6 Game Apps That Pay Real Money in Canada

Earn money just by playing fun games on your phone (yes, really!)

Woman with a yellow sweater and green fingernails holding a phone

Getting paid to play games might sound too good to be true, but it isn’t. There are plenty of legit game apps that pay real money to play, so you can earn some extra cash (and have fun too) in your spare time. Here are popular game apps to make money in Canada.

Play Games & Take Surveys

Freecash logo
  • Access a variety of tasks
  • Earn up to $300 per offer
  • $10 CAD sign-up bonus when you start your first offer

Best for Mobile

Testerup logo
  • Earn up to $800 through offers
  • No limit on how much you play games or complete surveys
  • Earn money while playing games

Variety of Rewards

Prime Opinion logo
  • Redeem points for cash or 65+ gift cards
  • Easy to sign up and start earning
  • Highly rated mobile app

Must read

Game apps frequently advertise payouts in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. Realistically, high earnings only happen if you reach advanced levels within a timeframe or make in-app purchases. Earning a few extra bucks is doable, but mobile games don’t replace a real income.

1. Freecash

Swagbucks website

Earning potential: Earn from $50 to $1,000 per game

How it works: Gaming companies partner with Freecash to offer financial incentives and attract more people to play their games. You earn money every time you complete a milestone, such as downloading the game and spending a set amount of time playing.

Cash-out minimum: $5 - $20

How to get paid: PayPal, Amazon gift card, prepaid Visa card

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Pros

  • 4.7/5 stars based on 273,000+ Trustpilot reviews
  • User-friendly iOS and Android app
  • Receive your cash-out funds within 30 minutes
  • Multiple payout options
  • Offers other ways to make real money

Cons

  • Big payouts require deep game progress or in-app purchases
  • 5% fee for PayPal withdrawals
  • You’ll have access to fewer offers if your account starts on Lite Mode
  • High cash-out minimum if you’re just starting out

App ratings

PlatformDetails
iOS4.7/5 based on over 1,800 reviews
Android4.3/5 stars based on 173,000+ reviews

Games

Games available on Freecash include:

  • Animals & Coins. Build islands, raid other lands and collect coins in this animal adventure game.
  • The Grand Mafia. Take on the role of a mafia boss in this strategy game as you battle to become the city’s crime overlord.
  • Bingo Aloha. Craft your own bingo experience in this popular free game.
  • Mafia City. A strategy game that sees you fight, steal and build alliances to become the Godfather of the city.
  • Star Trek Fleet Command. Take control of the fleet and conquer the universe in this intergalactic strategy game.

App preview

2. Testerup

Testerup website

Earning potential: Earn up to $800 per offer

How it works: Testerup lets you earn money by playing games, testing apps and products, and completing online surveys. After signing up, you can browse available offers, choose the ones you like and earn rewards by reaching specific goals, such as installing an app and leveling up in a game.

Cash-out minimum: $60

How to get paid: PayPal

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Pros

  • 4.1/5 stars based on 107,000+ reviews on Trustpilot
  • Multiple ways to earn money
  • Android and iOS apps available
  • Free to join

Cons

  • Big payouts require deep game progress or in-app purchases
  • Only supports withdrawals via PayPal
  • Cash-out minimum of $60, which is much higher than other apps

App ratings

PlatformDetails
iOS4.3/5 stars based on 9,300+ reviews
Android4.2/5 stars based on 183,000+ reviews

Games

Games available on Testerup include:

  • Monopoly Go! A mobile twist on the classic board game that lets you collect properties, complete events and earn rewards as you progress.
  • Coin Master. A casual slot-style game where you spin to earn coins, build villages and raid or attack other players.
  • Raid: Shadow Legends. A fantasy role-playing game with turn-based battles where you recruit and upgrade powerful characters and complete missions.
  • Gardenscapes. A tile-matching puzzle game where you restore and decorate a garden by solving different levels and earning stars to unlock new areas.
  • Travel Town. A merge puzzle game in which you combine items to create new ones and explore different locations while building your travel destination.

App preview

3. Swagbucks

Swagbucks

Earning potential: Approximately 100 to 25,000 SB (100 SB = $1)

How it works: Swagbucks offers an online library of games that you can also access via the Swagbucks app on your Android or iOS device. These are game apps that pay real money, and you’ll earn Swagbucks points (SB) for playing games and completing tasks.

Cash-out minimum: $5 for gift cards or US$25 minimum for PayPal

How to get paid: PayPal, gift cards

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Pros

  • 4/5 stars based on 42,000+ reviews on Trustpilot
  • User-friendly app
  • Multiple ways to earn real money
  • Low minimum cash-out
  • Swagbucks bonus available

Cons

  • 1 SB is worth only 1 cent
  • Not going to make you rich

App ratings

PlatformDetails
iOS4.4/5 stars based on 147,000+ reviews
Android4.3/5 stars based on 446,000+ reviews

Games

Popular games available on Swagbucks include:

  • Palmon Survival. A monster-catching adventure game.
  • Hole Stars. A casual puzzle game where you guide a growing black hole through levels.
  • Coin Master: Board Adventure. A roll-the-dice adventure game.
  • Word Search Explorer. Your classic word search game.

App preview

4. HeyCash

HeyCash

Earning potential: $0.50 to $120 per game

How it works: If you download and play games on your smartphone and complete in-game challenges, you can earn rewards. Simply find available games from your account dashboard, and check out what in-game tasks you need to complete and in what time frame.

Cash-out minimum: US$1 for the first withdrawal, but subsequent withdrawals are available from $2 or US$1.00.

How to get paid: PayPal, 80+ gift cards, Visa prepaid card, charity donation

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Pros

  • 3.9/5 stars based on 7,300+ Trustpilot reviews
  • Low minimum cash-out
  • Quick and easy sign-up
  • Multiple ways to earn
  • Wide range of cash-out options
  • Receive your cash-out within 10 minutes

Cons

  • Big payouts required deep game progress or in-app purchases
  • 1,000 points only = US$1
  • Points expire after 1 year
  • Not a replacement for a regular income
  • No iOS app

App ratings

PlatformDetails
iOS4.7/5 stars based on 44,000+ reviews
Android4.5/5 based on 187,000+ reviews

Games

Games available on HeyCash include:

  • Eatventure. A restaurant management and cooking game where you can prepare dishes, expand your kitchen and serve customers to earn rewards.
  • June’s Journey. A hidden-object mystery adventure set in the 1920s, where you solve puzzles and uncover secrets to progress.
  • The Grand Mafia. A strategy game where you build your criminal empire, recruit gang members and battle rivals to become the city’s top mafia boss.
  • Puzzles & Chaos: Frozen Castle. A match-3 fantasy strategy game set in an ancient frozen land.
  • Raid: Shadow Legends. Summon over 800 heroes to do battle in this dark fantasy RPG.

App preview

5. Prime Opinion

Prime Opinion

Earning potential: Rewards commonly range from 100 to 90,000 points per offer (1 point = US$0.01).

How it works: Though it’s best known as a paid survey platform, Prime Opinion also lets you make real money by playing games and achieving in-game milestones. Find games in the offers section of your account.

Cash-out minimum: $6

How to get paid: PayPal, 90+ gift cards or charitable donations

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Pros

  • Quick and easy to get started
  • Low minimum cash out
  • Fast payouts
  • Many gift card options
  • 4.2/5 stars based on 19,800+ reviews
  • Prime Opinion bonus available

Cons

  • Uses a points system rather than cash
  • Points expire after 1 year

App ratings

PlatformDetails
iOS4.6/5 stars based on 2,700+ reviews
Android4.3/5 stars based on 177,000+ reviews

Games

Games available on Prime Opinion include:

  • Lords Mobile: Last Rise of Qin. An epic real-time strategy game that sees you build an army and clash with players from around the world.
  • Traffic Escape! Take control of busy streets to help cars escape traffic jams.
  • Doomsday x Pacific Rim. A fast-paced strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies.
  • Word Connect – Words of Nature. Complete crossword puzzles to challenge your brain and improve your word skills.
  • Survivor Idle Run. Battle hordes of zombies, complete quests and earn rewards in this action-packed RPG.

App preview

6. Mistplay

mistplay website

Earning potential: You can maximum rewards of US$550 per year.

How it works: Mistplay is a mobile gaming platform where you can make real money playing games. You can redeem the rewards you earn for gift cards from Amazon, PayPal, Visa and more.

Cash-out minimum: $5 gift card.

How to get paid: PayPal, gift card

Pros

  • Good variety of games to choose from
  • Some games get a boosted earn rate
  • Wide range of gift cards
  • Low cash-out minimum
  • iOS and Android app available
  • 4.0/5 stars based on over 3,900 reviews on Trustpilot

Cons

  • High payouts require deep game progress or in-app purchases
  • Not going to make you rich

App ratings

App typeDetails
iOS4.5/5 stars based on over 1,900 reviews
Android4.5/5 stars based on over 994,000 reviews

Games

Games available on Mistplay include:

  • Family Island. This farming game sets you on a desert island, where a modern Stone Age family can explore new territory, solve puzzles and build a city.
  • Coin Master. A casual slot-style game where you spin to earn coins, build villages and raid other players for rewards.
  • Dice Dreams. A dice-rolling game where you collect coins, upgrade your kingdom and compete with friends.
  • Rummy Rush. A fast-paced card game based on rummy, where you match cards and compete in quick rounds to win prizes.
  • Whiteout Survival. A survival strategy game set in a frozen apocalypse where you manage resources, build a city and protect survivors from threats.

App preview

What are the best games and game apps to make money?

If you’re a new user and you’re searching for legit game apps that pay real money, check out Mistplay, Swagbucks and Prime Opinion. Each one offers 15+ games to choose from, even if you’re new.

As for individual game apps that pay you real money, a diverse range of titles is worth considering. These include Monopoly GO, Bubble Cash, Animals & Coins, Solitaire Cash and Bingo Island. However, it’s worth noting that some of these games require you to deposit money to play or pay an entry fee, so be very wary of spending any real cash in-game.

The best free real money game apps will also vary depending on what offers are available at any given time, so check the offers section of your account to find the most lucrative games.

Rebecca Low's headshot

"I’ve tested several of these game apps, including Prime Opinion, Testerup and Swagbucks. They offer a legitimate and fun way to make money online, but not a quick way. Completing game levels and reaching reward milestones often took me several hours when I was only earning a few dollars for each task. Many games also required in-app purchases to level up, which I avoided, meaning I wasn’t always able to complete every task and move on to higher-paying rewards. If you’re already playing the games offered on these platforms, these game apps can be a good way to make money. Otherwise, your time may be better spent elsewhere."

Writer

Tips to make real money-making game apps worth your time

  • Check for the latest offers. From Swagbucks to Mistplay and all other game apps that pay you real money in Canada, check your account to find out about current game offers available.
  • Look for low minimum cash-outs. Find apps with low minimum withdrawal limits so you can cash out quickly, and withdraw funds regularly in case your reward points expire after a certain period.
  • Watch out for withdrawal fees. Check the fine print to find out whether the app charges a withdrawal fee when you cash out.
  • Find games you enjoy. It’s a lot easier to make money playing games when you find games that you actually enjoy. If a particular game is too much of a time-consuming grind, look for other options instead.
  • Use multiple apps. Take advantage of temporary offers by rotating between two or three legit apps.

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Watch out for games that are more like gambling

Search the most popular game apps that pay real money and you’ll find that many of them seem a lot more like gambling than gaming. These games often require you to pay to play, and some feature the types of activities you’d find in a Vegas casino — slots, blackjack and the like.

Be very wary of any game that requires you to fork out cash to play. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement and spend more than you want to, and some games can be highly addictive. Instead, look for free games that don’t require any investment from you.

Frequently asked questions

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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Leanne Escobal as part of our fact-checking process.
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Tim Falk is a freelance writer for Finder. Over the course of his 20-year writing career, he has reported on a wide range of personal finance topics. Whether you're investing in stocks and ETFs, comparing savings accounts or choosing a credit card, Tim wants to make it easier for you to understand. When he’s not staring at his computer, you can usually find him exploring the great outdoors. See full bio

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Rebecca Low is a writer for Finder. She has contributed to a range of digital publications, including Wise, income.ca and Indeed, writing on topics like personal finance, career development, and travel. See full bio

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