Is Skillz Legit? – Can You Make Real Money With Mobile Gaming?

Making money playing video games sounds like a dream. After all, who wouldn't want to earn extra cash and free gift cards for playing games in their spare time?

But, the reality is that gaming apps that pay aren't usually an incredibly lucrative side hustle idea. In fact, many apps barely pay anything at all, so unless you love mobile games, they aren't worth your time.

So today, I'm taking a look at a company taking the mobile gaming world by storm: Skillz.

But is Skillz legit? And can you actually make money by playing Skillz games? I tested out Skillz to find out. And my Skillz review is covering how this gaming ecosystem works, its pros and cons, and how to decide if it's right for you.

Looking for other ways to make money playing games? Checkout:

• Cash Giraffe – Earn free gift cards by playing new Android games!
• Branded Surveys – Share your opinion to get free PayPal cash and gift cards!

What Is Skillz?

Skillz is a multiplayer gaming platform that lets players from around the world compete in head-to-head matches to win real cash or Skillz's virtual currency. In other words, Skillz lets you compete with other mobile gamers around the world to win cash and other prizes.

All of the games on Skillz are skill-based games, so you don't rely on luck to win money. According to Skillz, this lets the best players make quick cash and leads to a competitive, fair experience for its games.

According to Skillz's website, the platform has:

• 30+ million monthly players
• 3.5 million daily tournaments
• 20,000 game developers who consistently publish new Skillz games
• $60 million in monthly prizes

The app also has a 4.1 out of 5 star rating on the iOS app store, and ultimately, Skillz is a fast-growing gaming app in the space with several hundred apps that pay you to play games under its banner.

Games on Skillz generally involve putting your own money on the line, but you can also play free tournaments if you don't want to spend money.

Is Skillz Legit?

Yes, Skillz is legit, and it's one of the most popular mobile gaming platforms with millions of players around the world. In fact, apps on the Skillz platform have paid out millions of dollars to players, and new games get added to the platform all the time.

However, in my experience, Skillz games aren't a very good online side hustle idea if you don't enjoy competitive gaming. This is because you generally have to deposit money into apps to compete, so it's not for everyone. In contrast, the games are more enjoyable if you like real money games.

A lot of other paid gaming apps like Bubble Cash and Bingo Tour have the same premise. They seem like excellent ways to make a lot of money, but in reality, you probably won't earn much with them unless you're skilled at the games.

How Does Skillz Work?

I've tested out plenty of Skillz games over the last year or two. Overall, it can be a bit confusing at first since most gaming reward apps like App Flame and Mistplay work by having you download a central app and then playing new games from there.

In contrast Skillz just uses its website and iOS app to connect you to games that partner with Skillz.

So, to try and make money with Skillz, you:

1. Download a game from games.Skillz.com that you want to play
2. Create a Skillz account when you open the game app for the first time with a username, email, and password
3. Make a deposit of real cash into the game you want to compete in
4. Play and try to win money

Your cash balance is shared across games in the Skillz ecosystem, as well as your profile and login information.

In terms of making a deposit, Skillz games have a store button where you can enter your credit card or PayPal information to make a deposit.

Skillz states: “Once you make a deposit, you can use that money to enter cash tournaments and win real cash prizes. You can then withdraw your winnings any time.”

How Much Does Skillz Cost?

Skillz is 100% free, and every single game on the platform has free-to-play tournaments so you can test what the games are like.

There are also paid tournaments that let you win cash prizes. Buy-ins for these tournaments start as low as $0.50 but can reach a few dollars for more lucrative tournaments. Skillz also takes a small variable fee from tournaments and withdrawals to generate revenue.

What Are The Best Skillz Games That Pay Real Money? 

Skillz has dozens of real cash games on its platform, including some very popular titles like:

• Solitaire Cube (similar to Solitaire Cash, Solitaire King, and Solitaire Clash)
• Blackout Bingo (similar to Battle Bingo and Bingo King)
• Pool Payday
• Cube Cube (this one is similar to Match To Win)
• Dominoes Gold
• Big Cooking
• Bubble Cube 2
• Tetris Clash
• Bubbleshooter Arena
• Big Buck Hunter
• 21 Blitz
• Spades Cash
• Block Blitz

As you can see, there's a pretty diverse list of games. The specific Skillz game categories include genres like board games, cards, sports, puzzle, action games, and word games.

I've spent the most time playing and testing Skillz's Solitaire and Bingo games. But all of the apps basically follow the same competitive premise and let you buy-in to cash tournaments to try and win more money.

Can You Make Money With Skillz Games? – What Real Users Say

I've tested out plenty of Skillz games. And while I think the platform is legitimate, I don't think it's a very good way for beginners to make money online.

But if you're wondering if Skillz is legit or not, one of the best things to do is to read what actual users say about the platform.

As usual, a good place to begin this search is to look on communities like Reddit where people share their beermoney hustles and progress. In this Reddit thread, Redditor u/mitchdwx shares his best earning streak on Bubbleshooter Tournaments, a popular Skillz game:

He states: “I decided to withdraw just my $500 deposit and play with the remaining $180. It’s been almost 3 weeks since I’ve done that, and I’ve turned that $180 into over $4000. $2800+ of withdraws in the image and $1250 still in my Skillz account. I honestly can’t believe it…I don’t even make this much at my full time job.”

This is obviously an incredible amount of money from a gaming app, and if you keep looking around on Reddit, there are other popular Skillz.com reviews.

Of course, you also find negative reviews or other interesting information. For example, what some players might not know is that Skilz games use a matchmaking system to match players against one another.

This means that, as you rank higher on a leader board for a particular game, you end up facing tougher and tougher opponents who are at a similar skill level…this is a common ranking system many competitive games use.

However, I think another Reddit thread is worth reading as well. In this thread, Reddit user u/NotAnOpinion explains that he started encountering players in Skillz games that were beating him in various games with mathematically impossibly high scores.

The bottom line is that I think you can make extra cash by playing games with Skillz, but obviously, you have to put some money into the games to try and win. And games get harder the more you win.

Extra Reading – The Best Android Apps That Pay You Money.

Pros & Cons Of Skillz

Pros:

• Wide variety and genres of games
• Free tournaments are available
• You have the chance to make money playing video games
• New games get added frequently

Cons:

• You can lose money
• Not incredibly lucrative unless you play and put a lot of money in
• Not an enjoyable side hustle unless you like mobile gaming

The Best Skillz Alternatives

If you want to make money playing games but don't like the games on Skillz or want to try other Android and iOS mobile gaming apps that let you make money, some Skillz alternatives you can try include:

• Rewarded Play: A fun way to earn gift cards for playing mobile games.
• Mistplay: The leading gaming rewards app for Android.
• Buff: A fun way to earn passive income while playing your favorite PC games.
• Gamehag: This platform pays you with prizes like free Steam games, gift cards, and merchandise for gaming.
• Swagbucks: A popular paid survey website that also lets you play games to earn money.
• Cash Giraffe: Another app like Mistplay that's for Android gaming.
• JustPlay: A fun way to get free PayPal cash for playing games.

Granted, gaming reward platforms won't make you rich in 99.9% of cases, so keep this in mind. But, if you want to earn some free money or gift cards for your time, these Skillz alternatives are worth trying!

Extra Reading – The 18 Best Reward Apps.

Is Skillz Worth It?

If you like mobile gaming and want to bet on yourself to win against other players, you can try different Skillz games. But, if you want a more reliable, high-paying side hustle, I suggest looking at various gig economy jobs.

Jobs like delivering for DoorDash can pay decent money, and grocery delivery jobs like Instacart pay $15 to $25+ per hour. Plus, you know you're going to make money with these gigs.

There's also apps that pay you to drive, or other food delivery gigs like working for Uber Eats or Grubhub, where you can significantly boost your income.

So, try Skillz games and other gaming reward apps if you enjoy this side hustle genre and already spend a lot of time gaming. But, if you want to increase your income in a meaningful way, I suggest looking elsewhere.

Extra Reading – How To Make $50 A Day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Skillz Pay Real Money?

Yes, Skillz games pay real money if you compete and win paid tournament games. However, you have to pay to enter these tournaments, and if you lose, you lose all of the money you paid to enter. This means many people lose more money than they make with Skillz games.

What Are The Most Popular Skillz Games?

The most popular Skillz games include:

• 21 Blitz
• Solitaire Cube
• Big Buck Hunter
• Solitaire Tour
• Cube Cube
• Bingo Blitz
• Yatzy Cash

Is Skillz A Scam?

No, Skillz isn't a scam, and you can earn real money by playing its games. However, in my experience, Skillz games are much harder than the advertisements make them appear. And it's very easy to lose more money with Skillz games than you earn.

Extra Reading – The Best Games That Pay You Instantly To Cash App.

Final Thoughts

I think Skillz is a legit company where you can make money playing various mobile games. But, I don't think this is necessarily a high-paying side hustle for most players.

And I also really dislike the fact that you can lose more money than you make with this side hustle.

If you find gaming competitions fun, this is a decent platform to try. But, if you're not a fan of mobile games, this obviously isn't for you.

And, to clarify for this Skillz review, I don't hold a position in Skillz at the time of writing this review, nor do I ever intend to.

I cover lots of ways to make money online on WebMonkey, including lots of different mobile gaming reward apps.

I'm personally going to stick to side hustles like making money with a blog and freelance writing, but I hope my Skillz gaming review helps you decide if this is the right platform for you!

If you're looking for other ways to boost your monthly income I suggest checking out:

• The Best Apps Like TaskRabbit To Make Extra Cash.
• The Best GPT Websites & Apps To Make Money.