With 100 million monthly players, Poki is the world’s largest web gaming platform (for context, PlayStation Network has 119 million). To understand what that scale means for the market, we spoke with Michiel van Amerongen about the web gaming sector and the opportunities it creates for developers of all sizes.
Can you explain the founding story of Poki for us?
Poki began with a shared passion for web gaming between my co-founder, Bas Moeys, and me. We met at university, both working on separate web gaming projects since the early 2000’s. We realised that we both had a vision for building a global web gaming platform that prioritised quality gaming experiences for players and fruitful long-term revenue share-based partnerships with game developers.
So, in 2014, we officially launched Poki.com as we set out to build the ultimate online playground.
Today, Poki (self-funded, based in Amsterdam) has grown to become the global market leader in web games, reaching 100 million monthly players with over 1,500 curated titles built by our amazing community of 600+ game developers. It’s been incredible to watch Poki’s growth from our project into a global platform by offering free, easy access to popular games on the browser to players from all around the world.
What were Poki’s key highlights in 2025?
2025 was a landmark year for Poki. We welcomed 625 million players to our playground Poki.com on desktop and mobile devices, hit 1 billion gameplays in a month, and grew from 50 to 65 full-time employees. It was also a breakthrough year for web-first Poki games like Drive Mad, Level Devil, and Vortella’s Dress Up.
Poki’s success comes from the quality of experiences on the platform, so I’m proud that 2025 saw the arrival of 227 new games.
We’ve added both original experiences designed from the ground up for the web, alongside established IP reaching more players through Poki’s engaged audience.
What is the main concern developers have when bringing games to the web?
Another highlight was winning the Best in Business Award at the Dutch Game Awards, which recognised our growth and contribution to the industry as a bootstrapped Dutch company in a global playing field.
What is the main concern developers have when bringing games to the web?
The most common concern we hear from developers relates to monetization. Gaming offers a highly engaged advertising opportunity, and the web is no different. But there is an industry perception of the web as a legacy or nostalgia channel rather than a modern, high-growth environment.
Formats like Rewarded Video are particularly effective for monetizing, as advertisers are keen to reach an engaged audience. Despite lower ad rates than mobile app stores, we see games on Poki already generating up to €1 million a year. There are also opportunities to grow this further by continuously improving our ad stack and experimenting with non-ad revenue models, as well as native, in-game advertising.
Our goal is to dispel the myths by showing that high-quality games can thrive and reach a massive, engaged audience through web gaming. The news is spreading on this front, as web was recently labelled video games’ “hottest new platform” by Bloomberg.
What is the biggest opportunity provided by web gaming for games studios?
The biggest opportunity can be found in reach and revenue. Web gaming offers game makers a way to unlock millions of additional players from all around the world with easy access and sharing, and without the high costs that come with app store user acquisition.
We are proud to see game studios big and small find success on Poki; this includes studios with up to ten team members that built their entire businesses around releasing and updating games on Poki, as well as larger studios that see the web as a relevant additional revenue source, and a way to protect themselves from potential copycats by offering their fans the original IP.
Because the web is inherently frictionless and allows players to jump into a game instantly, it also provides a unique space for rapid user feedback and experimentation that isn’t possible in gated app ecosystems. As part of this, we created our Playtest feature, which allows developers to focus on their game while we handle the setup, providing players, devices, and tracking tools.
What are the biggest differences between mobile app and web gaming players?
Web players value instant play; they want to discover, connect, and create without the barrier of a download. While mobile players are often tied to specific app ecosystems, web players are driven by curiosity and a playground-like atmosphere where they can quickly jump between high-quality curated games.
How can studios best optimise their games for browsers, both on a technical and monetization level?
When it comes to technical game design, studios should prioritise fast loading times and intuitive controls that feel native to the browser. At Poki, we have been educating developers to focus on improving their conversion to play from the get-go. Romy from the Poki team recently shared an hour-long video guide that breaks down the best approaches in more detail.
On the monetization front, Rewarded Video has become the gold standard for browser gaming. We recommend three core strategies: game assists (like extra lives), currency rewards, and customization options. The key is to prioritise player fun. When the reward feels earned and enhances the experience, rather than interrupting it, developers see higher retention from players.
What are Poki’s plans in 2026?
The web is thriving as a destination for games, and so is our platform. We are excited to further build out our leading position in the ecosystem by taking a quality approach to everything we do.
With more players on Poki than ever before, it’s never been more important to sustain our quality over quantity approach. We’ll be hand-picking the best titles and welcome the right studios on board, and we hope to continue growing our game developer community and player base.
I’m looking forward to seeing what we can build together this year.
Co-Founder, Poki
