# Initialize the SDK in Android

> Initialize the Unity Ads SDK in your Android app. Set your Game ID and configure a listener to handle initialization status and enable ad monetization.

> **Important:**
>
> You must configure user consent before or during SDK initialization. Serving ads without consent configuration may violate privacy regulations in some regions.

To initialize the SDK, you need your app's Game ID for the target platform. To locate it, go to the [Unity Monetization Dashboard](https://cloud.unity.com/monetization), then navigate to **Monetization** > **Apps** > \[your app] > **Network**.

Initialize the SDK early in your project's run-time life cycle before you need to load an ad. Refer to the following code sample to understand how to initialize the Unity Ads SDK.

## SDK initialization example

Use `InitializationConfiguration.Builder` to construct a configuration object with your Game ID, test mode flag, and mediation metadata, then pass it to `UnityAds.initialize()` along with an `InitializationListener`. The listener's `onInitializationComplete` callback receives a `UnityAdsError` if initialization fails, or `null` on success.

1. **Java**

   ```java
   InitializationConfiguration config = new InitializationConfiguration.Builder("YOUR_GAME_ID")
       .withTestMode(true)
       .build();

   InitializationListener listener = error -> {
       if (error == null) {
           // Initialization successful
       } else {
           // Handle initialization error
       }
   };
   UnityAds.initialize(config, listener);
   ```

2. **Kotlin**

   ```kotlin
    val config = InitializationConfiguration.Builder("YOUR_GAME_ID")
       .withTestMode(true)
       .build()

   val listener = InitializationListener { error ->
       if (error == null) {
           // Initialization successful
       } else {
           // Handle initialization error
       }
   }
   UnityAds.initialize(config, listener)
   ```

**Next steps**: To continue your integration, refer to the [Implement interstitial ads in Android](/ads-android/4.19.0/sdk-integration/interstitial-ads.md) documentation.