The key here, I think, is only playing free games. Spending money to win some extra money seems like a backward way to do it. Many
game apps are free, allowing users to make money playing games with the time they may spend on their phones anyway.
The choices are almost endless. Check your Android or Apple iOS app store, and you’ll find many mobile games with cash prizes or other types of payouts, such as gift cards, virtual currency, or just plain old cash that you can move to a PayPal account.
Here are some popular games to win real money:
Best game apps to win cash
Lucktastic
Lucktastic players can win cash and virtual currency with virtual scratch-off tickets. Winnings are given in tokens, which can be saved and spent on gift cards or entered into sweepstakes for higher potential earnings.
Users complete simple tasks and scratch-offs that pay regular users at least a few dollars every week. Many also require watching a short video ad before participating in a game or scratch-off.
You may not get rich, as the daily winners earn $10,000 instantly, but the payoffs are genuine, and you should see at least a little extra cash from playing. Lucktastic has paid more than 1 million winners to date.
Blackout Bingo
Everyone knows how to play Bingo. One of the easiest cash rewards apps to play is Blackout Bingo, formerly Blackout Blitz, and still part of the
Skillz family of free games. A game takes only a few minutes to play, which can be enough time to earn extra cash while waiting in line at the grocery store or killing time at the dentist’s office.
Blackout Bingo players can earn what the game calls Ticketz, which can be redeemed for bonus cash or prizes. The bonus cash is free money that can be used to enter Bingo competitions for real cash.
To win real cash, you must pay to play, which is gambling. If you win, you can either cash out your earnings or compete against other players in competitions.
21 Blitz
If you’re looking for cash tournaments,
21 Blitz is a modernized version of the classic casino games Blackjack and
Solitaire that uses the Skillz app to compete in cash tournaments with payouts from 50 cents to $7,000.
Z tokens and Ticketz can be saved to enter tournaments to play these free casino games. Or you can pay an entry fee through a PayPal account and gamble. Users must be older than 17 and live in a state where gambling is legal.
Users can play against each other in a tournament or by themselves. Games take about three minutes to play.
Pool Payday
Pool Payday probably won’t improve your skills on a real pool table, but it’s fun and a way to make a little extra cash on the Skillz platform.
Like other Skillz gameplay, players can earn cash by competing in higher-level tournaments with other players in real time. Tokens can be earned in practice leagues and used to enter tournaments. Or you can pay to play.
Don’t expect Pool Payday to feel like playing the actual pool. A tutorial will show you how to play, and you may need a few practice games to figure out how to line up your cue and take shots by pressing a button on your phone.
Dominoes Gold
Dominoes Gold is another game in the Skillz family where users can earn cash prizes or pay to enter. If you’ve ever played real dominoes, then you know it can be a fun and sometimes fast-paced game that can also be played leisurely.
Dominoes Gold is the same, allowing you to play at your own pace for fun or play a game within minutes with others in a competitive round. Winners earn Ticketz that can be used for more gameplay perks.
They can also be exchanged for real prizes. Our reviewer discovered that 18 million Ticketz were needed to redeem a 55-inch 4K Smart TV, while only 1,000 were needed to get a Skillz Sticker.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks has many free games and other ways to earn a payout. Users can watch videos, take surveys, and play games to win real money.
Swagbucks can be used on a computer browser or mobile app, potentially allowing you to win cash wherever you’re online. New users get a $5 sign-up bonus for creating a free Swagbucks account.
Watching ads on your phone while exercising, waiting in line, or watching TV can pay off with Swagbucks points that can be used for gift cards at Amazon and Walmart, among others, or paid out in cash via a PayPal account.
To get the most free money, you can sort surveys and tasks by payout and time to find the easiest and shortest tasks to earn you the most cash.
Mistplay
Mistplay offers a variety of mobile games to play and earn cash for your time spent playing them. The longer you play, the more “units” you can earn that can be redeemed for gift cards, game credit, or cash.
Mistplay is an added layer to many mobile games that you may already be playing. The app runs in the background while you play other apps. Users must be 13 or older to create an account.
The free app is only available on Android through the Google Play store. Games range from Bingo to card games and strategy games.
Earnings are capped at $50. Weekly contests can be entered to win a grand prize in the last competition of each month. According to the company, Mistplay has given away almost $60 million in rewards.
InboxDollars
Brands pay companies for consumer input, and
InboxDollars pays its members to do online activities like watching videos of a brand’s content or movie trailers.
Inboxdollars members can also earn money for taking online surveys that pay 50 cents to $5 per survey and take three to 25 minutes to complete. If you match the demographic market that the company is looking for, you can earn more money by giving your opinion. Where else can you get paid for your opinion?
It also pays for playing online games, reading emails, offering cash back for online shopping, and giving access to coupons. The site also has scratch-off games for instant cash earnings.
Inboxdollars pays a $5 sign-up bonus for opening an account. The first payout must be at least $10; after that, it’s $15. Users can get paid via PayPal, an electronic gift card, or a prepaid Visa gift card.
Earnings on the site aren’t immense, but regular users can make $25 to $50 per month. Payouts range from a few pennies to $5 for completing a task, though 10 cents per task is common. You won’t get rich, but a few extra bucks in your pocket can be a treat.
Long Game
Long Game Rewards partners with financial institutions to offer rewards for everyday savings. It’s targeted at teenagers as a fun way to save and help them learn about money for free.
Users earn virtual currency “coins” daily, can play games on the app, and win cash. Or they can save their coins to make more. Personalized savings goals and advice are offered.
Users choose one of Long Game’s partner banks to link to the app. (No data is shared from banks.) Long Game isn’t a bank; the games aren’t gambling because your money isn’t at risk. The company says users never lose money when playing games in the app or using Long Game. Prize winnings are sent to the user’s linked bank account.
As your linked bank account balance increases, so do your daily in-app virtual currency coin rate, which allows you to play more games.
Costs
All of the game apps we reviewed are free to use. Some are only free up to a certain point.
Often, a game’s virtual currency can be easily collected by logging in or playing a game. But to play more advanced games or win more cash than just a few dollars, you may have to pay a fee to play a game. For example, you can pay 60 cents for a chance to win $1, or 40 cents in profit.
If you have to pay to play, this makes it gambling. You should know how much you’re spending and the odds of winning.
tip: Install a Skillz app and use the code JOYWALLET to receive a $5 bonus cash on your first cash game.
The bottom line
New games on your phone can be a fun way to pass idle time. You can also win some free money, turning your favorite games into an addicting use of your time.
Your chance of winning a lot of money isn’t very good, but these popular games can help you avoid a few dull minutes of waiting for a friend into a chance to earn a little extra money. That’s not so bad if you’re going to play games on your phone anyway.