How To Make Money Playing Video Games: 7 Proven Strategies

PlayStation controller sitting next to a pile of money

The first thing on your mind is probably how much money you can actually make gaming. According to Glassdoor, pro gamers earn between $80,000 and $150,000 per year.

The amount of money you can make playing video games depends on the type of game and gaming you want to do:

Professional and esports gaming: Top players can earn anywhere between $5,000-$150,000 per year on average.
Streaming and content creation: Top streamers can earn between $3,000-$6,500 per month ($36,000-$78,000 per year).
Pay-to-earn games and apps: Between $10-$50 per month.

These figures are all rough estimates based on public information from various sources. The higher ends of those ranges are all extremely difficult to achieve for the average person.

Where the money comes from

Pro esports gamers make most of their money through sponsorships and affiliate marketing deals with third-party game companies or video game developers, who are often looking to reach the gaming community with new games. Pro gamers can also win prize money in esports tournaments and other competitions throughout the year.

Social media streamers, YouTube gaming influencers, and TikTok gamers typically earn money through ads and subscriptions to their channels. They might post content such as game reviews or walkthroughs where they share their gaming skills and expertise with beginners in the video game community.

Play-to-earn games: not worth it

While there are many games that claim to pay you real money, also known as “play-to-earn” games, their claims are usually misleading.

Most of these apps don’t actually pay real money. They let you earn in-house currency or “points” that you can then redeem for real-world rewards, such as gift cards.

Additionally, many of these apps have a maximum payout limit per month, and when an app does pay real money, it’s typically in the form of a buy-in competition or another game mode that requires you to spend money in order to participate (and potentially earn a payout).

In other words, even at their best, these games aren’t worth the effort if you’re looking for extra cash or to find a new income stream. At worst, they’re gambling scams. You’re better off trying to make money playing games through other, more practical paths.

Here are the seven best ways to make real money from gaming:

Getting paid playing video games

1. Livestreaming

Livestreaming yourself playing and commenting on video games is perhaps the most popular way to make money from gaming.

You’re probably already familiar with this type of content if you’re reading this. For the uninitiated, streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube let users record themselves playing video games while audience members chat and interact with the streamer in real time.

This is a fun and easy way to break into playing games for money because the barrier to entry is so low. All you need to get started is a camera and your favorite game.

The hard part is building an audience. Without a large following, you’re unlikely to ever make money streaming.

Advice from an experienced livestreamer

We got in touch with the popular Twitch streamer Primroze, who told us, “It took me close to three years to be able to stream full time and pay rent on my own.”

Primroze has been streaming on Twitch since 2019, and in that time, she’s garnered 56,000 followers on the platform (and counting). However, even with the time and effort she’s managed to put into her streams, reaching her level of success isn’t always possible.

“Streaming is very volatile. You never have a guaranteed income,” said Primroze. “One month you’ll have 200 subscribers and average 50 viewers with almost no ad revenue, and the next, you’re at 1,000 subscribers averaging 300 viewers with really good ad revenue.”

She went on to say that, “It changes so quickly and it takes a long time to build a community. You have to have a steady job and a steady income to support yourself prior to even starting streaming.”

Building a successful livestreaming channel takes time and effort. Primroze offered this advice to anyone looking to try and turn their streaming channel into a viable money-making platform: “Be consistent. That is the number one thing I tell everyone. I try to not take more than 2 days off at a time, because when I do, I see a huge drop in viewership.”

“Don’t feel the need to stick to a schedule,” she added. “Stream when it’s best for you and for as long as you feel like streaming. Don’t push yourself to do something you feel like you can’t do. You don’t want to tire yourself out when you’re just getting started.”

2. Video content creation

In addition to streaming, you can also create standalone content for platforms like YouTube.

Popular video game content creators like videogamedunkey and VaatiVidya have built successful channels by taking an editorialized approach. They don’t necessarily livestream games, but they do build their content around playing them—Dunkey with humorous takes on a wide variety of games, and VaatiVidya with deep dives into a few particular game series.

This type of content can be monetized in several ways:

Ads that automatically play during your videos
Various sponsorships or affiliate deals made with other companies
By soliciting your viewers directly for Paypal donations or subscriptions via Patreon or GoFundMe

The amount of money you can make depends entirely on your creativity and the number of viewers you receive.

3. Podcasting

If being on camera isn’t for you, consider creating audio-only video game content in the form of a podcast.

The startup costs to do this are minimal. All you need is an idea, a microphone, and a podcast hosting platform.

The most lucrative way to monetize your video game podcast is to set up a Patreon for listeners to subscribe to and follow you. As you build your audience, you can reach out to affiliates and sponsors for ad deals.

4. Writing about video games

The next best thing to making money playing video games is making money by writing about them. OK, maybe that’s not entirely true—but it is one of the ways you can turn your play time, expertise, and unique perspective into cold, hard cash.

There are plenty of opportunities to break into video game journalism (either as a full-time writer or a freelancer). You can get started by searching these video game journalism job boards:

You can also attempt to pitch a story you’ve written to your favorite video game website through their Contact Us form or via an email to their editor.

Non-journalism video game writing

If you’re passionate about writing and video games but don’t feel like you have the resources to chase down leads or stories the way a journalist does, you can write about video games in other ways.

Consider reviewing your favorite game and pitching the article to game publications or creating walkthroughs and tutorials explaining how to beat a particular game. This type of content can hone your writing skills and build up your portfolio.

Gamers can also make money online through forums by establishing themselves as experts in a niche community, creating valuable content, and then monetizing their presence through advertising, premium memberships on platforms like Patreon, or even getting paid to answer questions or provide in-depth guides on the forum.

5. Video game testing

Another practical way to earn money with video games is to find a job in the game development industry.

Entry-level roles in game development come in many different forms, but if you’re primarily interested in actually playing games, then becoming a video game tester might be the right job for you.

What video game testers do

The role of a video game tester is exactly what it sounds like—you test games that are currently being developed before they land on physical (or digital) store shelves.

Your job is to find any bugs or glitches in the software and report them to the developers. This means spending extensive time playing the game while trying your best to “break” it or otherwise find flaws in how it works.

Video game testing is demanding and often thankless, but it’s a critical role in the game development industry.

Video game tester salaries

According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary of a full-time video game tester in the US is around $31,769 per year ($15 per hour). However, this will depend on your location and experience.

You can start looking for video game tester roles on the following websites:

6. Game development and modding

Of course, there are many other roles in the video game industry. If you’re truly passionate about video games, the best way to earn money from them is, arguably, by making them.

The video game industry has roles for:

Engineers/programmers
Artists/illustrators
Writers
Sound and audio designers
Game designers (a catch-all term for the people who develop the mechanics of each game)

If you think you’d be qualified for one of those roles, your best bet is to touch up your resume, keep an eye on popular job boards like Indeed, and apply as soon as something promising pops up.

How to create your own games

Working for a large development studio isn’t the only path to making games and earning money. There are several ways you can go about creating games or modifications (mods) on your own. This will also build up the necessary skills to eventually apply for jobs in the industry.

If you’re a newbie when it comes to programming, there’s plenty of no-coding-required game development software to get started. Look into:

Additionally, you can try your hand at developing mods for popular games like Dota 2, League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Fortnite. These games have long-standing mod communities that you can reach out to and ask for advice and plenty of tools to help you get started.

Selling and distribution

Once you’ve created your first mod or game, how do you monetize it? Fortunately, there are several platforms that let you do so:

Steam Workshop: Some of the best platforms for selling and distributing your work are on Steam. In particular, the Steam Workshop is a marketplace that lets modders and creators sell their creations. Keep in mind that it’s up to the publisher or developer of the game that you’ve modded whether they’ll allow you to make money off your content.
Itch.io: This platform bills itself as an “open marketplace for independent digital creators with a focus on independent video games.” After creating an indie video game, you can post your creation on Itch, set the price, and begin driving sales.

Additionally, you can set up a Kickstarter, GoFundMe, or Patreon to request donations or subscriptions to help you monetize the development of your game.

7. Esports & professional gaming

Perhaps the most glamorous way to make money playing video games is as a professional gamer or esports player. This is the most demanding job on this list and isn’t feasible for most people.

Esports has evolved into a thriving global phenomenon, drawing in millions of fans, players, and investors. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global esports industry is expected to grow from $1.44 billion in 2022 to $5.48 billion by 2029.

This growth has led to the professionalization of esports. Professional players are almost like athletes, with dedicated training facilities, player contracts, and franchised leagues becoming commonplace.

Esports events range from small, regional tournaments to major international competitions. Individual competitors can take home sizable monetary prizes, although payouts vary widely, ranging anywhere from $500 to $20+ million dollars.

The International 2023, Valve’s most recent global championship for Dota 2, had a prize pool totaling $3.38 million. That amount climbed to its highest amount in 2021: over $40 million.

How to break into competitive gaming

Unfortunately, this level of competition is out of reach for most players. However, if you’re confident in your ability to compete in your game of choice, there’s probably a thriving competitive scene surrounding that game in your area.

To get started, check out Battlefy, which is a platform that lets you find, organize, and manage video game tournaments. You can also set up paid-entry tournaments with prize pools.

Keep your eye on trends in the larger esports industry as well. As it continues to expand, it will present many money-making opportunities for businesses, investors, and players alike.

Experts in this article:

Primroze

Written by:

Zachary Vickers