How to Make Money Playing Xbox One Games

Xbox is a video gaming brand owned by Microsoft, best known for Xbox consoles and the Xbox Live Store. While no one can doubt that gaming on Xbox is fun, it’s much less known that you can make money by playing video games on the platform.

There are several ways to make money playing video games on Xbox. You don’t have to pursue a career as a professional gamer, streamer, or online coach, but having big aspirations will help with smaller cash prizes as well.

Introduction to Earning Money by Playing Xbox One Games

Making money playing video games is a dream for many gamers. It’s increasingly nearing a reality thanks to esports, streaming, social media, and various rewards offered by games and platforms. 

Still, the chances of actually making a living are slim, but if gaming is your main hobby, it’s wise to take some steps to monetize it. All ways to make money playing video games will require you to develop some skills.

It may not necessarily be the skills to play video games themselves. For example, it might be presentation or writing skills useful for game reviews. You’ll still need to play the games to profit, but the skill you monetize isn’t the playing itself in this case.

That’s the basic idea of how you should think about making money from video games to transform them into a source of income. Then, you should think about what games are worth playing with monetization in mind.

What Are the Best Games to Play to Earn Money?

The games you should look into vary on how you want to earn money playing video games. Video game streamers, for example, can make almost any game profitable if they have a charming personality. Looking into the most popular games for streaming on Xbox will give you some ideas.

• Fortnite
• Valorant
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Minecraft

If you are willing to become a professional and earn money from playing video game tournaments on Xbox, certain titles stand out. Some are first-person shooters, and others involve more strategy or are based on sports. Often, the same games that are popular competitively are great for earning money as a coach.

• Rocket League
• Valorant
• Overwatch 2
• Street Fighter

If streaming or competitive play isn’t your thing, you can still earn rewards while playing Xbox games. Some offer in-game currency or rewards that you can use to make in-app purchases.

• Sea of Thieves
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Gears 5 
• Minecraft 

With some games, you can exchange the in-game currency for prizes. There’s also an option to sell your account or trade with other players in real life to earn money. Be sure to follow the terms and conditions set in the game before doing it, though.

• Destiny 2
• Roblox
• The Elder Scrolls Online
• Final Fantasy XI Online

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Earn Money by Playing Xbox One Games

The answer to how to make money playing Xbox games can be provided in three ways. Some strategies are best for those just starting. Others are good for intermediate players. The most difficult ones are for those pursuing a professional video game-centered career.

All the methods will require you to have an Xbox console and play video games. The difficult part is finding time to develop relevant skills for monetization.

Beginner-Friendly

Streaming

You can make money by live-streaming your games and receiving subscriptions or donations from viewers. If you are popular enough, you can also earn from affiliate deals. It’s a great side hustle for beginners since your revenue relies more on the entertainment value of your streams than your play.

Setting up your streaming is the first thing you’ll need to do. While YouTube is also popular for PC game streams, Twitch is usually recommended for Xbox and most other platforms. Many tips on how to make money streaming apply here – choosing a profitable video game niche and having a consistent streaming schedule is crucial.

Your success depends on how many viewers you can attract. Twitch streamers can earn between $3-$5 per 1,000 views from ads alone. There’s also income from subscriptions and donations that can skyrocket your earnings even with a small audience. It’s worth putting in some effort as some have even become millionaires live streaming video games.

Gaming content

While live video game footage can be profitable, many gamers are more successful with other gaming content. Players are constantly looking for tutorials, articles, game reviews, and other content related to games. Creating a YouTube channel or a blog is an easy way for a beginner gamer to monetize his hobby.

You will need some writing or video editing skills to make entertaining content, but a blog or a YouTube channel can make money without fancy videos. If your video game tips or reviews are valuable, you can gain enough views for monetization. Even moderately popular gaming YouTubers can earn a few hundred per month from their hobby.

If you have some coding skills, a good video game-related business idea is to create mods and skins for well-known games. Some gamers are willing to spend or donate hefty sums for skins of games they love.

Intermediate

Game testing

Game developers test their games for bugs, compatibility issues, and many other critical aspects. Xbox consoles are not an exception. You can find job postings on platforms like ZipRecruiter, Upwork, Fiverr, and other platforms.

These jobs pay quite well, as most video game testers earn well over $20,000 per year. To become a professional, you’ll need coding or QA testing experience to qualify. Also, keep in mind that it’s not just playing games that you’ll be paid for but for professional testing.

Luckily, this option is viable for intermediate gamers as well. Many game studios are looking for more simple beta testing, and there’s also the Xbox Insider program to get you started.

Freelance video game coach

If you are knowledgeable about the games you play and can put a competitive twist on teaching them to others, video game coaching is a great option for you. Plenty of titles on Xbox are competitive, so players strive to get better than their friends and are willing to pay money for coaches.

Social media channels or freelancing platforms are the way to find clients for such a side hustle. Fiverr, for example, already has coaches offering their services and charging from $10 to hundreds per hour. You will need to find a fitting niche to make yourself competitive, but many coaches start as intermediate players themselves.

Advanced

Esports tournaments

Video game tournaments are both the easiest and most difficult way to earn money while playing Xbox games. There are numerous contests offering prizes ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars in prizes. The problem is that winning them will take a lot of skill, dedication, and even luck.

Amateur championships often don’t have cash prizes at all but offer in-game bonuses or other incentives for top competitors. If you are good enough, you can get noticed in such tournaments and be accepted to e-sports teams. This evolves into a full-time job for a few lucky gamers who can call themselves professionals.

A professional gamer can earn thousands of dollars per month just for being on a team. Winning a tournament can earn them thousands of dollars. Some professional esports athletes famously became millionaires after long careers of winning profitable matches.

Selling in-game items or services

Once you are extremely good at some video game, its in-game economy will also be at your fingertips. A good way to make money from Xbox games is to leverage your knowledge and skills to gain valuable items and trade them for real money.

It can be in-game currency, help with certain actions, or, in some cases, the whole account. Post on social media sites or online auction sites like PlayerAuctions and eBay to find customers. Some games, such as Rainbow Six: Siege, have marketplaces of their own where players can trade skins and other items.

It must be noted that selling your account or in-game items for money might be against the rules of the game. Many games, especially massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), forbid such practice. Be sure to double-check the rules before starting such a side hustle, as it might lead to account bans and other restrictions.

Xbox Rewards Program

The Xbox Rewards Program can’t help you earn money, but it can give Microsoft Rewards points. Each time you buy games (or add-ons), movies, and TV shows from their store, you earn points. There are also Xbox Game Pass quests that give points for playing games in the Xbox Game Pass library.

Points can be earned via simple actions, such as finishing to set up your account, but a better way is to complete daily, weekly, and monthly quests. More complicated quests include playing specific games and earning achievements on them.

One thousand points are roughly equivalent to $1, so you’ll need quite a lot of quests to reap a substantial reward. It still might be worth it since Microsoft Rewards points can be exchanged for gift cards from Xbox and partners, Xbox games, movies, and many other rewards.

Conclusion

So here’s how to make money playing Xbox games. You’ll have to stay resilient to transform them into a viable income stream. Making a video game hobby into something profitable is difficult. Starting with mobile games on apps like pawns.app might give you a great head start for earning money with games.

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