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Game Apps That Pay Real Money: Truth, Not Hype
Pay-to-play apps have mixed reviews. Payouts can be small and a long time coming, but some users love them anyway.
Hal M. Bundrick is a former NerdWallet personal finance writer. He is a certified financial planner and former financial consultant and senior investment specialist for Wall Street firms. Hal advised families, business owners, nonprofits and trusts, and managed group employee retirement plans.
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Play games, get paid. Lots of mobile apps make this promise.
How can these apps pay you to play games? In lots of cases, you're making them money when you complete surveys, watch videos and ads and play games. Apps may also be harvesting your data as you use them.
Payouts generally come once you earn a minimum amount, like $5. Even that can take quite a while, according to some app reviews.
Which game apps pay money?
Solitaire Cube, Swagbucks, InboxDollars, Cash Giraffe, KashKick and JustPlay are just a few of many apps that advertise game play for pay. Although reviews are mixed, the aforementioned apps all have ratings of 4 stars or higher in both Google Play and the App Store.
Some apps, such as Mistplay, let you earn "units" redeemable for gift cards while playing various games, including slots, cards and battles.
There's usually no minimum to cash out with JustPlay, which Reddit posters like.
*The boosted 3.9% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is offered on up to $250,000 in deposits for the first 6 months when you open a Cash Account offered by Atomic Brokerage LLC and deposit funds within 14 days. Balances above $250,000 will earn the standard 3.25% APY. After the 6 month introductory period, all balances will earn the standard 3.25% APY. The 3.9% boosted introductory APY is available through NerdWallet’s promotional program. APYs are accurate as of 12/17/2025 and are subject to change without notice.
What do users say about pay-to-play apps?
There are a lot of opinions.
An App Store reviewer of Swagbucks says, “I used this app on and off for years but ... the surveys were always garbage and always say they’ll only take a few minutes but take ages and rarely reward what they say because they’ll disqualify you after you spend 20+ minutes answering questions and then grant you pennies (if anything) for your time.”
Others are fans despite some frustrations.
Another Swagbucks App Store reviewer says it is "chock full of gimmicks and ways to earn enough points to get gift cards. They run the gamut from ridiculously easy to almost impossible, but overall it’s worth it."
Other reviews are more polarizing.
InboxDollars reviews range from more than one Google Play user saying the app is a "Total scam," to others rating the app five stars.
One Android InboxDollars user says: "This app is actually pretty cool I made $103 in 10 days, so there's always tons of offers and games and other cool added earners like surveys, search web, win it, arcade and more to earn money!"
Pros and cons of game apps, according to Reddit users
We used AI to sift through Reddit forums and get a pulse check on how users feel about pay-to-play apps. Here are the pros and cons that rose to the top of our analysis.People post anonymously, so we cannot confirm their individual experiences or circumstances.
Pros
Game apps are appealing because of the low barrier to entry. All you need is a phone and a data connection; no special skills required.
Apps like JustPlay and Scrambly get lots of love for letting you cash out with no or low minimums ($1 for Scrambly).
Your downtime — work breaks, ads on TV and general boredom spells — can be fun game time, which may actually earn you a few bucks.
The potential for “coffee money” is real, especially with apps like Mistplay, JustPlay and Swagbucks that get frequent mentions.
Cons
Low overall earning potential (most users report $10-25 per month per app) is a turn off.
An extremely low hourly wage (between $0.10 and $0.80).
If your phone’s app tracking software flakes out, you can lose hours of progress with no compensation.
Users say apps have a habit of paying more at first to build trust, then reducing earnings as you log more time.
Does privacy matter to you? Because you’ll most likely be granting apps broad permissions to track and sell your data.
The general consensus on Reddit was, if you have the time, energy and interest and want to earn extra money, you can consider one of these apps. But, if you think you'll be too impatient, there are better ways to make fast cash.
What else should I know before I play?
Game apps that pay money can seem too good to be true. Sometimes they are.
Some unscrupulous providers can postpone payoffs by preventing you from reaching your payout target. Some high-profile game apps have shut down with little notice, leaving users wondering about their prizes.
Do your research and read reviews. Protect yourself and don't provide personal information beyond what the apps require to monitor your playing activity.
Look for payments issued by email, such as gift cards, or PayPal, so that you can safeguard your financial information.
Most importantly: Make sure monetary payouts are legal where you live. Read the app's fine print and look up your state laws online.
*The boosted 3.9% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is offered on up to $250,000 in deposits for the first 6 months when you open a Cash Account offered by Atomic Brokerage LLC and deposit funds within 14 days. Balances above $250,000 will earn the standard 3.25% APY. After the 6 month introductory period, all balances will earn the standard 3.25% APY. The 3.9% boosted introductory APY is available through NerdWallet’s promotional program. APYs are accurate as of 12/17/2025 and are subject to change without notice.
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