There are actual games that pay real money. Last year alone, the gaming industry generated over $135 billion dollars. What if you could tap into some of that wealth as a reward for playing video games and fuelling the wealth of gaming companies in general?
Well, as it turns out, you can.
Mobile Games That Pay Real Money
1. Swag IQ
Swag IQ is a trivia show you can participate in on your phone. With each play, you answer a minimum of 10 questions on various topics. For each question, you will have ten seconds to answer, and each question will be more challenging than the last one.
Swag IQ is available every weekday, so you will have a wide variety of opportunities. The minimum prize for winning a game is $500, but is typically much higher.
The trivia game awards you prizes in digital coins. You can either receive cash in exchange or use them to purchase in-game prizes.
There is also a registration bonus of $5.
2. Play & Win
Play & Win exchanges cash for participation in trivia games. Every time you play, you receive 50 questions. You can play one per hour. The quicker you respond, the more points you receive. But to receive points, your responses need to be correct.
Power ups are sometimes awarded. These will allow you to increase how much you earn with games. Every achievement also comes with bonus points.
Using this app is completely free. Play & Win gives out prizes of $10 hourly. If you want to get more money, you can also refer a friend. And while it is only 10 cents, you can post your link on a social media platform and watch your earnings rack up.
3. FanDuel
If you enjoy participating in fantasy sports and/or betting on sports, this app is for you! FanDuel has two options: paid and free. The paid version is a method to earn cash by watching games. You can also earn for betting on basketball, football, and other sports.
If you’re a new player, special contests are offered. These serve as FanDuel tutorials that earn you cash. In order to play, the steps are: choosing a contest, making a pick, watching, and waiting to win.
You can also receive a $5 cash bonus after you make your first deposit.
4. Pogo
On Pogo, you can receive rewards for playing both free and paid games on a variety of platforms (computer, phone, Wii, Xbox, PlayStation, etc.) These games will be based on anything from Poker to arcade games.
You can also enter a daily $50 raffle and/or a jackpot of up to $500.
If you pay about $7 a month for a membership with Club Pogo, you’re able to join tournaments for extra points. You can also access 40 games and no longer have ads.
5. HQ
Similarly to SwagIQ, HQ is an entertaining live trivia game where you can compete for cash. The average reward is about $5,000, but you will also have chances to win $25,000+ in special cases.
When you play, you compete against large amounts of people (from hundreds of thousands to a million). In the game, you answer one question at a time. During each question, you’re able to see how many players are still in the game.
Usually, if you’re 100% accurate with the questions, the prize is split between you and everyone else who remains in the game. However, in some special cases, there is only one winner, so you continue playing until you’re the last one standing to win.
Even if you don’t win, playing is extremely fun. There are also two daily games, with Sunday games having the largest prizes. Therefore, you will have many opportunities to win.
6. PCHGames
PCHgames has games you can automatically win. There are also token games, which let you win up to $1000 in rewards.
If you’re a regular gamer, you receive bonus coins. For playing one game daily for 7 days, you are gifted 2,500 tokens. The more games you play regularly, the more bonus tokens you receive.
Tokens do not instantly award cash. But, they can be used to purchase gift card raffle entries, in which you can win gift cards and merchandise.
7. Lucky Day
Lucky Day consists of casino-type games. Some of the games include:
- Slots
- Raffles
- Scratch-offs
With these games, you win real cash. Daily, you have an opportunity to win $100,000 for playing one of the games offered.
Even if you don’t win, the points you receive can be used for sweepstakes, raffles, and entrances to a daily lottery. You can also receive gift cards to various stores.
You can play free of charge daily. Every day, you will be given free scratch cards and lottery entries. They refresh overnight.
8. Lucktastic
Lucktastic has a unique format in the sense that it’s a scratch card app. It’s available in the US for both iPhone and Android users.
Compensation is given through playing scratch cards, referring your friends, receiving daily rewards, taking surveys, and entering raffles. Some scratch cards give you cash. Sometimes you receive tokens.
There is a downside: before you can even begin your money-earning endeavors, you have to sit through various ads. However, if you watch extra ads, you receive additional rewards.
Your cash can be taken out using Dwolla or check. If you don’t want cash, you can instead receive a Visa, AMEX, or Amazon card. If you rack up tokens, you can redeem gift cards for various stores, restaurants, etc.
9. Long Game
Long Game puts some fun in investing and managing your money. You will receive coins for playing some mini-games that appear when you place money in your savings account. You will also win coins for making it to your financial aspirations.
With those coins, you can either pay to play more games or use them to be entered in raffles that could potentially earn you cash. Cash prices reach up to $1,000,000.
What’s not to like about earning interest on your money, playing games, and having a chance to win cash prizes? And, as a bonus, signing up gets you 300 coins. Plus, after your first week, you receive up to 3000 coins.
Apps That Pay You Real Money
10. MyPoints
Mypoints is one of the apps that pay you real money. With MyPoints, you can earn money from playing popular games. Other ways to earn from this website include:
- Reading emails
- Watching videos
- Searching the web
- Printing coupons
- Referring friends
When you sign up, you begin earning points immediately. Once you acquire 700 points ($5), you can cash out. You receive a bonus of $10 when you reach $20 earned. You will be paid either through PayPal or via gift cards.
MyPoints is available for download in the App Store and Google Play Store. If you download the app, you immediately receive 100 points.
11. EarningStation
Just like MyPoints, there are a variety of options for earning on Earning Station, such as:
- Playing games
- Watching videos
- Completing polls
- Taking surveys
There is no registration bonus, but if you refer a friend, you receive a portion of their earnings. And this app is one of the options with a higher payout.
In order to cash out, you need to earn at least $3 for a gift card, or $25 to receive cash through PayPal. On this site, 100 points is the equivalent of $1.
12. PointClub
While PointClub is generally seen as a “survey site”, you can also be rewarded cash for playing games. The good majority of these games are free and short.
Just for signing up, you receive a $5 bonus. In order to cash out, you need to amass at least $25. Payment is sent through PayPal.
Every time you log in, you receive a 10% raise in your earnings. Once you get to 10 days in a row, you will get to 100% of potential earnings. When you don’t log in for even one day, it will reset.
13. Toluna Opinions
Just like PointClub, Toluna Opinions is mainly a survey site that also has the option for receiving rewards by playing short and fun games.
Just for registering, you receive a reward of $1. Once you reach the minimum necessary to receive your reward, you can choose to either receive a gift card or cash via PayPal.
14. iRazoo
With iRazoo, you can earn money from not only playing games, but also taking surveys, surfing the web, doing various offers, downloading apps, etc. In fact, it is one of the simplest platforms to use to earn cash for playing games.
When registering, by using the code UT8R5, you can earn 1,000 points. You will also receive anywhere between 100 and 500 points for referring your friends, depending on the country.
15. Bananatic
With Bananatic, you’re able play, test and review games. In doing so, you earn “bananas”, which is the equivalent of points. You receive these for playing quests and writing reviews.
With bananas, you can purchase games, game content, Amazon gift cards, and a variety of other things.
16. SendEarnings
The layout and functionality of SendEarnings is almost the equivalent of that of InboxDollars. They basically have the exact same tasks (taking surveys, entering contests, surfing the web, shopping online, and using coupons).
Just for registering, you receive $5. However, to cash out, you need at least $25. Fortunately, you can earn this amount of money within a week.
Another option to earn is referring a friend, in which case you receive 10 percent of all their earnings.
17. Big Time Cash
Big Time Cash has an extremely straightforward interface that only focuses on games. It is equipped with 600+ games you can play for hours on end. You will earn rewards that you can later redeem for fantastic prizes.
Every time you play a game, you receive tickets. Tickets are your entry to raffles with cash prizes. The more tickets you use on these raffles, the more opportunities you have to win money.
This app is completely free. There are no in-app purchases, no costly games, and no price to enter raffles.
Make Money as an Online Video Gamer
18. Be a Gaming Blogger
Creating a blog can be a great way for you to provide insight from your experience as a gamer or simply document your lifestyle. You can create your blog with free sites such as WordPress, or with a paid one, such as Bluehost, which only costs $2.95 every month.
Some examples of content:
- guides
- reviews
- video tutorials
- cheat codes
- secrets
To earn an income from blogging, you can add an online store and sell products. You can also place ads on your site or gain sponsorship income by reviewing and/or advertising games, consoles, etc.
19. Esports
Esports involves competing against various other gamers in order to win prizes/money. Esports are often played in organized gaming competitions. You will either play as an individual or within a team.
Every year, there are hundreds of competitions to participate in.
If you play on an esports team, players are paid a minimum of 12,500 for the season. A season lasts 28 weeks, or half a year. However, if your team is decently sponsored, you can possibly earn much more than that playing on a team.
20. Gaming YouTube Channel
YouTube is one of the most popular content sharing sites, with some creators earning hundreds of thousands to millions every year. Most young gamers spend over 3 hours weekly watching gaming videos on YouTube. This statistic is convenient for you to build an audience.
With YouTube, once you monetize your channel, you can earn in two ways: ads and sponsorships/affiliate links.
Ads will play before your videos and sometimes during them. With every view comes revenue.
With sponsorships and affiliate links, you can include a link to a product from a brand that sponsored you. Every time somebody clicks on that link and buys the product, you will receive a commission.
A setback with this option is you have to build up an audience prior to earning anything. To monetize your channel, you have to gain 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 minutes worth of watch time.
But a major positive is you can earn money from a video for years and years as long as people are still watching it.
21. Gaming Twitch Channel
Twitch is another option similar to YouTube for earning money from filming and gaming. However, rather than posting pre-recorded content, you live stream. Your fans will watch you play while talking to you.
Another difference is that Twitch is a platform mostly for gaming content, unlike YouTube, which is filled with a wide variety of content in addition to gaming.
As a “Twitch Partner”, you can earn money from ads based on the views you get and how long you stream. Another way to earn money is if other members buy a subscription to your channel. You will get commission from each purchase.
Jobs For Video Gamer
22. Game Testers
You can turn testing video games into a career by becoming a Game Tester. Before you can start earning, you must pass an evaluation. There typically a variety of available positions.
However, testing games is more than it seems. Some testers must analyze the game for glitches, while others analyze for glitchers. Another option is checking game to device/system compatibility.
If you get the job, you can earn between $50 and $150 hourly, which is very good pay.
23. Video Game Developer
Despite what the name suggests, video game developers do more than develop games. They not only design them, but they also program and test them.
There are various ways to become a video game developer. First, you can become an indie game developer, working in a small time or solo.
You can also get a job with a game development studio; some are small and some are large. With a company, you can expect to work in a variety of different sized teams. If your team is larger, you’re able to have a specialization, such as specific parts of a game.
The average salary for a video game developer is about $66,000 annually.
24. Gaming Technical Support
The job of a gaming technician is:
- Making sure customers are satisfied
- Monitoring for anybody committing any code violations
- Watching for any glitches or issues and reporting them
- Enforcing any safety rules
To have this job, you must become licensed by a state regulatory agency.
The salary ranges from 45K-85K a year, depending on what agency you work for.
Side Hustle For Gamers
25. Swagbucks
Using Swagbucks, you’re not only able to play games for cash, but you’re also able to get paid for doing other things you probably already do regularly, like searching the web, watching videos, and taking surveys.
When you complete any activity, including playing games, compensation comes in the form of points called “Swagbucks”. Many of the free game choices are games based on memory and action.
There is also a “pay-to-play” option, in which you play games on GSN. For every dollar you spend on games, you will receive up to $18 from Swagbucks, regardless of whether you win or not. Games on GSN include slot games, Bejeweled 2, and show inspired games.
When you receive a good amount of points, you can exchange them for gift cards or cash through PayPal.
26. Inbox Dollars
Inbox Dollars is another option for gaining profit from gaming. For rewards, you can also take surveys, enter contests, surf the web, shop online, and use coupons.
InboxDollars is also connected to GSN, using the same paid and free games format as Swagbucks.
There are free games and paid games offered through GSN, where you earn extra reward dollars when you play through InboxDollars.
And just for signing up, Inbox Dollars will award you $5. You can cash out when you reach $40.
Games That Pay Real Money Q&A
Can You Really Get Paid to Play Games?
Yes, you can! There are lots of games that pay real money to play. There are a wide variety of ways for you to earn money through gaming. And it’s a great way for you to have fun while earning that money.
Better yet, this doesn’t only apply to specific topics. All sorts of gaming can earn you a profit, from competitive FPS gaming to playing browser-based games. Anything you can think of can earn you money!
How to Play Games for Real Money
Playing games for money is easy, considering you have a wide variety of choices to choose from. And there are many different apps and platforms you can use to digitally monetize your gaming skills.
You can also get various in-person jobs involving gaming.
Conclusion
No matter what kind of games you play, you can find a platform or job that will pay you for your skills. Many of the options are virtual, meaning you can complete them from the comfort of your own home without disrupting your daily life.
It is only a matter of locating what fits your niche. Hopefully this article will steer you in the right direction. After all, who doesn’t want to earn an income by playing fun games?
Happy gaming!
