Gardenscapes is testing rewarded ads for extra moves and double coins. We recorded two ads lasting more than eight minutes and compared the trade-off.
Two different types of rewarded ads have appeared on one of our Gardenscapes accounts, which is currently around level 3,000. The first offers two extra moves for watching an ad instead of buying five moves for 900 coins. The second appears after completing a level and gives players the option to double the coins they just earned.
We documented both features with screenshots and video recordings. In both cases, however, the ad took more than eight minutes before we were able to return to Gardenscapes normally.
Just one day earlier, we had documented ads offering 50 coins through the To Do menu. Today, ads appeared in two additional parts of Gardenscapes, and this time they were directly tied to gameplay: extra moves after failing a level and double coins after winning. Seeing these new options appear within such a short period suggests that advertising in Gardenscapes is no longer limited to a single location.
2 Free Moves Instead of Paying 900 Coins
The first option appeared after we failed to complete a level and had to decide whether to continue.
The same screen offered two choices:
- 5 extra moves for 900 coins.
- 2 extra moves for watching an ad.
The screenshot clearly shows the familiar +5 option for 900 coins, with a second +2 option right next to it. The blue “Play On” button includes a video ad icon.
In this particular level, we already knew that two additional moves would be enough to finish. So instead of spending 900 coins, we chose the ad.
The two moves were awarded correctly, and we completed the level. The problem was the ad itself. Instead of ending quickly, the ad for another game kept going, and the entire process lasted more than eight minutes before we were able to return to Gardenscapes.Video
Double Your Coins After Winning a Level
A second rewarded-ad option appeared on the same account, this time after successfully completing a level.
The “Well Done!” screen showed a reward of 171 coins. Directly below it was a button with a video ad icon and an x2 label, offering to double the reward:
171 coins → 342 coins.
We selected this option as well. The reward was doubled, but once again the ad lasted more than eight minutes.Video
Important: If you tap the ad button, even accidentally, there is no way to go back. Once the ad starts, you cannot cancel it and immediately return to Gardenscapes. You have to wait until the ad allows you to exit and return to the game.
Ads Are Appearing at Two Key Moments in Gameplay
What makes this interesting is not simply that Gardenscapes is showing ads. It is where those ads are being placed.
In the first case, the player has just failed a level and must choose between spending coins or watching an ad to keep going. In the second, the player has already won and can watch another ad to increase the reward.
That means rewarded advertising is now directly connected to two important moments in the match-3 gameplay loop: getting extra moves when a level is about to be lost and collecting rewards after a win.
Can These Ads Actually Be Useful for Players?
The idea itself can be useful, especially for free-to-play players. If you know you only need one or two more moves, watching an ad instead of spending 900 coins on five moves can be a very good trade.
There are situations where even a long ad may be worth it. A player who has no lives left and is only one or two moves away from completing a level may prefer to wait eight minutes, take the two extra moves, and save the current attempt instead of losing the level and waiting for another life.
The same applies to players who want to build up their coin balance without spending real money. If you have the time and do not mind waiting, doubling level rewards could gradually become a useful way to earn more coins.
So eight minutes will not have the same value for every player. For someone who wants to keep playing without interruptions, it may feel far too long. For someone who wants to save 900 coins, avoid losing a nearly completed level, or collect more coins without paying, the trade-off may be worth it.
The real question is not simply how long the ad lasts. It is whether the reward is worth that amount of time to the individual player.
Not Every Player Will Necessarily See These Ads
The fact that these options appeared on one specific account does not mean they are already available to everyone.
Playrix has previously stated in an App Store response that ads and certain other features may become available from time to time to players selected through an automated system.
That helps explain why different accounts may not always see the same options, even when they are running the same version of the game.
Playrix Appears to Be Experimenting More With In-Game Advertising
These new options are appearing at a time when there are signs that Playrix is experimenting more aggressively with in-game advertising.
In July 2026, mobile ad monetization specialist Felix Braberg published an analysis discussing Playrix testing advertising formats in games that historically relied primarily on in-app purchases.
What we recorded shows how that approach can be integrated directly into Gardenscapes: not simply through an ad sitting inside a separate menu, but through choices that directly affect a player's progress and in-game economy.
Who Controls an Ad That Lasts More Than 8 Minutes?
The length of both ads is documented in our video recordings. What we cannot determine from that alone is exactly who controls that duration.
Mobile advertising can involve ad networks, different creative formats, interactive ads, and playable ads. From the player's perspective, though, the experience is much simpler: you tap a button inside Gardenscapes and wait until you are finally allowed to return to the game.
Rewarded ads could also become another part of the way Playrix makes money from Gardenscapes, especially if these options continue appearing in more parts of the game.
Conclusion
These new rewarded-ad options have some real advantages. Two free moves can save 900 coins, help a player who has run out of lives avoid losing a nearly completed level, and provide another way to build up coins without making a purchase.
Within two consecutive days, we have seen advertising move from a 50-coin offer in the To Do menu to options directly connected to the outcome of a level. If this continues to expand, the main question for players will not simply be what the ads offer, but how much time they are expected to give up in return.
In our two tests, both ads lasted more than eight minutes. For some players, that will be far too long. For others, two moves that save a level or free extra coins may be worth the wait.
Sources
- Apple App Store — Gardenscapes
- Playrix Support — How to Get and Use Coins
- Felix Braberg — Playrix Spent a Decade Avoiding In-Game Ads. Now They’re Testing Them
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