Can you really make money playing games on your phone: a realistic guide

Mobile games have become a popular way to spend some free time, but what if you could make money playing them? There are mobile games that promise exactly that, and they are getting increasingly popular. After all, who wouldn’t like to earn money while having fun?

However, let’s stay realistic. Earnings from mobile gaming apps are typically supplemental and should not be considered a substitute for a primary income. In other words, you can earn some extra cash, but don’t expect to earn a full-time income. 

What is mobile gaming for cash and how does it work

Mobile gaming for cash is a bit different than just finding new games on Google Play Store/App Store and playing them. Instead, you go through platforms or apps that connect you with sponsored games. 

There are actually two types of business models:

• Ad-revenue sharing: Players watch unskippable ads, and the platform gets paid and shares a part of that ad revenue.
• User data collection: Some platforms track user behavior and sell that data to game studios or data brokers. Then, they share a portion of their pay with their users. 

In both business models, you don’t get paid to play a game and achieve some milestones. Instead, you get paid for spending your time watching ads or for allowing platforms to access and sell your consumer behavior data. 

You also need to understand the difference between the “play-to-earn” games and traditional reward/gift card apps. Traditional apps pay real money and offer guaranteed, fixed-value rewards through PayPal, gift cards, etc. Crypto-based platforms will reward you with crypto tokens and NFTs, and their value is quite volatile and can vary greatly. 

Can you really make money playing games on your phone: separating fact from fiction

Let’s say you have less than an hour every day to play a game, and you don’t want to spend that limited time on scams. There are some common red flags that can help you tell legit platforms from scam ones. Here are the signs that an app is untrustworthy:

• Mandatory “entry fees”: Legit apps won’t ask you to pay any upfront fees. 
• Impossible withdrawal thresholds: If the withdrawal thresholds are ridiculously high ($100 or more), and it seems that your earnings are slowing down when you approach that threshold, it’s a scam.
• Requests for personal financial info: Legit apps won’t ask for your personal and confidential financial info. 

Before committing to any app, carefully assess the potential risks and red flags. Also, keep in mind that, even with the legit apps, time-to-earnings ratios are often very low. You can spend plenty of your time playing games, but you won’t earn plenty of money. 

Understanding the reality of earning potential

When you earn money playing games, you can’t expect to earn a regular hourly wage as you would with a regular job. Instead, you have a micro-earnings system, in which you earn small amounts for hyper-specific tasks (for example, $0.15 to finish a game level).

The most common payout methods are PayPal, crypto, and gift cards. Your earnings usually appear on your account balance almost instantly, but you need to reach certain thresholds to withdraw those earnings, and your withdrawal requests usually take several business days to get processed. 

Here is an overview of different earning models you can try: 

Earning models comparison
	Earning method	Time commitment	Typical payout	Reliability
Paid gaming apps	Playing games	High: You’ll grind for several hours to make money	Low: Expect to earn pennies	Medium: There might be tracking glitches
Passive bandwidth sharing	Sharing unused bandwidth	Low: Once you set it up, there is nothing else you need to do	Low to medium: depending on how much data you share	High: Automated earnings tracking
Survey apps	Taking surveys	Medium to high: You’ll need to take time filling out these surveys	Low: Pays per completed survey	Low: Users often get disqualified mid-survey
Freelance tasks	Data entry, writing articles, web design, watching videos, etc.	High: Requires active work, and some tasks also require specific skills	Medium to high: This depends on the project rate	High: Freelancers are protected by platform contracts

If you are looking for a way to earn passive income while your phone is idle, rather than actively playing games, using an app like Honeygain allows you to share your unused internet bandwidth to earn money online without needing to spend your free time grinding in a game.

How to make money playing games on your phone safely

If you still want to win real money and cash rewards by playing mobile games, here is how to do it safely:

• Step 1: Create a dedicated e-mail address to sign up. Don’t use your primary e-mail address to do this, because you might get flooded with spam
• Step 2: Avoid apps that require credit card info or ask you for any other sensitive info. Legit apps will pay you through PayPal or gift cards. 
• Step 3: Before you download any app, go to the Google Play Store or App Store and read the user reviews. This will show you how legit and reliable the app is, and what its main issues are.
• Step 4: When you first download an app, don’t wait until you earn large amounts, $50, $100, or even more. Instead, withdraw your money as soon as you hit the withdrawal minimum. This way, you’ll see if the app pays out or not. 

Best apps for earning money

We have compiled a list of the 5 best apps for earning money while playing mobile games, and then rated each game based on several criteria: 

	Swagbucks	Mistplay	Kashkick	InboxDollars	PlayTestCloud
Operating system compatibility	Android, iOS, web	Android, iOS	Android, iOS	Android, iOS	Android, iOS, Windows
Earning potential	$50-$200 per month	$10-$20 per month	$50-$150 per month	$30 to $50 per month	$15 to $50 per month
Payout reliability	High	High	High	High	High
Game variety and quality	Over 150 high-quality games	Over 400 games	Over 50 exciting games	Over 30 games	There isn’t a fixed number of games; the platform rotates playtests for over 55 game genres and over 1,500 game studios
Ease of earning rewards	It requires grinding and carefully choosing the games	Quick earnings in the beginning, but it slows down later	Even the most active players earn up to $400 per month	Slow, low-yielding earnings	It can be a bit inconsistent when it comes to playtest availability, which reduces the ease of earning
Payout options and minimum withdrawal	PayPal, gift cards, minimum withdrawal is $3 (gift cards) and $5 (PayPal)	PayPal Cash, gift cards, virtual Visa, minimum withdrawal is $5 (gift cards), $10 (PayPal Cash), and $10-$15 (virtual Visa)	PayPal, Venmo, KashRewards gift cards, minimum withdrawal is $10	PayPal, prepaid Visa, e-gift cards, minimum withdrawal is $15 for the first time, subsequent withdrawals have a $10 minimum	PayPal, virtual Visa and Mastercard, gift cards, no minimum withdrawal
User experience	4.2 stars on Google Play Store and 4.4 stars on App Store	4.4 stars on Google Play Store and 4.5 stars on App Store	4.4 stars on Google Play Store and 4.7 stars on App Store	4.0 stars on Google Play Store and 4.5 stars on App Store	4.3 stars on Google Play Store and 3.1 stars on App Store
Trust and security	The company has a good reputation, especially when it comes to data privacy	The app is legit and has existed since 2016	It is a safe app that relies on encryption to protect user  data	The app is legit and well-known for user data protection	This platform is highly trusted by game developers and players

Paid games apps vs free games apps

Many game apps that allow you to earn money online by playing mobile games are free to use, which means you won’t have any upfront costs. However, there are also paid game apps that require you to make in-app purchases or pay entry fees to compete against other players for a prize. 

Spending your money on various in-app purchases defeats the whole purpose of using these apps. You’ll spend more than you earn, which will make you lose money. Paying to compete against other players is also too risky, as your chances of winning are pretty slim. While the apps might present this as a smart way to invest your money, it’s more like a gamble. 

Final thoughts

Playing casual games and completing game tasks is a great way to earn some extra cash, especially if you play mobile games anyway. Still, you need to be realistic about potential earnings and aware of potential risks. If this still sounds like an appealing side hustle, download a game app and start playing today!