Are you a game player, a developer, a coder, or a designer, wondering how you can make money online? Here is a list just for you on how to make money on Steam.
Making some extra money from doing nothing? I don't think there is anyone who wouldn't want to make some extra cash.
The internet has become a great platform source that allows users to make money without doing much.
In this comprehensive guide, I will show you just how to make money on Steam.
If you are a video game developer or player, Steam offers you opportunities to make money for doing what you still would have done. Therefore, if you were wondering how to make some extra cash, Steam is an awesome platform.
Steam Trading Cards might be just that magic ticket you never knew could put some extra dollars in your wallet.
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However, before we can learn how to make money on the Steam marketplace, let's look at what it entails.
Table of Contents
What is Steam?
Steam is one of the largest video game digital distribution software that Valve Corporation created. The platform was launched in 2003 to enable Valve to offer updates for their games automatically.
However, over the years, Steam has expanded to contain third-party games.
Therefore, the platform not only offers an opportunity to make money for game players, but even game designers, developers, and coders can also earn from Steam.
Currently, more than 18% of all PC game purchases are made through Steam, and it has sold more than $4.3 billion in games.
Therefore, if you wish to earn something extra when playing games or developing them, Steam is the place.
But How Does Steam Work?
As you spend some time playing certain games, Steam, on the other hand, drops trading cards into your inventory. These cards are basically some digital pictures that independently serve no purpose.
However, a complete set of these cards can be made into a badge.
Since playing the games can only help you obtain half of the cards required to make a set, purchasing the missing ones from someone else is necessary.
This requirement has brought about a market through which digital cards with no monetary value are sold or bought for real money.
How to Make Money on Steam
Making money on Steam is easy if you love online games. And there are two major avenues you can follow to make money through Steam.
One is trading items like games on the Steam Market and trying to sell them through Steam Direct, and the second is playing a game.
1. Apps that Give Free Steam Codes
Numerous apps and websites will let you earn points when you perform certain activities.
When you gather enough of these points, you can redeem them as free Steam Codes if you don't want to withdraw them as cash.
You can earn Steam points from different apps to buy games. The following are apps that you can join to earn free Steam points and cash to buy games on Steam:
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Get Free Amazon Gift Cards
Good news! There are plenty of ways to get Steam cards. You just need to get Amazon gift cards.
My top pick to start is InboxDollars, as you'll get a free $5 bonus and several ways to make extra money to use for Steam.
Free $5 Bonus
InboxDollars is one of the most popular ways to make and save money online. You can earn money by shopping, searching the web, watching videos and even playing games. You can cash out your earnings directly with cash or Visa gift card. You'll get a $5 bonus to join. CLAIM BONUSWant more good news? It's pretty easy to get free Amazon gift cards these days. Some of my favorite apps will give you a combined $35 in free Amazon gift cards.
Then, you take the free Amazon gift cards and buy a Steam card through Amazon.
- Swagbucks: Get $5 free signing up and continually earn credits by taking surveys
- Survey Junkie: You can earn points by taking surveys and then redeem your points for cash
- InboxDollars: Get $5 free when you sign up
- Drop: Get $5 free simply by signing up
- Opinion Outpost: Get $10 free when you sign up
- Ibotta: Ibotta is a cashback app that will give you Amazon gift cards as credit. You simply need to scan receipts after making a purchase.
Here is a summary of all your options for Amazon gift cards with signup bonuses. You earn all the money upfront, so you are good to go from there.
COMPANY | PROMO | |
$5 Free | ||
$10 Free | ||
$10 Free | ||
$5 Free | ||
$5 Free |
You can then use these apps to earn more Amazon credits continually.
Now, go out and buy your Steam card.
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PrizeRebel
With PrizeRebel online surveys site, you are required to complete their free surveys and get paid. The site has a large pool of over 8 million people and has paid over $17 million to its users.
After you complete the surveys, you will earn points that you can redeem later after you reach a certain threshold.
The points you earn on the PrizeRebel website can be redeemed in various ways, including Steam wallet codes, Amazon gift cards, and Walmart gift cards.
The Steam wallet codes can be used to purchase items and games in the Steam Market.
Read more about the site in this full PrizeRebel review.
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Rakuten Rewards
Rakuten is one of the best ways to get free Steam cards. Rakuten is a cashback app that gives you cashback every time you shop online. You can earn either cash or gift cards for making routine purchases at places like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc.
So every time you buy a new game, you'll earn money.
That's not all. Rakuten will give you a free $10 Walmart gift card by signing up.
You can then use that gift card to buy a Steam card via Walmart.com.
| Cashback | Payment Method | Min To Cash Out |
Next Steps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 40% | PayPal or Gift Cards | $5 | CLAIM BONUS | Read Full Review |
Boom! Now you have free Steam codes.
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GrabPoints
Another great application that you can use to earn Steam codes is GrabPoints. The app works almost the same way as PrizeRebel, although it contains some extra features. Here, you are paid to take surveys, watch TV, download apps, and test them, among other activities.
Every activity you undertake will earn you points you can later redeem after hitting a set threshold. You can convert the points into Steam wallet cards or withdraw them as cash through PayPal.
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eBonus.gg
eBonus.gg pays you to complete easy online tasks on your laptop or smartphone. The platform may require you to watch videos or their live stream and give your opinion, among other activities.
When you complete these activities, they pay you in the form of coins that are redeemable in cash or gift cards. After accumulating coins to the set threshold, you can convert them to buy games, codes, or skins.
Steam codes are one option you can use to receive your payment.
See Related: How to Sell Gift Cards for Profit
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GiftHulk
GiftHulk is another awesome online application that allows you to make quick money. The activities that will earn money include playing games, watching videos, and doing other simple tasks.
When you are through these tasks, you will receive payment in the form of points, which they refer to as Hulk Coins.
These coins are redeemable for gift cards or cash. Among the gift card options you can use to redeem your points include Steam wallet card, Amazon, and Walmart cards.
Also, you have the option to withdraw them as cash via PayPal.
Therefore, if you want to learn how to make money on Steam, I believe you now know. All these methods will help you earn something from this vast marketplace.
See Related: 8+ Epic Ways to Get Pay-to-Play Games
2. Make Use of the Steam Market
For the game players, this is how you can make money through Steam. The steam Market offers a platform to trade items you earn when playing games.
These items may include trading cards as well as in-game items.
The major shortfall with this method is that you don't receive the cash you can withdraw from your account.
The money you earn when selling your items goes directly to your Steam Wallet.
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How to Trade and Sell Items on Steam Market
The easiest and most effective way to understand how to make money through Steam is to use the Steam Market. Playing games on Steam allows you to earn trading cards and items, which you can save and sell later on the Steam Market.
The proceeds from selling items and trading cards are then credited to your Steam Wallet.
Although the money you make from these sales cannot be withdrawn from the Steam Wallet, it can be used to buy games or other items from the Steam Market.
The process of making money here involves first saving the cards you earn and selling them later.
In every game you play, you typically receive three cards. The cards vary in value. Some are valued at only a few cents, while others are worth more than a few dollars.
Earning these cards is automatic, depending on your time playing the game. The first card comes after only 15 minutes of gameplay, while the second comes after you've played for two hours.
Also, some games will drop some in-game items which are tradable in the Steam Market. Popular games will offer more valuable items than the less popular ones.
Once you accumulate enough items, you can list them in the Steam Market for sale. The sales are automatic when a user opts to purchase your items.
See Related: 32 Epic Passive Income Ideas
3. Distribution of Original Games on Steam Direct
The only way to make money on Steam is to distribute original games on Steam Direct. Through this method, you will get paid depending on the revenue from your game sales. This will include even the in-game purchases.
However, unlike selling items in the Steam Market, distribution of games on Steam Direct may require a bit of investment.
- First, you will have to invest your time and energy to develop the game before you can earn.
- Secondly, you will have t invest some $100 to get your game added to Steam.
This, therefore, means that it will require more input to earn through Steam Direct than in Steam Market.
However, Steam Direct has the advantage of getting you more money and money that you can withdraw into your account, unlike Steam Market. Steam Direct, therefore, offers more potential for higher profits.
Apart from adding more effort and investment, Steam Direct has also changed the rules and guidelines governing the distribution of games.
They currently offer stricter rules for acceptable content. This, however, should not limit you from earning with them.
If you make great and acceptable games that people will love, there is immense potential for you to make money online with Steam.
See Related: Get Paid to Selfie? Make Money Selling Photos of Yourself
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How Much Can I Make on Steam Direct?
There is no definite answer to that question here, as your revenue will depend on the number of game copies you sell. For example, if you sell 1,000 copies for $1, it means you have $1,000. The higher the number of game copies you sell, the better for you.
However, you should also note that you will not receive the whole amount from your sales. Steam usually takes 30% of your total sales as their commission.
Therefore, if you have sold $1,000, you will receive 30% less from this amount which will be $700.
You should also note that the initial $100 deposit is non-refundable until you surpass a payout limit of $1,000 by Steam.
See Related: Get Paid to Search the Internet
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How to Increase Your Sales on Steam Direct?
The only way to increase your revenue in Stream Direct is if you sell more games. Therefore, you should find ways of increasing the number of copies you sell.
The first thing that can help you sell more is to ensure that you release a fun game. If players love the game, you can be sure to have more sales. Also, you should ensure that you attract positive reviews since it will increase the chances of your game being successful.
If you have negative reviews, most people won't be willing to purchase your game, which will translate to less money. Positive reviews make people who have not tried the game want to try it.
Another thing is to ensure that you include a game trailer and quality screenshots. Most people want to have a glimpse of what the game is like before they can play or purchase it.
Therefore, it's wise to have quality features that attract game players.
See Related: How Much Do Twitch Streamers Make?
4. Game Designing And Coding
Independent game developers, in most cases, are looking for designers and coders with skills to help them develop the games they sell in Steam Direct. Therefore, if you are a freelancer developer or coder, you can make money indirectly through Steam Direct.
You will mostly get these opportunities by participating in discussions or browsing Steam forums.
Also, you may find staunch gamers ready to pay you good money to create original artwork for them. They use this artwork for their profiles on Steam, as well as in-game content.
This is a great way of earning Steam money indirectly.
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Can You Buy Games with Steam Points
How to Buy Games with Steam Points
- First, you can get Steam points after purchasing items on Steam. Every dollar you spend on Steam offers you 100 Steam points.
- Secondly, you can also buy games for others to get Steam points credited to your account.
- Thirdly, you can also be gifted Steam points by another user when you engage with the Steam community and leave reviews. And this is one way to get free Steam points.
Once you find the game you want to buy, click on it to display a preview of how unlocking it will impact your profile. Then if you have sufficient Steam points to purchase the game, click the cost in the panes' lower right corner and buy it.
Conclusion On How to Make Money On Steam
Although you don't receive hard cash on Steam Market, Steam Direct can help you make substantial money. I hope this guide on ways to make money on Steam gives you in-depth information on this great method to make money online.
Do you think Steam wallet is a great side hustle to earn extra cash? Drop your thoughts in the below comments section.