Glossary
What is Interstitial ad?
Also called: interstitial, full-screen ad
An interstitial ad covers the full screen at a natural break, such as between pages or game levels, and the user closes it to carry on.
हिंदी में पढ़ेंAn interstitial ad takes over the screen at a pause in the experience instead of sitting beside the content. In apps it typically appears at natural breaks, such as between game levels. On the web, Google Ad Manager’s GPT-managed web interstitial is a full-page out-of-page format originally triggered on page navigation; in November 2025 Ad Manager added three more triggers: end of article, inactivity and backwards navigation.
In video, the IAB’s plcmt field gives interstitial its own value, 3: a video ad with no surrounding video content that fills most of the screen, for example between game levels. Buyers bid differently on each placement type, so label it honestly.
Interstitials are easy to get wrong. The Better Ads Standards list countdown ads shown before the content among the experiences readers find most annoying. And in apps, a rewarded interstitial shown without the user tapping first needs an intro screen with a clear way to decline under AdMob’s policies.
Example
A web game shows an interstitial between levels, capped at 1 every 3 levels. A player who finishes 12 levels sees 12 ÷ 3 = 4 interstitials, instead of 12 with no cap.
Why it matters to publishers
Full-screen ads are hard to miss, which is both their value and their risk. Showing them only at natural breaks keeps users and policies on side.