What Games Really Pay You Money

A comprehensive list of the best game apps to help you win money, prizes, and make money to help you earn more.

Making money is a crucial part of building wealth or meeting certain financial goals. If you aren't making money, it's important to start as soon as possible.

Making money gives you more freedom and opportunity. For example, it allows you to invest more, go on more vacations, and be a more generous person.

Making money has become easier thanks to instant cash games and apps to win real money. Most of which are free and available at your fingertips.

In this article are 8 of the best game apps to win real money instantly that you can find. These apps make earning more to reach your financial goals easier, and in some cases, faster. Continue reading to learn more.

8 Best Game Apps to Win Real Money

We've curated the best apps and websites you can use to make money playing games easier. Here are the 8 best apps to win real money.

Mistplay — Best if you're a new gamer
InboxDollars — Best if you want a variety of ways to earn money
Solitaire Cube — Best if you enjoy playing solitaire
Swagbucks — Best get paid to site
Blackout Bingo — Best app that pays you to win in bingo
Lucktastic — Best if you don't have much time
21 Blitz — Best if like to play 21
Drop — Best if you want to get cash back when shopping major brands

Disclosure:Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I'll earn a commission. Know that I only recommend products and services I've personally used and stand behind.

1. Mistplay

Mistplay is one of the most popular game apps to win real money. And for good reason.

Not only can you earn free gift cards for playing games, but you can discover new games that you'll love playing.

How does it do this?

Mistplay is a loyalty program for gamers available in the Google Play Store that recommends games to you, which you can play and collect "units" that you can then redeem for rewards.

Those units can be cashed out for gift cards to Amazon, Playstation, Visa Gift Cards, and more.

You can join for free to play games you love and earn points redeemable for gift cards.

Key Points

Discover games — Find a game you like, and start playing. The longer you play, the more Units you earn.
Easy to earn — The longer you play, the more units you earn
Enticing rewards — Gift cards to all major retailers available
Proven track record — Over $16,097,264 and counting paid out to gamers already

Best for

You should consider using Mistplay if you want to earn some money and not feel like you're wasting time playing games. Because the more you play, the more you earn. This is one of the only apps that lets you play different games to earn real rewards, instead of just one that you'll get bored of.

Earning Potential

You can make up to $50 per month if you play consistently week to week. Every week they launch new contests, where you can earn even more. The minimum payout amount is 1,500 Mistplay points, which amounts to a $5 gift card.

Available

Android

Best for: getting paid to play games

Mistplay

Available on: Android devices only

Discover games you'll love, and earn rewards for playing. Over $15 million given away to date to gamers who love to earn free gift cards.

EARN MONEY PLAYING GAMES

2. InboxDollars

Ready to become a gamer? It's incredibly easy with InboxDollars. And it will only take you 2 minutes to sign up and you can get a $5 bonus when you sign up to play games.

What's unique about InboxDollars compared to other similar apps is that InboxDollars makes it easy to earn cash from its app. They pay you for things you already do online such as watching videos, playing games, taking polls and surveys, and other easy tasks.

You see, a gaming app that pays like Mistplay will let you earn money for only playing games. However, InboxDollars lets you earn money for playing games and you can earn through a variety of other ways as well.

InboxDollars also lets you choose from a wide selection of arcade games as well as game show network games. Ultimately, it's up to you if you want to try it out and snag a $5 cash bonus for doing so.

Key Points

Discover games — You can play a variety of games for real money through its network of games like Monkey Bubble Shooter, Solitaire, Pet Hop, World of Woords and Candy Jam.
Easy to earn — You can compete against other players to win prizes and cash or get paid to play games and win scratch tickets which pay real money (if you're lucky).
Enticing rewards — Get paid cash via PayPal.
Proven track record — InboxDollars was founded in 2000 and has awarded over 60 million dollars in rewards to their members.

Best for

Best for those who want a reliable site with a proven track record to earn money playing games on their phones or even on desktop platforms.

Earning Potential

You can earn around $30-$50 per month but if you get lucky, you can earn up to $10, $50, or $100 per scratch off tickets which you receive for playing. The minimum cash out on InboxDollars is $30.

Available

Apple iOS, Android, and Desktop

3. Solitaire Cube

Solitaire Cube is an addicting game where you can play solitaire on your phone and compete in cash tournaments.

This app includes tournaments and head-to-head competitions with real cash prizes (where available).

It's pretty easy to get started playing solitaire against other players in head-to-head battles. The game will match you up with other players who have the same level of skills in real-time.

How to play?

Stack cards into piles to sort them by their suit. Sound easy? It is. You can earn real money playing solitaire with cash tournaments to win big prizes.

You can also go head to head with other players with 1-2 minutes per round. You can actually win cash for playing games and you can cash out anytime by simply connecting your PayPal account.

Prize tournaments are not enabled in the following states: AZ, AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, MT, SC, SD, and TN. If you don't live in a real prize-enabled region, you can still play for fun with the game's virtual currency.

Key Points

Quick earner — Each round only lasts a minute or two
Clean interface — Fast animations and smooth touch controls on all devices
Free to play — Play for free as long as you want without any ads
Proven track record — Skillz has more than 12 million registered users in 180-plus countries. Since its founding in 2012, it has hosted more than 100 million contests; currently, there are 500,000 per day.

Best for

Those who want to try to win money by playing solitaire. The game is highly rated in the app store and is powered by Skillz that offer real money competitions.

Earning Potential

Your earnings will depend on how much money you bet. You can cash out at any time and cash outs are through PayPal and users have no issues withdrawing or depositing money.

Available

Apple iOS and Android

Best for: playing solitaire for cash

Solitaire Cube

Solitaire Cube is the ultimate solitaire game where you can compete in cash tournaments and play head-to-head online in fair competitions for a chance to win real money.

WIN CASH PLAYING CARDS

4. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is an app and website that pays you to play games and works like a get paid to site (GPT). It pays you to play games, search the web, watch videos, take polls, and save money with coupons.

Swagbucks also gives you the option to take paid online surveys to get free gift cards and real money through PayPal. All you have to do is sign up and you'll get access to online surveys for money that have different payouts, with some offering as much as $50.

Like other apps that pay, the app will let you earn money in a ton of different ways, so you won't get tired of having to play games all the time and risk having all your eggs in one basket.

The premise behind the app is nearly identical to InboxDollars and also allowing you to save money with coupons, promo codes, sales, and cashback when you shop for clothes, electronics, travel, groceries, gifts and homeware.

Key Points

Quick earner — Swagbucks gives out 7,000 free gift cards everyday
Clean interface — Swagbucks is easy to use to earn money
Variety of ways to earn — You can make money online by searching the web, playing fun games, watching videos and more
Proven track record — Has paid its members over 579 million

Best for

Anyone who wants to earn free cards or cash through PayPal by playing games. There are many games to choose from, which you download and play, earning you redeemable points for rewards. The more games you play, the more points you collect.

Earning Potential

One report on Huffington Post describes how some Redditors use Swagbucks to earn $600 a month. It's likely you can rack up at least $100 per month. The minimum amount to cash out on Swagbucks is only $1, which you can reach in a short amount of time.

Available

Apple iOS, Android, and Desktop

Best for: getting paid to search web

5. Blackout Bingo

Historically, Bingo was a game of chance. If you were lucky enough to have the right card, you'd win.

Now with Blackout Bingo – you are in control of how much you can make with this game app. This app is easy to use, everyone playing sees the same balls and cards. It takes concentration, speed, and strategy to become a bingo master.

Games only take about 2 minutes to play, so players can pick up and play whenever they like. If you wanted to try it out, you can compete for cash prizes as well.

With over 5 Million players worldwide, Blackout Bingo is trending to become one of the hottest gaming apps available, and for good reason.

Key Points

Entertaining — Playing with real money keeps it interesting. The fact that you can play for free as well makes it easier on beginners to fast paced bingo games.
Clean interface — Beautifully designed app that is easy to use.
Proven track record — Legitimate way to earn money. This app has 4.5/5 stars on the App Store with over ‎49k reviews.

Best for

Best for those looking for a fun way to play bingo and earn some side income. You can practice before playing actual cash games.

Earning Potential

Your earning potential with Skillz games like Blackout Bingo depends on how much you deposit. When you deposit and play for cash, you can withdraw your balance at any time by tapping Withdraw on the main menu. Any withdrawals up to the amount of your total deposits will be processed using the same form of payment as your deposit, either PayPal or credit card.

Winnings exceeding your total deposit amount will be sent via paper check if you're in the US, or PayPal if you are playing from another country.

Available

Apple iOS and Android

Best for playing bingo for money

Blackout Bingo

Over 5 Million players agree Blackout Bingo is the fresh, social competitive twist to the classic game where you can win real world rewards and cash prizes (where available).

PLAY YOUR FIRST BINGO GAME

6. Lucktastic

Lucktastic is not a multiplayer gaming app, nor is it a rewards site. Rather, Lucktastic is a free app where players can win real cash and prizes and earn rewards.

You can earn money by checking in daily and scratching scratch-offs to earn real rewards.

If youlove the feeling of buying lotto tickets or scratch-offs and dreaming about the money you stand to win — then you would seriously enjoy playing Lucktastic.

This free app offers the same daily scratch-off cards that you find at your local convenience store — but here you can play for free and win real money.

You may seem hesitant at first but this gaming app has over 347k+ positive reviews in the Google Play Store.

You can win up to $10,000 in card cash prizes and there are daily $500 Amazon gift card giveaways. The threshold for payout is only $1 and you can get daily opportunities to win big when you downloadthe Lucktastic app for free.

Want to try it out?

Download Lucktastic for free to play scratch-offs and win cash on your phone.

Key Points

Free — The app is completely free and fun and not complicated to play.
Easy way to win small amounts of money — Each game you play earns you instant cash or prizes.
Ways too win — You can get bonus scratch cards from 1-5pm EST and even after 9pm.
Proven track record — Lucktastic boasts over 347k positive reviews on the Google Play Store and has rewarded over $10,000,000 to real winners.

Best for

Those who want to win cash prizes, real rewards, and gift cards for not much work.

Earning Potential

Just like scratch cards at the gas station, you likely won't be a big winner, but it doesn't hurt to try. The withdrawal of only a $1 minimum balance makes Lucktastic an app worth downloading.

Available

Android

Lucktastic

Lucktastic is an app that allows users to sign up and start playing games and doing scratch tickets in exchange for prizes. Lucktastic is entirely free to play, and users win tokens or cash for every game they play.

SCRATCH A FREE TICKET NOW

7. 21 Blitz

21 Blitz includes tournaments and head-to-head competitions with real cash prizes (where available).

21 Blitz is a mix of 21 and Solitaire. It's a perfect way to practice your 21 skills, train your brain or just pass the time.

Play against real people for free then switch to cash games when you're ready to compete and win.

That's where you win real money by playing this fun and addicting game app. If you deposit money you can enter cash tournaments against other players.

Cashouts are through PayPal and I had no issues withdrawing or depositing money.

How to play? Make 21s or stacks of 5 cards to score points. Sound easy? It is!

Key Points

Fun way to earn — Games can be played head to head with other players or in large, multiplayer tournaments.
Clean interface — Challenge people around the world with Skillz, a competition platform complete with leaderboards, trophies, physical or virtual prizes, and an amazing loyalty program that rewards you for playing.
Proven track record — This app has 4.6 stars with over 24k ratings on the App Store, one of the best ratings for game apps that pay.

Best for

21 Blitz is a mix of 21 and Solitaire. It's a perfect way to practice your 21 skills, train your brain or just pass the time. Best for those who want to play against real people for free or switch to cash games when you're ready to compete and win!

Earning Potential

Your earning potential with Skillz games like 21 Blitz depends on how much you deposit. When you deposit and play for cash, you can withdraw your balance at any time by tapping Withdraw on the main menu. Any withdrawals up to the amount of your total deposits will be processed using the same form of payment as your deposit, either PayPal or credit card.

Winnings exceeding your total deposit amount will be sent via paper check if you're in the US, or PayPal if you are playing from another country.

Available

Apple iOS and Android

21 Blitz

21 Blitz is a mix of 21 and Solitaire. It's a perfect way to practice your 21 skills, train your brain or just pass the time. Play against real people for free then switch to cash games when you're ready to compete and win!

START WINNIING REAL PRIZES

8. Drop

Drop offers you free gift cards for playing arcade games within its list of apps to play. You can play casino games or game shows and the games list changes constantly.

Drop helps you find games on the iTunes App Store or Google Play, and each game has a task. When your required game task is complete, you'll get points that you can cash out for free gift cards.

The great thing about Drop is that it has so many ways to earn — you can earn by playing games, cash back offers, taking surveys, and other rewards.

Key Points

Many ways to earn — Whether you're reserving flights from Expedia or ordering food from places like Postmates, you can shop directly from the Drop app.
Quick earner — Start earning points right away. For every purchase you make, you get Drop points. And they add up quickly, so you can spend them even faster.
Cash out — Redeem your points at places like Amazon, Netflix, and Starbucks.
Proven track record — Drop has over 45k positive ratings and over 4 Million members. Needless to say, this app really pays out for playing games and cash back rewards.

Best for

Best for those who want to earn money for playing games and for shopping. Drop is a new kind of rewards program, created just for your lifestyle. From your morning coffee to your late-night food delivery, use Drop to earn cash rewards on everything you do.

Earning Potential

Drop sets a cap of 5,000 points ($5) per week so you can make up to that amount. Earning $40 a month is possible if you're a big shopper. You can redeem your points at places like Amazon, Netflix, and Starbucks. PayPal cash outs are not an option on Drop.

Available

Apple iOS and Android

Drop

Drop is the free app that rewards you for shopping at your favorite brands. Join over 4 million members earning millions in cash rewards at Amazon, Netflix, and Starbucks.

GET DROP

Final Takeaways

Wouldn't it be fun to get paid for playing games on your phone? I mean, you already do it for free, so why not make some cash out of it!

Mobile game developers are constantly offering incentives to get players to try out their games by giving rewards and cash prizes. These are a few places to get started.

I spent several hours researching each money earning app on this list, so you can trust the integrity of the content.

There were several additional apps that I considered adding to this list, but ultimately choose to not add because of the app being poor quality and outdated.

If you know of a great app that pays real money and a gaming app that should be on this list, leave a comment below and I'll be sure to research the app and potentially add it to this list.

If you want to learn more about making money and investing, be sure to check out these other related posts:

How To Get Free Bitcoin With These 9 Apps
33 Different Ways to Get Paid Today
34 Easy Ways to Make $1,000 Fast When You Need Cash Fast
16 Best Robinhood Alternatives Worth Checking Out

Game Apps That Pay FAQs

What game apps win real money?

The ones included on this list, plus you can check out Gamehag, Publishers Clearing House, Long Game Savings, Willy Wonka Slots, Game of Throne Casino Slots, and Double Down Casino Slots. Swagbucks LIVE is also a live trivia game show (trivia app) that pays you to answer trivia questions.

What apps pay the same day?

Earning cash rewards but playing games is a fun way to earn tokens, cash, and gift cards on an iOS or Android device. You can see the full list of apps that pay you real money to discover more ways to earn with money-making apps that pay same day.

Can you win real money on Skillz games?

Skillz is a multiplayer tournament platform that lets you compete in mobile games with other people around the world for either real cash or its virtual currency. Once you make a deposit, you can use that money to enter cash tournaments and win real cash prizes. You can then withdraw your winnings at any time. Popular Skillz games include Pool Payday, Solitaire Cube, 21 Blitz, Dominoes Gold, and Blackout Bingo.

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Brian Meiggs

Founder of Smarts, Brian is an entrepreneur and investor who enjoys working out, reading, spending time with his family and friends, playing chess, traveling and creating great content. He's passionate about helping others make smarter money moves and achieve financial freedom. He uses the freePersonal Capital app to manage his cash flow and net worth.