Do you know that you can get paid to play free games online?
What used to be an activity that was once considered a waste of time has exploded to include anyone who owns mobile devices or use social media.
To take advantage of this trend, many companies have started to integrate gaming into their marketing and are actually paying people to play video games.
In today’s post, you’ll learn about websites and apps that reward you for playing games online. These are legit sites and apps to help you make money. Best of all they are free to use.
While this won’t make you rich overnight, it’s a cool way to make real money while doing something enjoyable. How about that for a fun side hustle idea?
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Get Paid to Play Games on Rewards Sites
The sites and apps below reward you for playing flash-based games on your PCs, mobile devices or tablets.
They reward you for trying out new games, winning tournaments or after completing specific objectives.
Most sites award points for playing games that you can redeem for cash via PayPal or gift cards from Amazon, Target, Starbucks and other popular merchants.
Without further ado here are the top apps and websites that will pay you to play games.
1. Inbox Dollars
InboxDollars rewards you for activities that you’re already doing online such as reading emails, watching videos, shopping online, and playing online games.
To earn more cash, take their paid surveys to earn anywhere from $0.25 to $5.00 per survey.
So how do you play games for cash with Inbox Dollars? That’s what we’re here for right!
Just sign up for a free membership and from the dashboard, you will be able to browse from over 30 free games to play.
These games include arcade games, word search, pool chess, sudoku and card games and they are all free to play.
You can play from home on your desktop or while you’re on the go with your mobile phone.
There are also paid games offered through GSN Casino Games where you earn cashback on every dollar spent in games like poker, blackjack, slot, bingo and others.
GSN is part of GSN Game show that is owned by Sony Entertainment and AT&T.
InboxDollars pays a $5 bonus just for signing up.
2. Swagbucks
Swagbucks rewards you for doing simple tasks online like searching the web, watching videos, completing surveys and playing flash games.
You’ll be awarded “Swagbucks” points or SBs which can be exchanged for cash or gift cards from popular retailers like Amazon, iTunes, Starbucks and more.
They pay up to 10 SB just for giving a free game a try. Although some games like running games and memory games require you to reach a certain level before you can earn any SBs.
There are also popular paid games like Angry Birds, Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune and Bejeweled where you earn 4 SBs for every dollar you spent in the game.
To earn more, try the Casino Games where you’ll receive 12 SBs for each dollar you spent. Whether you win or lose, you can still earn some money from these games.
Click here to sign up with Swagbucks. You must be at least 13 years old to register and reside in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, or India.
3. Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world that is similar to “The Sims” or “World of Warcraft” but the main difference is that the players build everything and create the game content.
Currently, there are more than 2 million active gamers playing Second Life.
You can create your avatar and socialize with other people, buy properties, sell your goods and services or get hired for a job.
Second Life is totally free to join and will only cost you real money if you decide to own or rent land or if you want in-game currencies to shop with.
This currency is called Linden dollars which you can convert into real money.
It is possible to make good money by playing Second Life. A player named Anshe Chung became the first lady to earn one million dollars when she converted her 250 million Linden Dollars.
People spend real cash for Linden Dollar and use them to buy stuff. For example, this guy earns $3000 per week selling virtual beds!
4. Lucktastic
If you like playing instant win games online then Lucktastic is for you!
Lucktastic is an app that offers free instant win scratch cards.
You can win real cash prizes by playing games to earn cash or gift cards from popular brands such as Amazon, Domino’s, Walmart and more.
There are dozen of free scratch cards to play every day. The only catch is that you will need to watch a 30-second advertisement before you can begin scratching.
To make more money you can take part in the Daily Rewards, Mystery Rewards, contests, by referring new Lucktastic members and more.
To participate, you must be 13 years old or older and a resident of the USA.
5. PCH Games
Publisher’s Clearing House or PCH rewards you with tokens for playing online games which you can redeem for sweepstakes entries for the chance to win prizes.
Based on your available tokens, all you have to do is select the number of entries you want and you will be automatically be entered for the chance to win. No purchase is necessary.
PCH Games offers over 100 games to play from cards and word games to strategy and arcade games. They also have instant win games that give away $1000 in prizes.
They offer additional tokens if you are an active player. For instance, you earn 2,500 bonus tokens by playing at least one game daily for an entire week.
To earn more token just continue playing even more games and entering more sweepstakes. Your tokens never expire if you don’t redeem them all.
PCH Games have been in business since 1997 which means they are pretty reliable.
6. PlaytestCloud
PlaytestCloud is a little different from the other platforms in that it pays you for testing out web-based games as well as Android and iOS games.
All you have to do is share your opinion on the games. As you play, a video will capture your gameplay and record what you say on your microphone.
A typical test takes 15 minutes and will pay $9 USD via PayPal cash.
The game developers are mainly interested in players from the USA, UK and Canada. But feel free to join if you’re from other countries as they will let you know once they have tests open.
7. Gamesville
You’ll earn Gamesville Rewards or GV Rewards for playing their games or by taking part in special events through their website.
You technically win the GV Rewards in the games, but the rewards can be used to enter prize drawings. As you earn more GV Rewards, you will win cool new badges.
The more GV Rewards you earn, the better your badges will get. These badges are Gamesville’s way of recognizing the people who play lots of games and earn lots of GV Rewards
There is a variety of free to play online games that will reward you for playing them. You can find bingo games, card games, puzzle games, casino games and more.
Gamesville has been around since the 90s and was created by Lycos, the search engine that was popular during that time.
8. Pogo
Pogo is an online games website from Electronic Arts (EA) which have developed some of the highly popular games such as The Sims, Madden NFL, Need for Speed and Plants vs. Zombies.
However, Pogo is more for players who are looking for fun and casual web-based games. You can access over 100 free games and earn tokens to spend on virtual items.
For added benefits such as ad-free experiences, access to premium games, tournaments and more gaming challenges, you can join Club Pogo for $6.99 per month.
You can enter to win a $50 daily drawing or play the Jackpot Spinner games for a chance to win up to $500 per day.
Unlike other online game websites, they also offer a variety of classic Hasbro board games like RISK, YAHTZEE, SCRABBLE, and MONOPOLY.
You must be 13 years old or older, with a parent’s permission, to join and receive prizes on Pogo.
9. GSN Games
GSN Games offers social casino games, game show games and other casual games to suit your interest.
They are part of GSN (Game Show Network), owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and AT&T Entertainment Group so you can be sure they are legit.
To join, you must be at least 13 years of age. Registration is free and you will receive a special welcome bonus of 12,500 Tokens and 200 Oodles just for registering!
Tokens are GSN’s virtual currency that you can use to place your bets within the GSN Casino.
Tokens can be won and lost while playing Casino games but cannot be redeemed in the GSN Prize Center for merchandise or be transferred or withdrawn to cash.
There are various ways you can earn tokens, either by purchasing them or by visiting the site on consecutive days, by watching sponsored advertisements, completing offers and more.
On the other hand, Oodles are GSN’s winnable, spendable, currency.
It can be earned and won while participating on the site and can be redeemed for a variety of prizes such as gift cards, virtual goods, auctions and sweepstakes entries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Play Games for Real Money?
Many of these opportunities involve playing web-based and mobile games rather than playing games on game consoles like PlayStation and XBox.
If you can play the games using multiple devices such as your mobile, tablet or desktop, you’ll be able to earn more as some sites will reward you for being an active player.
Many platforms will reward you with points which are redeemable for free gift cards, Paypal cash and more.
Some platforms will pay you for referring other players so use this option to your advantage to make even more money.
Websites like InboxDollars also pay you for performing certain activities like taking surveys, watching videos and more. The more tasks you complete the more money you can earn.
What Are the Online Games That Pay You to Play?
There are many online games that pay you to play. But I’ve only listed several that I think it’s easy for beginners to get started with.
I’d recommend you to join InboxDollars, Swagbucks or any of those casual gaming sites listed above.
The best thing about these websites is that most of them are free to sign up.
How Much Money Can You Make Playing Games Online?
It’s hard to put an exact figure because the amount of money you’ll make will depend on the time you spent playing, the platform, your skills and if you play the casino games – your luck.
Unless you’re a successful YouTuber, a professional gamer or do game testing for a living for a big company, getting paid to play games online won’t make a full-time income.
For everyone else, it’s just a fun way to make some extra money on the side.
Talking about casino games, or most games for that matter, be aware of gaming addictions.
Avoid excessive or compulsive use of computer games that interferes with your personal relationship or everyday life.
Some games like casino games or tournaments require you to pay with real money or purchase credits to participate.
So it’s smart to set aside a budget beforehand to avoid any unnecessary expenses later. In most cases, the odds for casino games are always stacked against the player.
What Are the Other Ways to Make Money Playing Games?
In addition to the free gaming sites that you can join to earn cash from, you can try other ways to make money playing games. Here are a few ideas you can try.
Start a Gaming Channel on YouTube
Some of the most popular YouTube channels are about gaming. People go online to learn how to be a better player or watch other people play games for entertainment.
Others share strategies, instructions or walkthroughs about how to complete levels.
Keep in mind that creating a successful YouTube channel takes time and requires consistent effort.
You can make money from ads when you have at least 1,000 subscribers or 4,000 hours of watched content monthly. Displaying ads is a great way to generate a passive income stream.
To learn more how to start your own YouTube channel, check out this YouTube Masterclass course.
The course, while not specifically about starting a gaming channel, will teach you how to get started, how to create high-quality videos on a budget, get more views and subscribers to making money from your channel.
Start a Twitch Channel
Twitch is an alternative platform for streaming online videos. It’s very popular among gamers to stream videos of themselves playing video games and let viewers watch them.
The most popular ways to make money via Twitch is via Twitch Subscriptions. Viewers can buy premium twitch subscription for $4.99, $9.99 or $24.99 monthly.
This amount is split 50/50 between the streamer and Twitch.
In addition, you can also accept donations from viewers and they can be as low as one dollar. Showing video ads during the stream is also a popular way to make money on Twitch.
If you want to learn more how to set up your own Twitch channel, grow and make money, check out this excellent Udemy course – Ninja’s Guide to Twitch Streaming: Grow Your Channel.
Become a Game Tester
PlaytestCloud allows you to get paid to play mobile games and pays $9 per test.
Beta Family is another site that hires testers to test iOS and Android apps. You can request payment via PayPal when you have $50 or more in your account.
Another site to consider is BetaTesting that pays you for testing Android, iOS, websites, desktop and tech products.
They pay $10 minimum per test and payment is sent via PayPal, seven days after the end of a project.
For more game tester jobs, head over to Upwork, a popular freelancing website where companies and game developers look for game testers and researchers.
Upwork is free to use but deduct between 5% to 20% of your earnings.
Conclusion
There you have it! That’s how you get paid to play games for free!
Keep in mind that not all gaming sites are created equal, so pay attention to the fine print before you sign up.
Find out what is the minimum threshold before you’re eligible for a payout. What type of games do they offer? Also, consider how much time is required in order to generate a decent income.
If you enjoy playing games, what better way is there to make a side income from something that you’re passionate about?
Now have you tried any of these game sites to earn money for playing games? Do you have a favorite gaming site that you’re earning from right now?
Let us know in the comments below!
