Apps that pay you to play games – and the ones to avoid

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You’ve probably seen the ads that claim you can make hundreds of pounds just for playing games.

It might sound like a scam – and a lot of the time it is – but there are several gaming reward apps that are actually legit.

The amount of money you get depends on which platform you use, what games you play and how much time you’re willing to spend on it but the reward can range from pennies to hundreds of pounds.

I’ve tested the most popular apps that pay you to play games for this guide, including Mistplay, Freecash, JustPlay, and TesterUp.

Here are the ones that are worth your time and the ones that are best avoided.

Can you really make money from playing games?

The simple answer is yes, you can make money playing games.

But let me open with a disclaimer.

I’ve personally tested all of the gaming reward apps in this guide with mixed success.

Some apps have been genuinely rewarding and some have turned out to be a complete waste of time.

But even with the highest paying combination of apps and games, you’ll end up making far less than minimum wage given the amount of play time required to earn that reward.

So while it’s a nice little bonus if you’re already gaming, it’s definitely not a serious side hustle.

How much money can you make?

I found the lowest level rewards for most games are less than 50p. More often than not, they’re less than 5p.

The most I’ve been paid is about £10 an hour.

That was actually an easy win because it was a slots game I could leave to run in the background while I did something else.

There are higher level rewards than this of course but in terms of time spent, they work out to be a lot less lucrative.

So if you want to maximise rewards, you need to cycle through the games quite quickly by hitting the low level rewards and abandoning the higher paying ones.

How long do you need to spend gaming?

The time commitment for scoring rewards depends on the game and the gaming reward app. 

Some might reward you within the hour for completing easy tasks like finishing the training stage of a game but those are the exception rather than the rule.

For any of the serious rewards, you should expect to spend at least 10 hours gaming.

How does it actually work?

Every app has a slightly different way of rewarding its users but the underlying model is one that involves referrals and commissions.

Just like cashback websites such as TopCashback and Quidco, the gaming reward app gets a referral fee from game developers when they introduce new players.

They might also receive a commission if you make an in-game purchase.

The games themselves are free to play but there are usually ads and in-game purchases that make the game developers money.

Play to earn or pay to earn?

Most gaming reward apps don’t pay you just for downloading and installing the game.

Instead, you have to actually play the game for a certain amount of time before you start receiving rewards.

That means throughout your game play, the gaming reward app will be tracking you.

In terms of the rewards, some gaming reward apps will pay you based on the amount of time you spend playing while others will pay you based on the levels in the game that you achieve.

Either way, the highest reward levels are very difficult if not impossible to achieve without spending money in the game.

And of course, if you do spend money to speed things up, the value of that reward drops.

It can be worth it in some cases but often it’s not.

The other thing to bear in mind is that all gaming reward apps have an earning threshold, which means you can only cash out once you’ve hit that threshold.

Pros and cons of gaming for rewards

Getting paid to play games sounds like a pretty sweet gig to have but there are definitely more cons than pros.

Privacy issues are top of the list; in a way, you’re inviting an app to spy on you.

The rate of pay is rubbish as well and certainly not worth your time if you’re hoping for a serious earner.

But perhaps the biggest issue is the quality of the games.

While some of the games come from top developers, others come from start ups that give little thought to the quality of the game or the amount of interruption from ads.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that the gaming reward apps are geo-locked.

That means you won’t be able to access them or the associated games when you’re away from home without getting banned.

Which apps pay you for playing games?

If you search for gaming reward apps on any app store, dozens will come up. 

For this guide, I tested four of the most popular ones: Freecash, Mistplay, JustPlay and TesterUp.

You can use multiple gaming reward apps at the same time, but your reward might be lower, so that’s worth bearing in mind.

Freecash

Freecash* has been the most lucrative gaming reward app for me so far and it’s the one that I would recommend.

There’s a pretty decent collection of games from established and new developers, and most of the rewards are credited correctly.

But the best thing about Freecash is that it runs bonus events where you can earn additional rewards through the app just for using it.

The payout is available as Amazon or Google Play gift cards, or as a pre-paid Visa card, once you’ve accrued £5.

You can also choose PayPal and even crypto.

Mistplay

Mistplay* was the first gaming reward app I tested and it offers pretty decent rewards.

It has the best selection of games so if you prioritise fun over rewards, this is the one to go for.

To cash out your reward, you can choose between gift cards from Amazon, Google Play, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Starbucks, Uber, John Lewis, H&M, Decathlon or Adidas.

It’s also possible to get a pre-paid Mastercard.

The confusing thing about Mistplay is that you’re rewarded in points, making it harder to work out the equivalent cash value.

Its saving grace is that you can cash out once you’ve accrued £5 worth of points.

JustPlay

JustPlay is the best app for quick cash outs. As long as you have some earnings, even if it’s just a penny, you can cash out every three hours via PayPal.

However, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re desperate.

Like Mistplay, it rewards you in points that then get converted into cash.

But unlike Mistplay, it has an awful selection of games.

Almost everything you download will involve an ad interruption after every level, which makes earning points frustratingly slow.

The points you earn also seem to fluctuate in value, which means you’re never quite sure how much you’ve made until you’re ready to cash out.

Oh, and if you miss the short cash out window, you’d have to wait for another three hours.

TesterUp

TesterUp* is the one I’d absolutely avoid.

Although it had a pretty decent selection of games with some competitive rewards, you needed to earn at least £55 before you’re allowed to make your first withdrawal.

That’s an extremely high threshold given how little the lower tier rewards paid.

Basically you could be playing a couple of hours every day for weeks before you see a penny.

When I tested it, I never even got close to getting a payout – just before I hit the threshold, I got an email out of the blue to say I was banned from the app.

There was no explanation as to why or any appeals process.

As far as I can tell, TesterUp isn’t a scam – people say they do get paid but not without some difficulty.

So if you want more certainty, go for Freecash or Mistplay.

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