How To Earn Money Playing Video Games (9 tested Ways)

For most gamers, playing video games is just a hobby. If you're interested in turning your hobby into something more, we created the most complete article on how you can start making money playing your favorite game.

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Using Buff Game

For those looking for a passive income method to profit while playing video games, Buff.game is a perfect solution. It has a significant advantage compared to other solutions listed in this article - you can earn various money and other rewards (including physical and digital) by playing video games.

Buff.game is a program or a smartphone app, depending on how you want to use it, that can get you all kinds of rewards for simply playing the supported games. We tested for you!

All you'll need to do is register, set up the program/app, and play the game! Buff.game will scan how well you perform in that game, like your K/D/A ratio and other factors, depending on the game, and reward you with virtual currency named Buff Coins based on that.

In addition, Buff.game also supports various weekly challenges, which can earn you extra Buff Coins for completing them.
Now, we know that a certain percentage of readers believe that earning money by simply playing games is impossible, and that's why we did a complete review of Buff.game to prove that this service is 100% legit and safe to use.

Even though you won't be able to make a fortune through this method, its most significant advantage is that you just have to install and run it and enjoy playing games rather than dealing with it.

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Streaming And Making Videos

Becoming a live streamer and making gaming videos are some of the many ways to earn money playing video games, so it's no wonder many gamers decide to give this approach a go.

And yet, only a tiny percentage of those gamers actually manage to turn live streaming and creating video content into a profit. The reason is that this is one of the most challenging ways to make money playing video games because of numerous factors that will determine the success of this method.

When it comes to live streaming games, there are several available platforms, and the most popular one is Twitch. But the problem is that the top 1000 channels on Twitch get 53% of all viewing time, so it's pretty challenging to get noticed from more than two million channels there.

Still, streamers with decent gaming talents, a good sense of humor, and solid communication skills can attract viewers and get enough subscribers and donators to make streaming profitable over time.

Becoming a live streamer is like a marathon rather than a race; it takes a lot of patience because growth cannot happen overnight.

On the other hand, creating gaming video content on YouTube is preferable for those who don't like showing their faces in front of the camera.

There are so many types of gaming-related videos to make, such as walkthroughs and guides, analysis videos, reviews, best-of videos, and so on.

The problem is that much gaming-video content on YouTube is oversaturated, so it's imperative to stand out from other YouTubers and create videos that are more engaging to the viewers.

Becoming a gaming YouTube content creator doesn't require gaming skills at all, but it does require creativity, video editing skills, and auditing the channel, to name a few.

As for the earnings, a very successful streamer with a solid fan base can make between $3000 and $5000 from subscriptions and donations, excluding affiliate marketing and sponsorships. YouTubers can earn between $3 and $5 per 1000 video views, which is significantly less than streamers, but it has an advantage - it's way more passive.

Selling Gaming Merchandise

Creating and selling gaming merchandise is perfect for people that don't want to rely on their gaming skills but rather on their creativity. Essentially, the demand for gaming merchandise has significantly increased over the past couple of years, so this is a perfect opportunity to make money through video games without even playing them.

This doesn't mean that you'll need to be famous to sell gaming merchandise, the popularity will only speed up the process significantly. In essence, anyone creative enough can make money by selling gaming merchandise.

Now, there are several ways one can make money through gaming merchandise. Some of the most profitable approaches are making an online merch store and selling the physical products or making print-on-demand products in which all you'll need is artwork that customers can choose where to print on.

There are multiple websites that offer this sort of business collaboration, in which they get the percentage of each sale you make, and in return, you get to place your products on their websites like Spreadshirt or Shopify.

Alternatively, you may offer your products on Etsy, which is probably the most popular online place for custom gaming merchandise.

Video Game Coaching & Game Boosting

Another approach in which you can play video games and make money is by becoming a video game coach or a game booster, which is only possible if you have advanced gaming skills and specialize in a particular game.

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There are no "general" game coaches that can teach others how to play all games, and this job applies to eSports titles or advanced games like Minecraft.

Your job as a video game coach will be composed of:

• Working directly with clients
• Providing them with all the necessary info which they can use to improve their skills
• Giving them lessons, critiques, and pieces of advice
• Creating the gameplay tutorials if necessary.

In addition, you'll be able to do one-on-one coaching or coach an entire team, depending on the game. To become a gaming coach, you'll need to be recognized in a gaming community. This is much simpler if you're live streaming or making videos about a game and already have a decent fan base.

As for the game boosting, it's essentially playing competitive games for other people, aiming to reach a higher rank, and win rate, and transform a noob account into the respectable one for a specific price.

Becoming a game booster can be a fantastic way to transform playing video games into a steady income, whether a full-time job or a side gig. Some of the most popular online competitive titles, such as League Of Legends, CS2 (CSGO), Valorant, Dota 2, PUBG, etc., are among the top choices when it comes to game boosting.

Lastly, if you think you're competent at a specific game, you can register at freelancing websites like Upwork or Fiverr and offer your game coaching or boosting services there.

Depending on your skill level as a game coach, you can expect to make around $10 per gig and later somewhere between $10 and $30 per hour once you get more clients. On the other hand, you’ll be able to earn from $20 to $50 per gig as a game booster for a wide range of games, from Call of Duty: Warzone to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Dota 2, Clash Royale, and more.

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Bonus Method: Earn Free Money Using Freecash

You can also earn free money using Freecash. We tested Freecash and we are 100% sure that it’s a safe service.

How does it work? If you'd like to play video games on your mobile device and earn some money, the first step is to register on Freecash by visiting their website or through the app.

After that, you'll need to choose the "Earn" page, where you'll notice offers containing online tasks. Completing them will reward you with virtual currency called Freecash Coins, which you can exchange for money, crypto, or other services.

After collecting enough Freecash Coins, move on to the "Cashout" page.

However, you can't make this your primary income source, as that would take so much time to complete online tasks. Still, you can earn extra money through Freecash, which is better than nothing.

If you are unsure about this service and its legitimacy, take a look at our in-depth review of Freecash and find out all the relevant details about it.

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Becoming An eSports Player

Becoming a professional AKA eSports player is certainly not an easy undertaking, but it's a great way to make money playing video games.

Nowadays, there are so many eSports titles (even for mobile games), and the whole video game industry has acknowledged the potential of eSports, which is becoming more prevalent than ever before.

With the increase of eSports' popularity comes more opportunities to make money, especially considering the prize pools that keep increasing for each new tournament, regardless of the game.

But, of course, only the selected few individuals who possess outstanding skills at one particular game can become eSports players. Like regular sports, eSports requires lots of dedication, constant practice, and grinding, as well as investing in proper gear, which is one of the key elements of competing and may even mean a difference between winning and losing the match.

Another important aspect is finding the right team because no matter how good a player someone is, it's very difficult to succeed individually.

When it comes to making money through this approach, there are several factors to consider, such as what game is in question, the prize pool of the video game tournaments, sponsorship deals, and more.

For instance, the top-tier eSports players earn between $50000 and $75000 annually, just from salary, excluding the tournament prize pools, streaming, and sponsorship deals.

Becoming QA Tester

Before releasing the game to the public, a video game company needs someone (who's not a game developer) to play the game, test it, and come back with feedback.

This way, the game developers can work on any potential bugs and errors, improving the design and the game overall. This "someone" is a quality assurance tester who gets to play the game before others and try out various builds, designs, levels, and so on.

Unfortunately, most QA Tester positions are for mobile games rather than PC or console ones, which can be an issue for many people interested in this job.

If you opt for this approach of making money playing video games, your job will primarily consist of playing a particular game and reporting to the game developers until there's nothing left to report. Once that happens, that means the game is ready for launch.

Of course, you can't expect to make a fortune from this approach, as you'll most likely work on a contract rather than get a full-time position. Still, by working as a QA tester, you can expect to earn between $10 and $15 per hour, which isn't bad.

Some of the most popular platforms that offer these types of jobs are Indeed and Upwork, although they can be found on LinkedIn and other websites too.

Lastly, it's worth mentioning that this position requires you to be analytical and meticulous because you wouldn't want to miss any potential bugs or game-related issues, so keep that in mind before applying.

Farming And Selling In-Game Currencies/Items

Most online games are goldmines if you know how to use them. For instance, MMORPG games have in-game currencies and items that can be sold for real money to those players who don't have time or simply don't wish to farm materials, currencies, or anything valuable from the game.

That's a perfect opportunity to start making money playing video games by farming in-game currencies and items and selling them on third-party websites for either real money or cryptocurrencies.

This works the best for the most popular games, like World Of Warcraft, Lost Ark, and RuneScape, as well as some FPS titles.

Unfortunately, although not the most demanding, this is the most time-consuming approach to making money playing video games because it mainly consists of repetitive actions and farming.

Still, if you're both a skilled player and have lots of time for playing games, you can start earning money right now.

Creating Video Game Tutorials

Another fantastic approach to earning money playing games is making video game tutorials, how-to's, guides, walkthroughs, and anything that can help gamers complete levels, solve multiple puzzles or learn how to improve their skills.

Contrary to what you may think, this approach doesn't necessarily need to be concentrated on having your own YouTube channel and making gaming videos in general; it can come in the form of articles, blog posts, or even e-books.

The key to success here is to write as detailed guides as possible and offer more insights than the competition. Then, you would need to get as many views as possible and make money through video or banner ads (ad revenue) and affiliate marketing, which is why you'll need plenty of visitors for this to work.

If you're acquainted with the specific game and good at writing, feel free to contact us, and maybe we'll be able to make a mutually beneficial collaboration in which you could write articles for us and we pay you for that.

Becoming A Gaming Journalist

You won't necessarily need a college degree or even have to play video games to become a gaming journalist. Still, you need to possess advanced knowledge of the video game industry and video games in general, communication or writing skills (depending on the type of journalism), and some basic experience.

In any case, most video game journalists work as freelancers, but some of them have full-time jobs. This job consists of writing gaming news, reviews, interviews, reports, hosting video game tournaments, etc.

In addition, a video game journalist can also host a podcast, including those in the form of YouTube videos. Regardless of the particular role as a gaming journalist, this job is very competitive and intense because it's all about speed and sharing the gaming news before others.

Still, if you're looking to become a gaming journalist, you should focus on smaller websites and other media. Then, you can work your way to becoming much more experienced before applying to more popular websites/media.

Lastly, you should know that video game journalists earn between $26 000 and $100 000 annually, based on experience, role, and the website/media they work for.

After reading this article, you've probably realized that making money playing games isn't as simple as it seems, and in most cases, it's very demanding. If you genuinely enjoy playing video games, you'll need to consider that turning gaming into a job could make you never wish to play any game again and ruin the gaming for you. 

Still, if you don't wish to turn gaming into a job but still make some money, we strongly advise using Buff.game, since it's the most effortless way to achieve that. 

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There are many games you can play and earn money, including Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Dota 2, Hearthstone, Overwatch, PUBG, Rainbow Six Siege, Splitgate, and even LoL and Minecraft - and we have in-depth guides for all!