CashOut is on the top charts as players love playing the amazing game. This is one of the best games that pay real money through PayPal. CashOut helps individuals play mobile games, daily check-ins. As of April 2018, top mobile games like Fortnite and Candy Crush Saga earned more than one million dollars in daily revenue on iPhones alone. The very first gaming apps fell into one of two broad.
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The meteoric rise in mobile device popularity and tech capability has fueled the extremely popular mobile app industry. Mobile games are amongst the most popular types of apps—in 2017, 80% of all app revenue came from gaming apps for both the Apple iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The global gaming market is targeted to reach $115 billion in 2018; the mobile gaming industry accounts for $50 billion dollars in all of global gaming revenue.
It’s clear that the mobile app industry is lucrative and continuing to grow in size each year. How do mobile games make money? Game monetization is the method by which a game product makes money for its developers and copyright owners. There are various revenue models that mobile games use to generate profit.
How Do Mobile Games Make Money? Types of Revenue Models for Mobile Gaming App Monetization
The Mobile Gaming Industry Is Incredibly Lucrative
Mobile games have come a long way since the days of playing Nokia’s Snake on a tiny screen. The first known mobile game was a prehistoric version of Tetris, installed on a mobile phone called Hagenuk MT-2000 in 1994. The launch of Apple’s App Store in 2007 marks the early days of mobile gaming as we know it today. Developers flooded the marketplace with games, many of which were incredibly addictive. Some early hits have faded from memory (Angry Birds, est. 2009), while others remain dominant in popularity (Candy Crush, released in 2012).
Mobile gaming apps have never been more sophisticated and new developments like real-time multiplayer abilities, livestreaming, and cross-device synchronization continue to drive industry growth. Another growth factor is the explosion of social media interest in gaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. As of April 2018, top mobile games like Fortnite and Candy Crush Saga earned more than one million dollars in daily revenue on iPhones alone.
The very first gaming apps fell into one of two broad categories: 1. Free Mobile Games (sometimes monetized through ads); 2. Paid Mobile Games (just a single upfront payment). Now, gaming monetization models have become significantly more complex and varied. The lucrative nature of mobile gaming influences game design and development, so creators can profit from their games.
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Methods Used to Monetize Mobile Game Apps
Free Mobile Games
Free-to-Play (F2P or FTP) games are free to initially download, but require payment for various upgrades.
Freemium games are free to download and play but offer small in-game purchases known as microtransactions. The top grossing mobile games in 2018 have all been freemium model games, for example Clash Royale, Fortnight Battle Royale, and Candy Crush Soda Saga.
Microtransactions allow players to purchase additional virtual goods like extra gameplay levels, cosmetic skins, exclusive gear (e.g. armor, shields), loot boxes, or in-game currency. In-game purchases vary – some enhance the player’s power or speed up their progress within the game, while others are entirely cosmetic. An example of a microtransaction for a roleplaying game (RPG) is a player purchasing a limited-edition potion which gives their character special powers that would be otherwise very difficult or time-consuming to obtain via normal gameplay.
Since the purchases are usable within the game, microtransactions are especially tempting for avid, devoted players. Microtransactions can potentially lower the skills barrier needed to progress within the game, which can make the game feel out-of-whack for those who choose not to spend. Game developers must be very careful in designing microtransactions so that don’t significantly unbalance competition between players or worse, make players feel extorted (i.e. feel like they must spend their money to be able to function within the game).
Advertising model games are typically free, but contain ads as a means of revenue.
- Display ads are the most standard type, which can include static ads, dynamic display ads, banner ads, video ads, and pop-up ads. Neko Atsume occasionally inserts dynamic display ads as a small banner at the bottom of the screen.
- Interstitial ads are ads that are shown automatically in intervals. Interstitial ads are common for games with a level-up progression since they can be displayed between levels where there is a natural break in the gameplay, making them relatively unintrusive. For example, Ray-Man Adventure requires the player to watch a 30-second video after beating a level.
- Incentivized ads offer an in-game incentive, like an in-game currency or a boost, in exchange for interacting with an ad (e.g. watching a video ad). Puzzle game Candy Crush will offer to give users a bonus if they watch a short video before beginning a new level.
- Contextual ads are integrated into gameplay, often as branded gameplay objects or branded storefronts within the scenery of a game. Think branded Pokestops in Pokemon Go or billboards on the streets of Grand Theft Auto.
Shareware model games will allow you to play a free trial or demo version of a game, but require payment to unlock the full game license. Shareware gives free users limited gameplay compared to the full game – the idea is to entice users to pay for the game once they’ve gotten a taste. This model somewhat outdated as the vast majority of mobile game developers have embraced freemium.
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Paid Mobile Games
Up-front payment model applies to games that are purchased via a one-time payment then downloaded directly onto a mobile device. A few popular examples of paid games include Minecraft, NBA 2K18, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Subscription model games charge a recurring fee to continue playing them, usually on a monthly basis. It’s uncommon for mobile games to use the subscription model – it’s more frequently used for massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) and other video games that require continuous server hosting and administrative overview in order to operate. Mobile games don’t lend themselves to a subscription model in part because they tend to be fleeting in popularity. Consumers tend to grow bored of mobile games, constantly looking for a novel diversion.
That said, chief marketing officer Al Campa of the business intelligence form App Annie predicts “I think you’ll start to see subscriptions making their way into gaming.” The success of media apps like Netflix and Spotify suggest that there’s a market for paying a monthly subscription to access collections of games. “The gaming world needs to continue coming up with new hits all the time,” explains Campa.
Monetizing Mobile Games IRL
Mobile games with a strong brand and fanbase can tap into revenue streams outside of the app itself.
Event marketing hosted by game creators bring together an army of avid gaming fans.From huge conventions like E3 and VidCon to regional competitions, gaming fiends are eager to connect with fellow fans at events. Other in-person events that draw die-hard fans include charity tournaments, festivals, and one-off experiential events. These photogenic, interactive events create photo-worthy moments for selfies, videos, and tweeting, which helps them to amplify the brand’s message beyond those in attendance. There’s significant opportunity to sponsor an event to further establish a gaming brand.
Merchandise is another outlet for mobile gamers to bring in revenue. Zealous gaming fans will don T-shirts and snap up collectible merchandise as an extension of their love of the game. Popular games, as well as cult indie games, can commoditize their brands by producing merch.
Tricks To Push Users to Make Purchases While Playing Addictive “Free” Games
Game developers have come up with truly ingenious tactics to make their games profitable. Leveraging a sizable pool of user behavior data, game creators learn to push the buttons of their gaming community. Game developer companies with a large roster of titles can test out different tricks and dedicate manpower towards marketing various upsells.
Whales, named after high rollers at casinos, are players who spend a disproportionate amount compared to other players. Although gaming apps aim to draw revenue through all of their players, they tend to make the bulk of their earnings from a smaller subset of devotees.
VIP Programs are an emerging tactic to retain power-users who are deeply devoted to the mobile game. Extra bonuses that come with membership can include performance enhancers that give a competitive advantage, elimination of advertisements, customer service support
In addition, some mobile games [World of Tanks Blitz, Poker King, TMNT Legends] offer a monthly VIP or premium tier accounts, which offer gameplay bonuses within a pre-specified timeframe.
Special offers can lure an apathetic player by giving them a strong incentive to make a purchase and get back in the game. Like an e-commerce display ad showing that an item once abandoned in a shopping cart has since gone on sale, special offers are all about timing and knowing one’s audience.
A once avid player hasn’t opened the app in over a month? Offer a discounted starter pack for a hot new game. Is a player grinding to beat a boss? Tempt them with a special booster pack that will help them build skills more quickly. A user is obsessed with customizing their avatar character? Sell them a pack of limited-edition skins or clothing.
Game creators can market offers via emails, push notifications, and in-game banner ads. This makes the messaging almost inescapable to a heavily invested player. In a sense, it’s unsurprising that mobile games are so lucrative. Considering the domestic market alone, 77% of Americans have smartphones and are virtually always with them. People frequently look at their phones out of habit and boredom and mobile games provide an instant dose of entertainment. The industry is ripe with potential for customer loyalty and a large customer lifetime value.
Influencer Marketing for Mobile Games
Mobile games are a great fit for influencer marketing partnerships because they appeal to all demographics and have a low barrier to entry. Since the majority of people own a smartphone and have access to mobile app marketplaces, a game download conversion can happen with just the tap of a smartphone.
Mobile games lend themselves well to videos and screenshots, meaning that creators can easily develop visually compelling content that will showcase video games in action. More and more video streaming platforms promote gaming as the industry continues to expand. Influencer marketing will continue to play a role in mobile app monetization going forward.
Although freemium is currently the dominant form of monetization, the ever-changing industry will continue to evolve. It’s possible that subscription to access a library of games (ala Netflix) or a new game-changing monetization model will crop up as mobile gaming continues to evolve.
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Apps that Pay You to Play Games
Areyou looking to earn money playing games?
Playing games can be fun too and earn you extra sideincome in your spare time.
Here I have researched for you 10+ best apps that pay you to play games.
You can getpaid to play games on android as well as iPhone(ios).
Bonus, here you will also get to know even some websites where you can play online for free to win money.
13+ Best Apps to Earn Money Playing Games
FeaturePoints
FeaturePoints is amobile app that pays rewards for various tasks you perform online. They claimto have distributed over $5,800,000 since 2012 to their users.
To get started withFeaturePoints download the app for your Android or iOS device and create youraccount by providing some of your basic details, like E-mail, age, country,etc. You must be at least 13 years old forcreating your account on FeaturePoints.
Now, you’re all setto earn from FeaturePoints. If you’re a gamer, you can download various gamesrecommended by FeaturePoints on your device. Play these games and reach aspecific level to earn exciting rewards.
Every 600 points willfetch you $1, and you can cash out via PayPal for every $3 you earn.
Payment in FeaturePoints: Gift Cards, PayPal money, and Bitcoin.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is again afree mobile app that pays you money for performing various tasks online likewatching videos and playing games. Each point you earn in SwagBucks is called‘Swag Buck’ or SB in short.
To get started,simply download the Swagbucks app for your device and create your account.There’s also a separate cashback available for Swagbucks to try out at yourfavorite store.
You can enjoy variouskinds of puzzle and action-adventure games available on Swagbucks, along withearning SB points through it.
For every 2,500 SB, you earn $25, which you can cash-out via PayPal.
Payment: PayPal and Gift Cards.
CashPirate
CashPirate is anAndroid app that gives you rewards for various tasks you perform on the app.
To get started, justdownload the app from the Play Store and create your free account on the app.There are various ways you can earn rewards such as:
- Downloading recommended apps
- Playing free games
- Inviting friends
- Watching videos
- Trying free products, etc.
Every 1,000 coins youearn in CashPirate will fetch you $1, and you can request for PayPal payoutonce you have 2500 coins.
You can also requestfor Gift Cards after earning the required number of coins. The app has a goodrating of 4.4 on the Play Store, so it’s worth a try.
Payment option: Gift Cards, PayPal Cash, and MobileRecharge
GiftPanda
GiftPanda is again amobile app that rewards you with points if you complete some offers recommendedby the app. GiftPanda claims to have distributed around $1,500,000 to itsmembers so far.
Just download the appfor your Android or iOS device and create your free account on the app. You canearn points by trying out various types of games that are available and bydownloading the apps shown on the GiftPanda app. Furthermore, you could alsocomplete some surveys and pass around referrals to your friends for earningpoints.
Every 2500 points youearn will provide you with $2.50 worth of PayPal cash.
Payment: PayPal and Gift Cards.
CashOut
CashOut is also agreat app that gives you rewards with a bunch of taps and clicks on the offersshown on the app. The app has a solid rating of 4.7 on the Play Store.
Simply download theapp from the Play Store, and create your account by providing some of yourbasic details.
To earn using theCashOut app you can do various kinds of tasks like playing games, completingsurveys, referring to your friends, etc. Furthermore, if you’re a gamer andlooking to buy some Playstation or Xbox gift cards, then this is a great appfor you.
Every 4000 coins youearn from the app will fetch you a $4 worth of PayPal cash (which is also thethreshold value for making a payout).
Payment: PayPal cash and Gift Cards.
BrainBattle
Do you like solving math problems and puzzles in your sparetime? If yes, then Brain Battle is just the app for you to download. Brain Battleoffers you various kinds of relaxing puzzle games that you can enjoy, and atthe same time earn some rewards.
The app can be downloaded for both Android and iOS devicesand has a size of only 51 MB.
To get started simply download the app and create your freeaccount on the app. Now you can start playing various kinds of games toexercise your brain and earn some points.
Every10,000 tokens on the app will give you 10 cents, andyou can earn around four thousand in every four minutes. This may not be a hugeamount, but it’s a great way to earn while playing games.
Payment:PayPal
HQ- Trivia & Words
HQ Trivia is a mobileapp that allows users to play a trivia quiz game to earn cash rewards. The gamein HQ trivia is hosted by Scott Rogowsky and sometimes by Sharon Carpenter. Youcan play this game live on weekends.
The game in HQ triviaconsists of twelve MCQ type trivia questions, each of which are required to beanswered within 10 seconds. You can earnup to $15,000 as a grand prize while playing the HQ trivia game.
Furthermore, there’sno threshold limit to payout via PayPal; hence, even if you don’t get yourhands on the jackpot, you can still earn some reasonable amount (say $20 to$100).
The app takes a spaceof 154.6 MB on your device and is available for both Android and iOS users.
Payment: PayPal cash.
Make Money – Free Cash App
Make Money app allowsyou to earn cash rewards by performing various tasks on the app. The app has arating of 4.7 on the Play Store.
To get started withMake Money app simply download it from the Play Store. You’ll be given 30credits as a welcome gift during your first sign-up.
There are varioustasks you can complete on the app to earn credit points, but mostly you’ll findapps to download. If you download an app for a game, you’ll need to reach acertain level to earn your credit points.
In a week, you canearn around 10,000 points easily, which can fetch you $10 worth of PayPal cash. This might not be a lot, butit’s free money you’re getting in a week.
Payment: PayPal
MyPoints
MyPoints is an online panel that offers you cash rewards forcompleting various surveys and playing games. It is very popular among users,who are consistently using survey apps for making some extra money.
You can complete various offers and play exciting games onMyPoints to earn points. The points earned can be redeemed to earn PayPal cash.
For every 3,970 points you earn in MyPoints, you earn $25worth of PayPal payment. On average, you can make $1.01/hour if you’reconsistent enough.
To redeem your PayPal reward, first, make sure to have averified PayPal account with the name and E-Mail address matching with yourMyPoints account. Verification of your PayPal account is done via linking yourbank account, with your PayPal account.
Having trouble verifying your PayPal account? Worry not! Visit the PayPal website for getting support.
Payment:PayPal,Gift Cards and Mileage on United MileagePlus.
Coin Pop
Coin Pop offers youcash rewards for playing games available in the app. It has a Play Store ratingof 4.0 and is completely free to download.
Apart from playingthe available games in the app, you can also refer it to a friend to earninstant 250 coins.
However, the app isavailable only in first world countries, so make sure that you reside in thecountries mentioned by the app.
There are variousgames available to download, with each game requiring you to complete a certaintask to earn points. Furthermore, you can earn 4,444 coins as a sign-up bonus.
Every 4,994 coins youearn in Coin Pop will yield you 50 cents, and the best thing about this app isthat it has no threshold limit.
Payment: PayPal, Gift Cards and Vouchers.
Point Club
Point Club is again a survey app that rewards you with cashfor completing online surveys and playing games. You can earn an instant $5 bonus, just by signing-up for the first time.
To get started with Point Club, simply download their app onyour device and create your free account. You’ll be needed to fill out yourbasic information like age, gender, E-Mail, etc. Based on these details the appwill offer you the games and surveys to complete.
However, it may be difficult to qualify for a survey sometimes,so you’ll need to wait for the survey suitable for you.
Play the games you like by downloading them on your deviceand you can earn points for cashing out via PayPal.
Various cashouts are available ranging from $10 to $100.
Payment:PayPaland Gift Cards.
Toluna
Toluna is a survey panel, where you are paid for doingonline surveys and doing various other activities on the app like playinggames.
As for games, there’s a daily game in the app called theToluna wheel. Spin the wheel and you get a chance to earn lots of points.Furthermore, you can play various other games that are available on the app.
Apart from getting money from PayPal, you can invest yourearned points on Toluna’s monthly lottery to earn a grand amount.
The payout threshold ranges from $7 to $10 in the Tolunaapp, and every 3000 points will fetch you $1. You might think that 3000 pointsare very difficult to get, but on average, you can earn 4000 points just byspending 10 to 15 minutes on surveys.
Payment:PayPaland Vouchers.
Swagbucks- Live
Swagbucks – Live isan online trivia game app, where you earn SB points (Swag Buck points) byanswering the questions.
Swagbucks- Live is apart of Swagbucks, so it is important to create your account on Swagbucks firstto redeem your SB points. Even though you answer a jackpot question of say$500, the amount would still be transferred to you in points. These points areneeded to be redeemed on the Swagbucks app, so no Swagbucks means no Swagbucks- Live.
To use SwagBucks-Live, you must be 13 years or older and must reside in the US, Germany,Australia, UK, Canada, India or Ireland.
The live gamestelecast differently on your devices, depending upon your time-zones.
Payment: PayPal and Gift Cards.
Websites to Earn Real Money Playing Games
QuickRewards
QuickRewards is GPT, or Get-Paid-To site which offers youpoints for doing various activities such as playing games and taking surveys.The site is quite old and has been around since 2002.
To join QuickRewards, you must be 18 years or older and must reside in the US or Canada. You’llalso need a valid E-Mail account, for receiving an activation link for youraccount.
If you want to earn points playing games, just head to theGame Portal on the QuickRewards website. Here, you’ll find lots of gamesranging from card games to arcade games. Games are there only to aid you incompleting your daily tasks, so they pay you indirectly (Meaning, you have tostick to surveys more).
Every 100 points you earn in QuickRewards will fetch you$0.01.
Payment:PayPaland Gift Cards.
Playtestcloud
Do you enjoy playing mobile and browser games in your sparetime? Well, guess what, you can now earn some extra cash while doing so.
Playtestcloud is a kind of service available for video gamedevelopers to get user feedback. You act as a game tester, and your job is todownload and play games. But how do you provide your feedback?
Well, Playtestcloud records your screen and voice so thatyou can give your feedback in real-time.
To get started simply create your account on Playtestcloudand wait for an E-Mail to arrive. This mail is going to be an invitation foryou to test out a game. On average, you need to spend around 15 minutes of yourtime to test a game.
Mosttests pay you up to $9, but it may vary from game to game. Allpayments are processed via PayPal three times per week.
Payment:PayPal
Summary
Thanks for reading! I hope this round-up post on thebest apps that pay to play games isuseful to you and you make an extra side income.
For more opportunities, you can also look at thebest paying apps for the android post.
Have you tried any of the apps before? Do share inthe comments section below.
Free Mobile Games Win Real Money
Monty
Is There Any Game To Earn Real Money
Hello, I am Monty and I welcome you to the website. I am the owner of the website and I am here you to guide you find legitimate work-from-home jobs and ways to make money online.