Games Where You Can Make Real Money On Steam

Most people are looking for ways to make money online. It's not always easy, but with the right strategy, you can crack the online market.

What better way to make income online than by doing what you love? If you're into video games, then Steam is your go-to for that extra cash.

With Steam, you enjoy the thrill of the game while still making some cash. Even better, if you're a software geek, you can create a game and sell it on Steam.

If the above description fits you or you want to make some extra cash, you're in the right place.

Here, we will show you the best way to make money on Steam and how to get started.

What is Steam?

Steam is the biggest online platform for distributing video games. The platform was created by Valve, which wanted to have players play not only video games but also experience other services.

You can find about 18 percent of online video games on Steam, which has over 150 million users.

However, its launch wasn't off to a smooth start as Steam had hoped. Although they launched in 2003, the company officially started seamless operations in 2005.

The late start was after it experienced a higher than expected number of users during the release of its game Half-Life 2. The increased numbers were overwhelming.

So bad was the situation that many users couldn't log in. The bad experience cost the company most of its users, and they had to work from the ground up to get gaming firms on board by 2007.

a. How Does Steam Work

Once you download Steam, it allows you to buy games from the Steam Store. The platform boasts of over 30,000 games from different companies.

After you have bought and installed the games, you're now ready to play. Steam also has a community page where you can ask questions and learn from other players.

If you're wondering about the best way to make money on Steam, the platform also has a marketplace.

What you sell on the market place can be the items you earn while playing, such as cards or cosmetic crates. The cards are valuable because you need a complete set, but you can only obtain half while playing. How do you get the rest? By buying from another player.

Due to this need for cards, there is now a market, where players can buy and sell.

b. Can You Make Money On Steam?

Yes, there's a way to make money with Steam such as selling valuable gaming items.

However, you must remember that you can't withdraw the money you make on Steam. You must keep in mind that your earnings from any sales go into your Steam wallet. You don't get real cash.

Despite this, you can still use your Steam cash to buy yourself items like games. Using the Steam cash means you don't have to get money from your pocket.

But, there are ways to make actual cash, for instance by making your own video games and selling them.

How to Make Money On the Steam Market

1. Make Use of Steam Market

Is there a way to earn money on the Steam market? There are a couple of avenues to make money with Steam. One of them is to sell items on the Steam market.

If you're wondering how you'll get the items, the answer is simple. You can earn cards and other items by doing what you love: Playing a game.

Besides, you can collect the items some games drop. Some of these items could prove valuable enough to sell.

Here are some of the items you can sell on Steam to earn an extra buck.

Making money with steam trading cards

Every time you play a game, you receive trading cards. As you play, be on the lookout for a card in the first 15 minutes. Two hours later, Steam will award you a second trading card.

Why is this crucial while trying to make money with Steam? Collecting these trading cards can prove worthwhile when it's time to sell them.

Apart from that, you stand a weekly chance of getting a Booster Pack, which contains three cards.

This pack is worth 30 cents should you decide to sell it. However, if you want to increase your chances of making more money, you can open the pack and see if there's a foiled card. A foiled card is worth more.

How to Buy and Sell Steam Trading Cards in The Marketplace

Buy Low and Sell High

We all know the best way to make a profit is to buy items at a low price and sell trading cards for a higher rate. This rule comes in handy when trading in the Steam market.

Different cards have different values. For instance, you can buy a card for less than a dollar and sell it at $1.50. Also, a foiled card can earn you a few dollars.

Make sure you understand what's on-demand before venturing into trading. Look at what is popular, what most players like, and of course, leverage on the shortages. Should there be a shortage in supply of a card, for instance, that's your cue to start selling.

Consider The Transaction Fee

Like a good business person, do your calculations before setting the selling price. You might run into losses by failing to consider fees that you need to pay for your sales. In the Steam market, the sale of cards attracts a 15 percent fee, so keep this in mind.

Determine Valuable Items

Not everything you own is valuable to players. Therefore, you must be smart if you want to make money on Steam.

The key to this kind of trade is coming up with a strategy. Which markets you should operate in, and the type of cards to sell may mean the difference between you making money on Steam market or not.

How do you tell if a card is valuable? The newer the game, the more valuable the card. Also, if you can't find these cards in drops, then they're likely to be in demand.

Consider Opportunity Costs

Holding on to trade cards for a long time might work against you. Therefore, consider the time you need to wait before selling the cards.

For newly-launched games, it might be wise to sell the cards right after you buy them. Doing so can help you avoid unforeseen costs.

Organize Your Files

The best way to make money on Steam is to get organized. An organized person is more likely to run an efficient business than one who isn't.

One way to get everything in order is to automate your system. The beauty of automation is that you can quickly tell what you bought, what is up for sale, and which cards have sold.

In addition, making money on the Steam market requires you to be a good planner. By learning which games can give you a particular card, you're more likely to succeed.

What's more, looking at your past orders can help you predict how many orders you're likely to have in the future.

You want to learn how to get organized and productive? Check these out

7 Tips to Help You Regain Your Motivation and Get Things Done.

Sell Cosmetic Crates

Wondering how to make Steam money through crates? As a player, you have the advantage of acquiring some items which you can keep and later sell.

You can buy things such as cosmetic crates either using cash or in-game currency.

Best Games to Make Money On Steam

While there are many games on Steam, most people settle for Playerunknown's Battlegrounds or PUBG and Counterstrike.

PUBG

How do you get the crates? Simply by playing the game and earning battle points when you win. A total of 700 battle points can get you one cosmetic crate.

Once you've bought the crates, store them and wait for the right moment to resell. The prices are refreshed every Monday.

Reselling can make you a profit of up to $20 per crate.

Counterstrike

Another popular game for crates is Counter-Strike: Global Offense. How this works is by just playing a game, which can drop two crates every week.

However, please don't get too excited with the regular crates as they only sell for a few cents. The real deal is in a new crate, which can be worth a couple of dollars.

Should you want to target big money, you can try operations, which are specialized games. Conducting many operations puts you at a better advantage of getting the week's reward.

The beauty of this option is that you can get a bonus of up to $100.

Sell Summer Getaway Cards

Game players see this type of card as more expensive. You can only purchase it during the Summer sale as this is the only time it's on offer.

Once you get your hands on these cards, you can store them and sell them later, just like for other items.

How can you get Summer Getaway Cards? You can win some cards whenever you use $10 during a Steam sale. Another way is to craft a badge, which means you destroy nine cards.

Suppose you can't do these two, then vote in the Community Choice deal. You get a card after voting three times. To continue getting the Summer cards, vote another three times, and so on.

Look Out for Item Drops in Your Favorite Games

Not only is it possible to earn trading cards, but some games also drop valuable items.

If you want to stay ahead of the pack, the Steam market is an excellent place to determine which games can drop such items.

For instance, when playing a game such as Golf With Your Friends, you can be lucky enough to get an item worth as high as $8.

2. Distribute Original Games On Steam Direct

Making money on Steam can be engaging, especially if you're gifted in development. If you're wondering how to get cash with Steam and withdraw it, this might be one of the ways.

If you're a developer or just love the thrill of creating games, then this could be an excellent option to consider.

How do you go about it? Create a video game.

Once you do this, you must pay an admission fee of $100 to start selling it. Steam takes this money because it has provided you with a platform that is rich with gamers and companies.

If your game is good enough to sell and is getting positive reviews, you can make real cash on Steam Direct.

Currently, the company has stringent rules on the kind of games you can sell on its platform. You don't get admitted just because you have a video game to market. The company has to vet your game thoroughly before approval.

Therefore, only submit a game you're sure will be fun and popular. Although Steam Direct makes you work harder for the cash, you stand to make more profits.

If you want to outshine your competition, you can incorporate some Steam characteristics into your new game. As you already know, Steam trading cards are popular. Therefore, you can add trade cards to your game to make it worth the players' time.

How do you find out if your game is being received well by the market? First, you can check the players' reviews. The more positive reviews your game has, the greater the likelihood your game is a hit.

You can go a step further and interact with the community to hear their views on your game and provide information where necessary to gamers.

How Much Can I Make On Steam Direct?

The amount of money you make is entirely up to you. Remember, the more video games you sell, the more you earn. The company deducts a 30 percent commission from your sales.

But, there is one catch to making money on Steam Direct, you must earn at least $1000 to be paid. The good news is, remember the $100 you spend for admission? You get it back once you hit the $1000 mark.

How to Increase Your Sales On Steam Direct

Once you sell your first game successfully, the sale will inspire you to learn how to earn steam money.

The only trick here is to create more games. On top of that, your games must be every player's dream if you want to rake in more cash.

To make your game more visible on Steam, create a trailer and screenshots to help players get a feel of it before they buy.

3. Don't Buy and Open Crates

It's tempting but don't do it. One way to lose your money is by buying crates to open them in search of a rare item to sell in the marketplace.

Opening crates is a bad idea as there's no telling if it has a rare item in it. You might end up spending so much money buying crates and get nothing in return.

There's a less than 1 percent chance of finding a rare item inside a crate. So, why gamble with that while you can save up money to buy things by selling your crates?

4. How to Earn Money On Steam for Free

Apps That Give Free Steam Codes

Some good news. You can earn free Steam codes outside of the platform in various ways. This is one of the ways to earn money on Steam for free.

A couple of apps and websites such as Amazon allow you to get points, which you can retrieve as Steam codes. Here are the apps:

a. InboxDollars

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Earn up to $5 per survey completed, plus an additional $1-$3 just for signing up! Get rewarded with points that you can redeem on Steam games, Amazon gift cards, PayPal cash, or Visa gift cards. The more surveys you complete, the more rewards you'll receive. Plus, if you refer friends who sign up through your link, they'll also get a free $5 bonus!

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b. PrizeRebel

PrizeRebel is a leading global market research company that pays people for their opinions. They have over 8 million members and have paid out $17 million in rewards.

You can redeem your points for various prizes, including Steam wallet codes, Amazon gift cards, and Walmart gift cards. The Steam wallet codes can be used to purchase items and games on the Steam Market. Join today!

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c. Rakuten Rewards

Do you love shopping online?

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, and so many more. 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 simply by signing up. You can then use that gift card to buy a Steam card via Walmart.com!

Get your favorite games for less with Rakuten Rewards! Earn rewards on everything from groceries to clothes and electronics – plus get rewarded with free Steam cards just for doing what we do best – shopping online!

It doesn't matter if it's your first purchase of the day or the last one of the week; as long as it's through our partner sites, we'll reward your loyalty with points towards awesome prizes like PayPal Cash Cards and even FREE STEAM CARDS!!

Sign up today to start earning rewards on everything from groceries to clothes and electronics – plus get rewarded with free Steam cards just for doing what we do best – shopping online!

d. GrabPoints

Earn Steam codes by completing tasks on your phone.

GrabPoints is a free app that pays you to do simple tasks like downloading apps, watching TV, and taking surveys. You can earn points for every task you complete and then redeem them for Steam wallet cards or withdraw as cash through PayPal. It's the easiest way to get your hands on some new games without spending any money!

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5. Hold onto Pre-Release Items

Another way to get money with Steam is through the sale of pre-release items.

When a developer is about to launch a new game, they will likely allow you early access to some items. The smart thing to do once you get your hands on such items is to hold on to them until the launch.

Don't be surprised when you earn some good money by selling the items once the developers release the game. If the game ends up being popular, you can make even more money on the Steam market. For instance, those who pre-ordered PUBG got a free cosmetic set that is now worth more than $200.

6. Other Ways to Make Money on Steam

If you're a freelancer, then you can make some extra cash on Steam indirectly. How? Keep your ear open for opportunities. One way to learn of such opportunities is to be active in Steam forums.

Designing and Coding Games

Developers are always looking for savvy people to help them with the games they're creating. Whether you're good at coding or designing, there might be opportunities for you.

Graphic Artist or Designer

A good design can make money on Steam by creating artwork for gamers. Devoted gamers are happy spending good money on impressive artwork, which they can display on their profiles.

Sell steam items for money

If you're tired of waiting too long to sell your steam items for cash in the steam market, we've got you covered.

Steam has provided you with a selling graph for each item. It shows you the graph of date, price, and quantity. Most users don't look at the graph and quickly put on their prices and they wait endlessly to sell their steam items for real money, but they dont.

7 . Livestream On Twitch and YouTube

Although they're popular, you don't necessarily have to use YouTube or Twitch to live stream your content.

With Steam Client, you can broadcast online games. Once you can live stream to your friends, you can choose to make money from this idea.

8. Join an Esports Team

Being part of an eSports team is a fun and engaging way to make money with Steam. The good news is that you don't have to be a pro player to join a team.

To get started, find out which games have competitions that you can join. A good example is DOTA 2, which offers prizes to winners of such tournaments.

With great teamwork, you can win some money. Despite having to split it with your team members, it's still an excellent way to earn on Steam.

Therefore, be on the lookout for events and keep up your winning spirit to make money with Steam.

9. Sell Your Accounts

It takes work and dedication to build your empire, and gaming is no different. You can't sell something that is of low value.

Therefore, if you're a staunch gamer, you've probably mastered the art, and you own a desirable account. What does such an account look like? It ranks highly, has an impressive collection of items, and you have been killing it at champions.

Once you build such an account, you can sell it on websites like PlayerAuctions.

Setting Up Your Account

It's easy to set up an account to broadcast the online games by following the prompts on Steam. Under the "Settings" option, find your way to the "Broadcasting" tab. You have a choice to pick a resolution and set your microphone.

Watching Game Broadcasts

Once you have set up, you can inform your friends that they can watch your online games. Do this either through the "Watch Game" or "Community" option. If you're friends with someone, they can search your name in their list of friends to start watching.

However, if they are not on your list of friends, they can select "Broadcasts" through the Steam menu's Community feature.

Setting Up Your Steam Account

It's free to set up a Steam account on steampowered.com. Here are the steps:

Go to "Login"
Join Steam
Key in your email address and confirm
Type in the country of residence
Retype the captcha code
Check the "13 years and above" box after reading the subscriber agreement
Click on "Continue"
Confirm your email
Go to New Steam Account Email Verification
In the email will be a prompt to create your account
Go back to the Steam sign up page, where you'll create an account name and password
You can then set up your profile

How to withdraw money from steam

We have looked at ways to make money on steam. But, can you withdraw money from steam?

Unfortunately, Steam funds are non-transferable. Also, there is no direct way to transfer steam funds to your PayPal Account.

Once you have redeemed your steam wallet code on your account, the wallet funds are then tied to your account.

You can only use your steam funds to buy products within the store then sell them out for real cash.

How does steam make money?

Steam uses the tiered system to determine how much revenue they can take from publishers and developers. Valve takes 30% of revenue when a game launches, but currently, developers keep an additional 5% of revenue if their games bring in over $10M in same through Steam.

Be Patient

This guideline is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Making money on Steam market takes time, and you have to make patience your best friend. You're doing what you love anyway, so why do it in a hurry?

If you can take your time, you'll collect enough cash to buy a video game. These strategies have been tried and tested by different gamers, and they work.

Conclusion

The best way to make money on Steam is by routinely doing what you love. Although you mostly don't make real cash that you can withdraw, you end up saving.

You can use the money you get in your Steam wallet to buy games or software, which could have forced you to pay out of pocket. The key is to sell the valuable items you collect as you play strategically.

Still, you have the option of raking in cash you can withdraw. If you can create your own game, you can earn some money. Also, if you have skills like coding or designing to offer, you can make good money from developers and gamers.

You can't lose if you play and earn.

Hi, I'm Andia.

An expert personal finance & investment writer and blogger. I help people like you turn your spare time into $1000 per month or more outside of your day job.

I'll help you identify proven side hustle ideas you can take action right away and make six figures working from home or whenever your schedule allows.