Gaming plays an increasingly important role in how Canadians choose to spend their time whether it's immersed in their favourite game, connecting with communities, or engaging with gaming content. Across console, PC, mobile, and emerging platforms, gaming reaches audiences of all ages and backgrounds, making it a meaningful channel for advertisers looking to connect with engaged and highly attentive users. Gaming environments support video, display, and a variety of innovative creative formats gaining popularity with brands and consumers alike.
As the gaming ecosystem matures, expectations around quality, integration, and measurement are rising. Success is no longer defined by novelty alone, but by strategies that build awareness, target relevant consumers, and generate measurable outcomes. In this piece, IAB Canada outlines the pillars of gaming advertising success for 2026 and highlights where member case studies demonstrate how the channel is delivering value within the Canadian market.
1. Audience Reach and Engagement Across Platforms
Gaming reaches Canadians across a wide range of platforms and play styles, from casual mobile gaming to competitive esports and immersive console experiences. Successful gaming strategies recognize this diversity and plan accordingly, selecting environments that align with brand objectives and audience behaviours.
In Canada, gaming audiences span multi-generations and all regions of the country, with strong engagement across both English- and French-language markets. Targeting capabilities will vary by the provider but given the national scale of gaming, campaigns will achieve impressive reach and engagement KPIs as highlighted in our case studies.
APEX Gaming Network | Samsung OLED
Gamers engage most deeply in moments of anticipation, just before gameplay begins, when focus is high and attention is undivided. Across gaming platforms, these environments offer a powerful opportunity for brands to connect at scale without disrupting the experience. Samsung leaned into these high-attention moments by activating across premium cloud gaming environments, delivering pre-roll video within game lobbies during leading AAA titles including Fortnite, Call of Duty, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Apex Legends. By aligning placements with both audience and gameplay context, the campaign was able to achieve broad reach while maintaining strong engagement, delivering over 900,000 impressions alongside a 90% video completion rate.
Key Insight
As inventory expands, creative quality and contextual alignment become key drivers of effectiveness in gaming advertising.
2. Integration That Respects the Gameplay Experience
Respect for the player experience is foundational to gaming advertising success. The most effective campaigns integrate seamlessly into gameplay, enhancing rather than interrupting the experience. In fact, players report high levels of acceptance with in-game advertising as it enhances the overall environment.
Successful approaches include native formats, rewarded video, in-game placements, and brand integrations that feel natural within the game environment. Advertisers that prioritize player value and experience are better positioned to build positive brand associations.
Key Insight
Player-first integration protects both user experience and brand equity, ensuring gaming remains a trusted and effective advertising environment.
3. Measurement and Performance Accountability
Measurement expectations for gaming advertising continue to evolve. Advertisers increasingly look for clarity around delivery, engagement, and outcomes that align with broader digital measurement frameworks. All of the leading measurement providers work within gaming environments to maintain brand safety, low fraud, and high viewability.
Successful gaming campaigns demonstrate impact through metrics such as viewability, completion rates, engagement, brand lift, and downstream actions. In Canada’s gaming ecosystem, collaboration across platforms, publishers, and measurement partners supports more consistent and transparent reporting.
APEX Gaming Network | Toyota Corolla
As gaming continues to mature as a media channel, advertisers are increasingly looking for clear, measurable outcomes that align with broader digital performance benchmarks. Toyota approached gaming with a focus on accountability, launching a cloud gaming campaign across both English and French audiences. Pre-roll video placements were delivered within game lobbies across top AAA titles, combining targeted reach with consistent measurement. The campaign generated over 900,000 impressions, achieved a video completion rate above 92%, and drove approximately 850,000 completed views — outperforming industry benchmarks and reinforcing gaming’s ability to deliver strong, measurable results.
Key Insight
Clear measurement supports confidence in gaming investment and positions the channel alongside other accountable digital media.
4. Creative and Contextual Relevance
Gaming environments offer unique creative opportunities as the environments are often conducive to user interaction. In mobile, for instance, interactive playable ads have become popular with brands as a way to create deep user engagement and put digital versions of products into users' hands.
Of course, just like with other media channels, effectiveness depends on aligning creative targeting with context and relevance. Successful creative aligns with the tone, style, and pacing of the game while maintaining clear brand presence.
Interactive formats, contextual messaging, and dynamic creative can enhance engagement when used thoughtfully. Brands are activating campaigns that engage audiences simultaneously with custom interactive and standard video TVCs to enhance awareness, consideration, And conversion. Creative that acknowledges the gaming environment and audience mindset contributes to stronger recall and positive brand perception.
APEX Gaming Network | Twizzlers
A custom Twizzlers mini-game transformed a rewarded ad placement into an interactive brand experience. In mobile gaming, attention is not bought. It is earned. Players choose to engage, expecting value in return. The challenge for brands is not avoiding interruption, it is earning participation. In rewarded environments, players opt in, but brands that win are those that transform that moment into something worth playing. Instead of placing an ad inside a game, we made the ad the game. Drawing on the iconic Snake mechanic, we built a custom Twizzlers mini-game where the candy became the playable character. Instant recognition, zero barriers to entry, maximum impact. Deployed nationally across rewarded in-game environments in Canada, the mini-game was engineered for frictionless performance, prioritizing familiarity and engagement. Players opted in voluntarily, making Twizzlers part of gameplay rather than an interruption of it.
Key Insight
As inventory expands, creative quality and contextual alignment become key drivers of effectiveness in gaming advertising.
5. Integration Within the Broader Media Strategy
Gaming delivers its strongest value when it is integrated into a broader media mix. Gaming channels offer contextual and audience signals that help advertisers refine targeting and focus spend on audiences most likely to engage.
Gaming content and engagement from audiences exist across all channels. Players interact with gaming culture through social platforms, video, streaming, and creator content, extending the influence of gaming beyond gameplay itself. Campaigns that apply gaming-informed targeting and consistent messaging across these touchpoints can strengthen relevance, reinforce brand narratives, and build deeper audience connection.
In Canada, gaming often complements other digital channels by reaching audiences during high-engagement moments. Integrated planning ensures gaming contributes meaningfully to campaign outcomes rather than operating in isolation.
Key Insight
Integrated media planning reflects how audiences engage across platforms and maximizes the cumulative impact of advertising investment.
6. Trust, Brand Safety, and Quality Standards
Trust remains a critical component of gaming advertising success. Advertisers expect transparency around inventory sources, content environments, and brand safety, particularly across user-generated and multiplayer experiences.
Successful strategies prioritize trusted partners, clear reporting, and adherence to industry standards that protect both brands and players. Ongoing collaboration supports consistency and quality across the gaming ecosystem.
Key Insight
Trust and transparency underpin sustainable growth and ensure gaming remains a credible channel for advertisers.
Conclusion
Success in gaming advertising for 2026 can be defined by six pillars:
• Meaningful reach and engagement across gaming platforms
• Integration that respects the gameplay experience
• Accountable measurement and performance
• Creative that aligns with gaming context
• Strong integration within broader media strategies
• Trusted, brand-safe, and high-quality environments
Gaming advertising has established itself as a valuable part of Canada’s digital media landscape. As the channel continues to mature, the focus for the industry is on quality, accountability, and thoughtful integration. Through collaboration and shared standards, IAB Canada and its Gaming Committee and members are supporting a gaming ecosystem that delivers reliable outcomes for advertisers while respecting the player experience. This collective effort will continue to guide how gaming advertising is planned and evaluated in the Canadian market.
The work ahead is collective, and its impact will define how brands connect with Canada’s audiences in the years to come. Marketers and partners interested in contributing to future initiatives are encouraged to join the committee and participate in this work.