Facebook Gaming, over 60% of gamers in the US, UK, and South Korea say a video ad can convince them to download a game – if it’s appealing enough (Facebook Gaming, 2024).

So, what makes an ad appealing?

Gamers say they like ads that show actual gameplay, character or world progression, and high scores they can aim for.

The emotional tone matters too. Humor, suspense, and a sense of challenge tend to perform well, but preferences shift depending on the game genre and the player’s region. For example, casual gamers in the US respond best to humorous ads.

Want deeper insights? Check out our reports on puzzle and RPG audiences.

List Game Features

To write a strong script, you first need to understand what makes your game worth playing.

Start by listing all the core features.

For example, if you’re promoting a physics puzzle game like Brain It On, your list might include:

• Dozens of physics puzzles for all levels
• New puzzles added every week
• Player-created levels
• Multiple ways to solve a puzzle
• The ability to compete with friends
• Leaderboards
• Ad-free option available for purchase

Next, go a step further—what benefits does your game offer beyond entertainment? Maybe it sharpens memory, improves problem-solving, or helps players learn physics without even realizing it.

Now think visually. How can you show these features and benefits in a compelling way?

A great tactic is to create separate video ads for different features or benefits, each focusing on one core message. (We’ll cover how to do this in the next section.)

Write the Script 

Once your research is done, it’s time to write the script for your mobile game ad. Here’s a simple, effective process to follow.

Describe the Visual Part of Each Scene

Scripting is essentially creating a blueprint for your video ad. It outlines what happens in each scene and gives the video production team a clear idea of how everything should look.

Start by describing the visual elements of the ad, one scene at a time.

For example, if you’re promoting a choice-based simulation game like Choices or My Story, here’s how your script might begin:

Scene 1

A young blonde woman sits alone at a restaurant, bored, staring out the window.
A message notification pops up on her phone. It’s from her boyfriend, Tristan.
Message: “Sorry babe, I can’t make it to dinner, have to work late.”

Scene 2

She looks suspicious, still staring at the screen.
A caption fades in: “Do you trust him?”
A choice prompt appears:
I should…
A: Say it’s ok and go home alone.
B: Tell him I know he’s cheating.

As you can see, the script lays out exactly what happens and how it looks.

You can also describe the audio, such as dialogue, sound effects, and music. Just keep in mind that most social video ads autoplay on mute. That doesn’t mean you should skip audio altogether, but the ad must still be visually engaging without sound.

Come up With an Attention-Grabbing Intro

As any marketer will tell you, attention spans are getting shorter, especially when it comes to ads on social media.

You’ve only got a few seconds to convince someone to keep watching instead of scrolling past. That’s why the beginning of your video ad deserves the most attention and effort.

Advertisers use all kinds of strategies to grab attention right away. Many intros are shocking, suspenseful, funny, or emotionally charged – anything to make viewers stop and watch. These approaches can work well, but only when they’re used intentionally and fit the style of your game.

Pay attention to current trends in video advertising, but don’t blindly follow them. Just because something works in one ad doesn’t mean it’ll work in yours.

Think of it like starting a new TV show. Maybe the first episode, or even just the first scene, pulls you in instantly. But then, as the season unfolds, it falls flat. It’s slow, confusing, or skips over important storylines. Disappointing, right?

The same thing can happen with video ads.

Some ads open with a bold, provocative intro that really grabs attention. But then the rest of the ad feels disconnected, boring, or even misleading. That kind of drop-off kills performance and trust.

Don’t make that mistake. Make sure the rest of your video matches the energy and tone you set at the beginning. That can be tricky, but it’s worth the effort.

The intro’s job is to pull viewers in. But your script should also hold their attention, explain the game, highlight what makes it great, and clearly show the CTA. If you get all of that right, viewers are much more likely to stick around and hit download.

Include a CTA

The ultimate goal of a video ad is to get people to take action, usually to download your game or return if they’ve stopped playing.

To make that happen, you need to clearly direct viewers toward that action with a strong call-to-action (CTA) at the end of your ad.

The most common CTAs are straightforward: “Play now”, “Download for free”, or “Install today”. These work well because they’re simple and familiar.

But don’t be afraid to get creative and tie your CTA to your game’s theme or mechanics. For example, if you’re advertising a battle game, you might say “Join the fight”. For a story-driven game, something like “Choose your path” feels more personal and relevant.

A well-placed, well-worded CTA does more than just wrap up your video – it gives viewers a clear next step and increases the chance they’ll actually follow through.

Make it obvious. Make it actionable. And make it feel like part of the experience.

Keep the Script (and the Video) Short

When writing a script, always consider how long the final video will be. Most video ads on social media are short, ideally between 15 and 30 seconds.

To keep things organized, it helps to note the approximate duration of each scene. For example: scene 1 – 2 seconds, scene 2 – 3 seconds, and so on. These time estimates don’t need to be exact, but they give the video team a rough idea of how the pacing should feel.

Another important tip: keep things simple. Don’t write elaborate scenes that are difficult or time-consuming to produce. Since the ad is short, you don’t need to cram everything into one video.

Instead, create multiple short ads – each focusing on a different feature or benefit of the game. This not only makes production easier, but it also helps with testing and performance – different angles can appeal to different audiences.

This brings us to the next tip – writing more than one script. 

Write Multiple Scripts 

You shouldn’t just write separate scripts for different game features – you should also write multiple variations of the same ad concept.

Here’s what that means.

Let’s say you’re creating a video ad that highlights the game’s social or multiplayer features. Don’t stop at one version. Instead, write several different scripts that present that same feature in different ways.

The goal is simple: to produce multiple ad variations you can test. Small changes in tone, structure, or visuals can lead to big differences in performance. A/B testing these variations helps you find out what actually resonates with your audience, instead of guessing.

More scripts mean more angles to test – and a better shot at finding a winner.

Use the Scripts to Create Ads for Testing

Once your scripts are ready, send them to your video production team to turn them into ads. You’ll want to create multiple versions of each ad, based on the script variations you wrote earlier.

Be sure to produce your videos in different formats and aspect ratios – vertical for TikTok and Instagram Stories, square for Facebook and Instagram feeds, horizontal for YouTube, and so on.

Some ads may be quick and punchy, while others might resemble an explainer video ad, walking viewers through gameplay mechanics, features, or progression. Both styles have their place, depending on the audience and the channel.

This is also where you’ll collaborate with your marketing team to run split tests. Testing different variations is the only way to truly see what resonates, which ad gets the most installs, best retention, or highest ROI.

You can even experiment with fake mobile game ads – exaggerated or humorous versions of gameplay that grab attention. They’re controversial, but they often perform surprisingly well when done right and followed by a strong CTA.

Once you find a winning version, build on it. Create more variations using that structure – tweak the intro, change up the visuals, or highlight a different feature.

This testing process helps you discover what works and build a repeatable formula for high-performing video ads.

Final Thoughts on Writing a Script for Mobile Game Ads

Writing a script for social media ads can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re working with a small team or don’t have much advertising experience.

If that sounds familiar, don’t stress. You don’t have to do it alone.

At Udonis, we’ve got a full team of mobile game marketing experts and a dedicated video production crew that knows exactly what works in the gaming space. Whether you need help writing scripts, producing high-performing videos, or scaling your ad campaigns, we’ve got your back.

And if you’ve found this guide helpful, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter. We regularly share insights, strategies, and tips to help you grow your mobile game.