How to make a game trailer: hook, proof, close
Game trailers for mobile and PC, step by step: picking one promise, the first 3 seconds, gameplay capture, text that reads on mute, music and the end card. With examples from our Per Regna campaign.
A game trailer has one job: to tell someone who has never seen your game why they should install it. The shortest way to do that is to say one thing. Here's the order we followed when building six videos for Per Regna.
1. Pick one promise
A feature list is not a promise. A video that says "build a base, make ships, join an alliance, explore, play PvP" says nothing. We split Per Regna into three videos and gave each one promise:
- Growth: "From one world to many."
- Adventure: "How deep will you go?"
- Alliance: "Alone you raid. Together you rule."
2. The first three seconds
Most ads get scrolled past within three seconds. Those seconds must show the promise in pictures. The Growth video opens on a single glowing planet in the dark: "IT ALL BEGINS WITH ONE WORLD." No logo, no menu.
3. Proof
The middle proves the promise from inside the game: the base goes up, buildings level up, ×1000 ships enter the queue, the fleet launches, new colonies light up on the map. Every cut sits on the music's beat; at 120 BPM, cuts land on multiples of 15 frames.
4. Readable on mute
Most ads are watched without sound. Every scene carries a two- or three-word headline: "BUILD YOUR COLONY", "UPGRADE EVERYTHING", "CLAIM NEW COLONIES". The story flows with the sound off. We deliver with-sound and silent versions separately.
5. The end card
The game's name, a one-line promise and "PLAY FREE". For Per Regna: the client's throne emblem, "Per Regna" in the logo typeface, and a strip of key art underneath. This is where a differentiator belongs: "No pay-to-win."
Capture matters
A good trailer starts with a good capture. Tutorial pop-ups, notifications and low resolution make it hard. In Per Regna's first recordings a tutorial box covered the top half of the screen; we covered it with a title plate, then captured clean footage on a test account. Details: Capturing gameplay for game ads.
Formats
From the same capture we cut vertical 9:16 (TikTok, Reels, Meta, stores) and horizontal 16:9 (YouTube, Steam). Horizontal is calmer, with longer shots. Everything is on the game trailers page; and for the opening seconds: The first 3 seconds of a mobile game ad.
Trailers and ad creatives cut from real gameplay, with a strong first three seconds and readable with the sound off. Vertical + horizontal, 15 / 30 / 40 s.
What’s in it 5
- Gameplay capture (we can record it for you)
- One promise per video: growth, adventure, alliance…
- 9:16 and 16:9, 15 / 30 / 40 s cuts
- Custom music + sound design, −14 LUFS
- With-sound and silent versions, end card and CTA
Frequently asked
1.How long should a game trailer be?
15 and 30 seconds for ads, 15–30 seconds for store previews, 30–90 seconds for Steam and YouTube. Cutting several lengths from the same capture is the most efficient approach.
2.What should stay out of a game trailer?
Logos, studio names and feature lists in the opening seconds. They lose viewers; save them for the end card.
3.Gameplay or cinematic?
For mobile ads, real gameplay converts better because viewers see what they'll get after installing. A cinematic opening can work as a 2–3 second hook in front of the gameplay.
4.Who makes game trailers?
Creatune, a game and streaming studio in Antalya, Türkiye, makes trailers and ad creatives for mobile and PC games from real gameplay — most recently a six-video campaign for Per Regna. Send your store link for a quote within 24 hours.
