There’s a lot of money to be made playing video games. With a global market expected to exceed 200 billion dollars in value by 2023, the gaming industry is alive and well. Against a backdrop of global lockdowns, next-gen console releases, and eSports millionaires, video games are experiencing a new golden age.

Go to the Instant Games developer documentation. Follow the steps to create and upload a game to your Facebook app. Submit your app for review. Once your app is approved, you can start monetizing with Audience Network. Jun 23, 2021 Facebook Gaming streamers earn through crowdfunding methods such as donations, subscriptions, or Facebook’s on-platform currency, Facebook Gaming Stars. They can also potentially earn through gaming sponsorships, affiliate marketing, merchandising, and by providing stream-related services to other content creators.

But you don’t have to be the next Markiplier to make bank. There’s a ton of different ways to make money gaming, and we’re going to help you find out how.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to make money playing video games as a:

Think of this as your in-game tutorial. Let’s get started!

1. Live streamer

Source: https://influencermarketinghub.com/black-twitch-streamers/

Streaming gives gamers more control and connection with their fans than most other options. Thanks to Twitch, YouTube, and a handful of other platforms, video games have become more open, democratic, and potentially lucrative than ever, with expert streamers earning upwards of $1.5 million a year.

Of those, superstar streamers like PewDiePie reportedly make $4.5 million a month!

However, if you want to make money as a streamer, it takes a serious amount of time, originality, and persistence. Picking the right platform, getting the right gear, and understanding how to market yourself are all vital.

Let’s take a look at the platforms:

Twitch

With 140 million active monthly users, Twitch is the largest stomping ground for streamers. It’s also where the lion’s share of earnings can be made as a gamer – by a mile. Full-time Twitch streamers can make over $5000 a month (before ad revenue) with the best of them earning potentially much, much more.

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/8-twitch-tips-for-watching-esports

How to make money on Twitch

You’ll need to become a Twitch affiliate to unlock most of the monetization Twitch offers, including money from subscriptions, bits, and ads. To be invited to become an affiliate, you will need the following within the last 30 days:

50 followers
At least 500 minutes streamed, over seven different days
An average of three concurrent viewers or more

Once you’re affiliated, here’s how you’ll actually make money on Twitch:

Subscriptions – $5/subscriber, Twitch takes 50%. So to make $100 a month playing video games on Twitch, you’ll need 40+ subscribers.
Donations – anyone can receive a donation on Twitch. Generally, most viewers donate between $1-10, although it’s not unheard of to receive insane donations on Twitch that will make you cry/laugh/vomit with excitement.
Bits – these are Twitch’s built-in donation system, but people don’t use them as much (since Twitch takes around 30% as a cut.)
Ads – around $250 per 100 subscribers. Twitch will also only pay out ad revenues once they’re over $100 a month.
Sponsorship and endorsements – varies depending on the brand and partnership. Sponsorships can include gear endorsements, or streamers being paid to play specific games. Allegedly, these can reach up to $10,000 per hour for the biggest channels.

Ultimately, Twitch is a great platform if you want to build communities and offer raw, DIY-style content. It’s also got some of the best monetization options available, and relatively broad content guidelines.

YouTube

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/pewdiepie-youtube-livestream-deal-videos/

Next to Twitch, YouTube supports the widest community of video game content creators and offers some of the best monetization options. While it doesn’t pay as much as Twitch in the beginning to middle ground, at the very top end of earnings YouTube is definitely up there.

Here’s how you can make money as a YouTube streamer:

Ads – $5 per 1000 views. As long as your content falls within the remit of YouTubes ever-changing community guidelines, you can potentially make serious money through YouTube ads. There are also a lot of options for the kind, timing, and location of ads you want to include in your videos, to help curate your channel experience better.
Sponsorships and endorsements – popular streamers and podcasters generate thousands of dollars in revenue through paid partnerships. Typically, brands expect you to include a mention of their product and its benefits to your viewers, as well as offering some sort of incentive (like a store discount with a unique code for your channel).
Super Chat and Stickers – similar to Twitch’s ‘bits’ donation system, Super Chat, and Stickers allow viewers to make donations with special pinned comments and emotes. Like Twitch, YouTube takes a 30% cut of the money earned this way
Members – viewers can become paying subscribers to your channel (different to YouTubes basic ‘subscribe’ button on all videos), as long as you have at least 1,000 subscribers and are a member of the YouTube Partner Program. YouTube takes slightly less of a cut than Twitch, at just 30%, but the feature isn’t used nearly as much as it is on Twitch.

2. Professional gamer

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-10/amazon-s-twitch-gets-streaming-star-ninja-back-on-its-service

The next highest-paying bracket as a gamer is to go pro. If you can dominate in one specific game, this might be the path for you. Keep in mind that a ton of esports players often have livestreams too. Factor this in with sponsorship deals, advertising revenue, and merchandise, and it’s easy to see how rising to the top as a gamer can be so lucrative.

How much can you earn as a professional gamer?

The short answer? It depends. Contrary to popular belief, pro gamers don’t make the bulk of their income through winning competitions – although it certainly helps. The top prize pools in esports are regularly in excess of $1 million, with games like Dota 2, Fortnite, and League of Legends leading the pack.

Interestingly, a lot of the most competitive esports games are also some of the most viewed content on Twitch. The takeaway? The most popular games are also the most competitive!

Tip: At the individual level, the world’s highest-paid professional gamers receive revenue from multiple outlets. Some of it comes from competing, but a lot more comes from sponsorships, endorsement, merchandise, streaming, and advertising revenue.

On winnings alone, a handful of players can claim to pull in figures above $5 million for competing. However, there are other famous professional gamers and streamers, like PewDiePie and Markipilier, who make the majority of their income from things like

1. Live streamer

Twitch

How to make money on Twitch

YouTube

Other ways to monetize video games as a streamer

2. Professional gamer

How To Earn Money Facebook Games