The Global Market Size of Video Games in 2022 was $220 billion and it is expected to grow to $583 billion by 2030.  As a gamer, you can take a share of that pie. You don’t have to work in a game development company to make money with games, you can also make money by playing games.

How to Make Money Playing Games

Here are 10 ways to make money by playing games

Streaming: You can start streaming on platforms like Twitch, Facebook or YouTube. You can earn by monetizing your live streams with ads, sponsorships, subscriptions, donations, etc.

Tournaments: Tournaments are held for a lot of games and you can play for the esports tournaments and win cash prizes.

Creating and selling in-game items: You can create and sell in-game items, virtual goods, and game currency on marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, or playerup.com

Selling Merch: You can create your own game-related merchandise and sell it through various marketplaces.

Sponsorship: You can also get sponsored by game development companies. This will happen if you are a popular game-related content creator.

Fantasy sports: You can play Fantasy Sports by creating your own team and then competing against the team created by another player. These games are based on real-world athletes.

Game testing: You can become a beta tester for game development companies and make money. Your job would be to provide feedback on bugs.

Crowdfunding: You can also monetize your gameplay through crowdfunding platforms such as Patreon.

Create Game Content: Streaming requires communication skills, and if you lack that skill, you can also create game-related videos such as reviews, tips, tricks, etc. You can also try blogging on game niches.

Want to Make Money Playing Games? Top 6 Video Games to Play and Make Money

If you want to make money playing games, you need to play games that have a lot of esports tournaments and a huge community of players. Here are 6 games you can try.

Fortnite: This game has a huge community of players and a thriving esports scene. You can earn money by playing in the tournaments and game streaming.

League of Legends: You can play for the tournaments as well as earn from video content.

Minecraft: This is the most sold game. If you play this game, you can create and sell your own custom maps, skins, as well as mods. You can also earn by creating game content for this game.

PUBG: This is the most played game. Tournaments are regularly held, you can play for the tournaments and win cash prizes as well as make money by streaming gameplay.

COD: Call of Duty has a thriving community of gamers and esports tournaments.

World of Warcraft: You can farm in-game items and then sell them to other players for money.

Crypto Games: The best way to make money playing crypto games is by playing games where you can earn NFTs and crypto tokens. These NFTs and tokens can be collected while playing games, or earned through other game activities. If you are unable to do that you can try creating a game channel on YouTube and do some research on crypto games and start doing research. There is a lot of interest in playing games that pay money to users. By creating a gaming channel around the crypto niche you will be targeting two high-traffic keywords, crypto and games, both are profitable niches for YouTube channels.

Three Ways to Make Money Playing Games

Do you play games? Do you want to make money playing games? Here are three options you can try.

Game Content

One of the easiest ways to make money playing games is by creating game content for YouTube or other platforms. You can earn from ads, sponsorship, selling subscriptions, selling merch, etc. You can stream or create other game videos. You can also blog on game niches.

Skin Gambling

"Skin gambling" or "loot box" games are video games where players earn in-game items or game currency which they can sell for real money. These items include cosmetic skins,  weapons, or characters. You can buy and sell these items or earn through gameplay and later sell them for real money.

Play-To-Earn Game

You can try Play-to-Earn Games. These games are blockchain-based games that allow you to earn tokens and NFTs.

How Easy is it to Make Money From Games?

You can make money by monetizing your game content, or through other methods, for example selling game items. However, you need to understand that making money from playing games can be difficult as well as time-consuming. You need to invest a significant amount of time playing games, and you also need a lot of skill and dedication in playing games.

How to Make Money as a Game Tester

Game testing is a highly lucrative career field. If you are a hardcore gamer and spend a substantial amount of time playing and trying new games you can work as a beta tester for various game companies. You are required to provide feedback on the games and report on bugs and other issues. You can either earn per hour or earn per contract.

Where to find Game Tester Jobs

There are a lot of platforms that are specifically created for jobs like these. Some of the popular options are utest and user testing. These platforms also offer testing jobs for software and digital services.

You can also find game tester jobs on freelancing platforms like Upwork. Alternatively, you can also list a gig about game testing on Fiverr.

You can also establish your own game testing company and offer services for game development companies.

Can you actually make money as a game tester?

You must be aware that making money by testing video games is a competitive field, a lot of people will be applying for the same job. So, you need to be very skilled. You will first have to establish yourself as a reputable tester by getting a lot of positive feedback from your clients.