Did you know that there are mobile games that pay real Bitcoin for playing? These are legit games that you can download from the iOS App Store or Android Play Store, and as you play the game and watch ads between rounds or levels, you’ll stack up satoshis (aka the smallest denomination of a Bitcoin).
Granted, you’ll need to keep your expectations in check—most of these games pay out something in the ballpark of a few cents worth of Bitcoin per hour of play. Nobody’s going to get rich playing a Bitcoin-infused version of sudoku. But if you’re to play that kind of game anyway, then why not rack up a little bit of BTC along the way?
We’ve been covering loads of these games at Decrypt’s GG, and some are decidedly better than others. With Bitcoin again pushing to new all-time high prices above $75,000, you might be inclined to find a few fun little games to let you earn free BTC. Here are our picks.
Bitcoin Miner
This one’s a no-brainer if you’re knee-deep in the crypto world. Bitcoin Miner is an iOS and Android title from Fumb Games that has you mining fake coins, but you’ll earn real Bitcoin for doing so. Make sense?
We’ve had more fun with Bitcoin Miner than most crypto-infused games, even if the tapping gameplay is rudimentary, in part because it’s such a colorful and goofy tribute to this oft-bizarre industry. And it’s more generous than most of these games too, with plenty of opportunities to earn satoshis along with free sats to claim several times a day. In fact, we’ve put together a guide to help you make the most of your Bitcoin earning.
Sweet Bitcoin
If you enjoy Candy Crush Saga-style matching games, then Sweet Bitcoin might be the best way to pile up some satoshis while playing a casual, mostly unchallenging puzzler.
Bling Financial’s puzzle game on iOS and Android certainly won’t win awards for originality, as it’s a pretty obvious clone of King’s smash hit series, but it nails the basics while paying out a little bit of Bitcoin along the way. Granted, the full-screen video ads can be obnoxious, and the ratio of gameplay to ads might turn some players off. But if you can stand the interruptions, then you can earn some BTC while playing this fun distraction.
Bitcoin Sudoku
Bitcoin Sudoku, also published by Bling, offers a better balance of gameplay and video ads thanks to the slower pace of sudoku. Available on iOS and Android, it’s a solid rendition of the classic number-plotting game that’s easy to play and offers multiple difficulty levels.
And since each level might take you several minutes, it’s a nice respite from the ads that run between levels. Given the longer levels, Bitcoin Sudoku pays out a slightly larger chunk of Bling points (which can convert to satoshis) after each ad. As a result, you don’t feel shortchanged, and the game doesn’t feel as grindy as other BTC-fueled puzzlers.
SpaceY
There’s no “Bitcoin” in this title, but there are indeed Bitcoin rewards in this game. SpaceY (a play on SpaceX) for iOS and Android is a simple asteroid-mining game in which you send your ship across the galaxy to suck up resources from each sector you discover.
In this case, that means tapping buttons to examine and mine the floating asteroids, then earning satoshis for each one you collect. And every so often, free satoshis also float into view that you can tap and claim. It’s not as generous as Fumb’s other game, Bitcoin Miner, but the chill vibe and lack of Bitcoin branding might make it more appealing to some players. And we've put together a guide to help you make the most of your time among the asteroids, too.
Bitcoin Solitaire
There are actually a few different (but mostly similar) mobile solitaire games that pay Bitcoin rewards, but Bling and PlayDay’s Bitcoin Solitaire actually stood out above rival options from THNDR Games and Viker. And yes, we played all of them for hours apiece.
Unlike those other versions, Bitcoin Solitaire for iOS and Android hits a better sweet spot between smooth gameplay and Bitcoin earnings, even if it won’t add much of a bulge to your wallet. There’s not a whole lot more to say here: it’s a solid rendition of touchscreen solitaire, but with between-match video ads that pay you a little Bitcoin along the way.
Word Breeze
Here’s one more relatively chill puzzle game that includes Bitcoin rewards: Word Breeze, also from Bling and PlayDay Studios, is a hybrid crossword and anagram puzzle solver that has you swipe to build a certain number of words from each pool of letters.
Word Breeze is easy to understand and occasionally challenging, and this iOS and Android game is a nice little distraction to fill your spare minutes. Like Sweet Bitcoin, this is a concept we’ve seen done many times over on mobile, but it works well again here—if you can tolerate the video ad interruptions that ultimately pay out points to swap for Bitcoin.
Need more?
While the games listed above are our favorites to date, there are plenty of other games that let you earn Bitcoin. We've been keeping track of our coverage of play-to-earn BTC games here, and while not every game is worth the time or hassle (in our view), they do all pay Bitcoin.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on April 13, 2024. Last updated with new details on November 6.