If you love playing games online, you can earn from this hobby.
Not only will you have fun, but you can earn some extra cash on the side.
It sounds like a good deal, right? That’s because it is. In my opinion, it’s one of the best ways to earn extra cash online without getting bored quickly.
Now, the question is, how can you earn from playing games online?
Some sites and apps will reward you for doing so. There are so many apps and sites that it can be quite hard to distinguish which ones will be worth it.
There are many scam apps and websites also, so if you do not know what to look for, you can end up losing both time and money instead of earning.
I have tested hundreds of ways to make money from home, and this guide will help you find the best ways to earn money by playing games online.
It will list down the best apps to earn by playing games as well as the best websites to earn by playing games. These platforms are all free to join and legit.
But before you sign up, it is important to do it with the right expectations so you won’t get disappointed in the long run – this article will also explain how much you can earn so you know exactly what to expect and can then decide if this is a good option for you or not.
Disclosure: Some articles on this website contain affiliate/sponsored links. Click for more info.
Why can you get paid to play games online, and how does it work?
As you can probably guess, the way these sites and apps earn is usually by promoting computer and mobile games. Game companies pay them to help promote a certain game and get more players. In turn, they will pay you to play these games.
That’s basically how both you and the site/app earn money. Now, for you to make money from playing games, you have to sign up for these platforms. And there are both websites and apps that offer this opportunity, so you can earn from any device.
Once you become a member, you will be given access to game offers, among other things.
These game offers will have some instructions or requirements you need to follow or meet to earn the reward. Some offers will ask you to install the game, and on other platforms, you can earn by playing directly on your browser.
If you prefer mobile games, some offers will ask you to download Android and iOS mobile games. So, there isn’t any compatibility issue you need to worry about.
As for the requirements needed, it usually involves you having to reach a certain level or play for a certain duration to earn the reward. Those are the most common requirements you will encounter.
On some apps/sites, you will also be able to keep earning more the more you play the game. On the list below, I will give you an overview of the ways you can earn by playing on the different sites/apps so you can easily find the ones that fit you the best.
How much can you earn?
As I’ve mentioned at the start of this guide, it is important to set your expectations when wanting to earn by playing games online.
Although you will be able to earn a decent amount from these kinds of sites, it will still not be comparable to what you can earn from, let’s say, a full-time job.
If you want to earn that much playing games, you would need to become a professional gamer or find a full-time game tester job, and that is not something you can just do and get started with easily.
Also, be aware that there are many scam apps and websites that claim you can earn hundreds of dollars per day from playing for a few minutes. Any app or website that makes crazy claims like this will end up scamming you, so stay away from platforms like that.
The options we are talking about in this article are instead REALISTIC ways to get paid to play games online, no matter your background or skills, and it is something you can get started with right away.
In my experience, you will be able to earn some nice extra cash on the side from playing games online through the options I will show you below.
However, in my opinion, the real value of sites/apps like this is that they offer a fun and exciting way to earn extra cash. If you already love playing games online, the money you will earn will just be a bonus.
Also, it is something everyone can do, and you can start earning from day 1. So, if you do it with the right expectations, it definitely can be a great and fun opportunity.
Now, if you want to maximize your earnings, I suggest you join around 5 to 7 sites. This is the perfect number of sites to join without getting too overwhelmed by what you have to do to earn. You can always join more later if you feel you can handle it and want access to as many games as possible.
18 best ways to earn money by playing games online
Take note that the sites/apps I will include on this list will not be all the sites you can join to earn by playing games online. Instead, I will only be including the sites that offer the most efficient ways to earn.
In short, these are the sites that offer a good time-to-money ratio. I will keep updating this list if there are any new good sites to join. So make sure to bookmark this page.
Available in: More or less worldwide, but most opportunities in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and Germany
Reward options: PayPal, gift cards, AirTM, Payoneer
Payout threshold: $5
More info: Read full Swagbucks review
Short summary:
Swagbucks is basically one of the best sites you can join overall if you want to earn extra cash online. This is because there are plenty of ways you can earn. Aside from playing games, you can earn by answering surveys, completing paid offers, downloading apps, and a lot more.
It has a low payout threshold of $5 (depending on the country and reward), so you will be able to receive your earnings rather quickly. It also offers a convenient payment method (PayPal). Plus, it has a wide variety of gift card rewards you can choose from.
All in all, what makes Swagbucks an ideal choice is the multiple ways you can earn, which will allow you to earn rewards on a daily basis.
Available in: More or less all countries
Reward options: PayPal, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, gift cards, CS:GO skins
Payout threshold: $0.25-$5
More info: Read full Freecash review
Short summary:
Freecash (previously Freeskins) is a Get-Paid-To site where you can find a lot of surveys you can earn by taking. But it also has quite a lot of offerwalls where you can find games you can get paid to download.
In addition to this, it is a very interesting website to join if you like playing CS:GO, as it has a lot of skins you can choose to get as rewards. You can also get skins or gift cards for other games. Overall, it is one of the absolute best free ways to earn money playing games online, in my opinion and experience.
You can also choose to get your earnings out as cash via PayPal or get paid in cryptocurrencies or gift cards. If you join through the invitation link below, you will get a free case you can redeem for a great joining bonus into your account right away.
Available in: More or less all countries
Reward options: PayPal, Payoneer, Bitcoin, gift cards
Payout threshold: $5
More info: Read full Pawns review
Short summary:
Pawns offers a couple of ways to earn by playing games.
On the app, there is a section where you can download games, and you will then get paid per minute you play these games. There are a lot of games to choose from. You can also earn passively in the background at the same time by sharing your unused internet bandwidth, and if you want to boost your earnings further, you can take paid surveys.
You only need to earn $5 to redeem, and if you join through the link below, you will get a $1 joining bonus into your account right away.
Available in: Worldwide
Reward options: PayPal, gift cards
Payout threshold: $3
More info: Read full appKarma review
Short summary:
AppKarma is a mobile-only platform you can join to earn rewards. It’s basically a get-paid-to-download app, and most of the apps it will ask you to download are mobile games. It pays quite well, and in my experience, it is one of the best legit apps to make money playing games.
It also has a low threshold of $3, and you will be able to withdraw your earnings via PayPal. It doesn’t have as many gift card choices compared to other sites/apps on this list, but you do have a decent number of options.
If you want to earn using only your mobile device, this is an app you should definitely download and install. If you join through the button below, you will also get an exclusive 500 points joining bonus.
Available in: Worldwide
Reward options: Cryptocurrency
Payout threshold: $3.50
More info: Read full Cointiply review
Short summary:
If you would like to earn Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies by playing games, Cointiply is a good site to join. It is a GPT site that will reward you for playing games as well as answering surveys. You can also complete offers, watch videos and ads, and a lot more.
The payout threshold depends on the payment method you prefer. It starts at $3.50 and in general, the threshold is low and fast to reach. You can get paid in Bitcoin, Doge, Litecoin, and more.
Overall, Cointiply offers many ways to earn, and you can join from all countries. But again, this is only a good option if you want to earn cryptocurrency.
Available in: USA
Reward options: PayPal, prepaid Visa, InboxDollars e-card, check
Payout threshold: $10
More info: Read full InboxDollars review
Short summary:
InboxDollars is a Get-Paid-To (GPT) site that will pay you for answering surveys, watching videos, reading emails, playing InboxDollars games, and a lot more. You basically won’t run out of things to do, which is the nature of GPT sites.
It has a high threshold ($30) the first time you cash out, but after the first withdrawal, it goes down to $10 and you won’t have a hard time reaching it because there are plenty of ways to earn on a daily basis. You can get paid via PayPal, prepaid Visa cards or you can choose to get paid via check. You also have the option to redeem InboxDollars e-cards.
Plus, you will get a $5 bonus when you join through the link provided below. This will help you get to the threshold a lot sooner.
Available in: More or less all countries
Reward options: PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill, gift cards
Payout threshold: $5
More info: Read full ySense review
Short summary:
ySense is a GPT site with a lot of paid surveys and paid offers. What many, however, do not know is that you can also earn by playing games.
To get access to this option, you need to download the ySense app. Here, you can find an option to download games, and you will then earn every minute you play the games.
It can be a great way to boost your earnings on ySense if you like playing mobile games.
Available in: Worldwide
Reward options: PayPal, Bitcoin, gift cards, gaming platform points
Payout threshold: $5
More info: Read full Reward XP review
Short summary:
Reward XP was originally meant for gamers as it offers gaming platform points as rewards, which you can’t find on most GPT sites. Aside from playing games, you will be able to earn by answering surveys, downloading apps, completing offers, watching videos, and inviting other people to join the site.
It has a low payout threshold of $5 and offers several payment options. You can get paid via PayPal or convert your rewards to Bitcoin or gift cards. And as mentioned, you can choose to receive gaming platform points as well.
Overall, its unique reward options and decent earning potential are what make this site a good option.
Available in: More or less worldwide
Reward options: PayPal, Skrill, gift cards
Payout threshold: $5
More info: Read full GrabPoints review
Short summary:
If you are looking to earn rewards aside from playing games online, joining GrabPoints is another great option. You can earn by answering surveys, watching videos, taking online offers, and even inviting people to join the site (aside from playing games, of course).
It has a low payout threshold of $5 and you have the option to withdraw your earnings via PayPal or Skrill. You can also redeem gift cards but their gift card catalog is a bit limited. Best of all, it is a site that is available globally.
What makes this site an ideal option is because it has decent earning potential and you will be able to earn regularly because there are plenty of things you can do to earn rewards.
Available in: Worldwide
Reward options: PayPal, Bitcoin, gift cards
Payout threshold: $5
More info: Read full FeaturePoints review
Short summary:
FeaturePoints has both a website and an app. If you want to earn by playing games, you can only do this through the app.
Inside the app, you can find different games you can download, and you will get paid per minute you play. It does not give huge earnings, so you should make sure to also use some of the other earning methods FeaturePoints offers.
Once you have earned $5, you can get paid. You can choose between PayPal payments, gift cards, or Bitcoin.
Available in: US, UK, Canada
Reward options: PayPal
Payout threshold: No threshold
More info: Read full PlaytestCloud review
Short summary:
PlaytestCloud is a bit different than most of the other options here on this list. This is a platform you can sign up for to test games before they are released and then earn by giving feedback about them.
It can definitely be a good platform to join as it can be fun and you will usually earn $9 for a 15-minute test. However, it does not offer many tests and you need to take an unpaid test to qualify to become a member. So it can take a bit more patience to earn.
But if you live in the US, UK, or Canada, it can be a fun way to earn a bit extra once in a while by testing new games.
Available in: More or less all countries
Reward options: Bitcoin
Payout threshold: $5
More info: Read full Ember Fund app review
Short summary:
Ember Fund app is mainly known for its free mining option, where you just have to click a button once per day to mine free Bitcoin, and this is definitely an option you should make sure to use, if you join.
But it has also started offering other earning methods, including getting paid to download and play games on your phone.
If you join through the invitation link below, you will also get a boost to your base mining rate so you can earn faster passively in the background.
Available in: 20+ countries
Reward options: PayPal, Payza, gift cards
Payout threshold: $10
More info: Read full Ebuno review
Short summary:
Ebuno is primarily a survey site. So, it’s a bit different from the other platforms on this list. You will mainly earn rewards by answering surveys. But of course, you can also earn by playing games as it has a special section where you can play games directly in the browser. It also has a mobile app you can download so you can work even when you are not in front of a computer.
It has a relatively low threshold of $10 and offers several payment methods including PayPal. It has a good amount of surveys for decent rewards and it is available in many countries.
Overall, it has decent earning potential and offers convenient payment methods, which are the means reasons why it is on this list.
Available in: Worldwide
Reward options: PayPal, gaming platform currency, prepaid Visa cards, gift cards
Payout threshold: Depends on the reward
More info: Read full Bananatic review
Short summary:
If you are a gamer and are looking for ways to earn a bit of extra cash, Bananatic is definitely a good site to join. It is a GPT site that is available globally. You can play games to earn. You can also complete offers, watch videos, invite other people to join, or even avail of cashback offers.
It has different reward options like gift cards, gaming platform currency (Steam, etc.), or prepaid Visa cards. You can also withdraw your earnings via PayPal. The threshold you need to reach will, however, depend on the type of reward you want to claim.
The one main disadvantage of Bananatic is it doesn’t pay that well. So, you will need to be a bit more patient with this site if you want to earn a significant amount.
Available in: US, Canada, Europe, Singapore
Reward options: Prepaid Visa, gift cards
Payout threshold: $5
More info: Read full MistPlay review
Short summary:
If you want to earn by playing games on your mobile, then MistPlay gives great opportunities.
It has many games to choose from and the more you play, the more you earn. The rewards are not huge so it will take some patience to earn. But if you are going to play anyway, then why not get paid for it.
MistPlay is not clear about exactly which countries it is available in. But it is for sure available in the countries listed above. However, the only way to know for sure if it is available in your country or not is to see if it is available where you download apps.
Available in: Worldwide
Reward options: Site currency
Payout threshold: Depends on the reward
More info: Read full Game Tester review
Short summary:
If you want to test games that haven’t been released yet, Game Tester is one of the sites offering this unique opportunity. This is actually the greatest value the site has to offer. If you are purely looking for a site to earn a few extra bucks, Game Tester is not the ideal choice.
You won’t earn a lot from this site. But, as I’ve said, you get to test games that haven’t been released yet. But just be aware that its reward options are bit complicated.
If testing unreleased games sound appealing to you, then this is the site for you. But if your focus is to make money while playing games, the other sites/apps on this list will be a better fit.
Available in: Worldwide
Reward options: Raffle entries, gift cards
Payout threshold: €10
More info: Read full King of Prizes review
Short summary:
If you don’t mind earning gift cards, King of Prizes is definitely a site that will fit your needs. It is a GPT site that offers plenty of earning opportunities aside from playing games. You can also answer surveys, complete offers, visit websites, do cashback offers, invite other people to join and do micro-tasks.
You will need to earn €10 to start redeeming gift cards. It has a fairly decent number of gift cards you can choose from. Plus, you can also exchange your rewards for raffle entries which have significant prizes.
Its lack of ways to earn cash is its only drawback, in my opinion. But aside from that, it’s a solid GPT site that can be a good secondary site to join.
Available in: US, Canada
Reward options: PayPal, gift cards, magazine subscriptions
Payout threshold: $5 for gift cards, none for PayPal
More info: Read full QuickRewards review
Short summary:
If you live in the US or Canada, QuickRewards is another decent site to join. It is another GPT site where you can earn in several ways. You can answer surveys, play games, complete offers, watch videos, invite people to join the site, avail of cashback offers, and a lot more.
Their payment system is a bit confusing though. For PayPal, you can withdraw any amount you want. You just have to convert your rewards to cash. But if you want to redeem gift cards, you will need to earn at least $5.
But overall, QuickRewards offers decent earning potential and you will be able to earn regularly, which is what you really should be looking for.
So, that’s it. That wraps up our list of the best ways to make money by playing games online. As explained, these are the sites/apps that, in my opinion, will offer the best value for your time.
You can join around 5 to 7 sites if you are new to this type of site. Once you get used to it, you can always join more so you can earn more since they are all free to join.
If you have any comments, questions, or know other great ways to earn money by playing games online that are not on the list, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.
Hay mikcel……thanks for the articles…..it’s very helpful your efforts…. actually what about swagbucks every time when I get surveys as I click on the paid survey the message shows that unfortunately the survey is not available at this time or it does not match….can I please help me…
You can read more about how to qualify for surveys here.
Hey Mikael, do you have a blog post for cryptocurrency only?
I have a list of the best free ways to earn Bitcoin here.
And one of the best free ways to earn Eth here.
Am from Nigeria and most of the offer on your side are limited to me sir.
Can I get a better money making side in my Country sir please.
You can see a list of the best sites in NG here.
Hello, which of them pays a higher percentage for games?
pls mikeal i need your referall code for freecash, i was asked to add a referall to claim bonus.
It is: paidfromsurveys
Very good information ~ love from INDIA
Glad you like it.