There are ways to make money on Minecraft, which can be a great side hustle if you have the time. Learn how they work and how to start here.
Are you curious about whether it’s possible to make money on Minecraft? It’s a question many Minecraft players ponder from time to time.
Although it can seem like a complicated task, it’s anything but. Actually, there are several ways to make some extra dollars playing Minecraft, and many of them are easy enough to do.
This article explains whether it’s possible to make money with Minecraft, how to do it, what you’ll need, and more. So keep reading to find out all you need to know.
Yes, you can make money playing Minecraft. Minecraft is one of many ways you can get paid to play games online.
The popular world-builder offers several ways for players to earn income while playing.
You can make money with a Minecraft game server, make money streaming Minecraft gameplay, earn extra money building stuff for other Minecraft fans, and so on.
That said, don’t expect to get rich quickly, if at all. While it’s possible to earn money, in some instances, you’ll need perseverance and a bit of elbow grease to get there.
In addition, you’ll need skills and resources to make this side hustle work.
The amount of money you earn depends on your chosen monetization method. You can turn anywhere between a handful of dollars to thousands (and in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars).
You’ll need the following items if you plan to make money playing Minecraft:
The above items are the bare minimum you’d need to start this side hustle. Depending on your chosen monetization method, you may need other items (e.g., your Minecraft server).
Here are several awesome ways to make money with Minecraft. Let your skills and resources determine the method you choose to pursue.
One of the most lucrative methods of making money playing Minecraft is starting a related YouTube channel.
The YouTube Partner Program lets you earn ad revenue when you reach “1,000 subscribers with 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months or get 1,000 subscribers with 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.” (read more here). It can be a lucrative way to earn passive income, but it’ll take effort and dedication to grow your channel.
If your YouTube videos and live streams take off, you can make hundreds to thousands of dollars every month passively.
This is the best way to make money playing Minecraft. Some content creators on YouTube make money from videos they uploaded years (even decades) ago.
If you don’t want to become a streamer, another way to earn money with Minecraft is through the Minecraft Partner Program. It provides a means to make money playing and offering in-game services.
Some of the ways to earn extra income through the program include offering advice to fellow Minecraft players, selling in-game items that make it easier to play, and creating and selling maps.
You can make a few dollars to thousands of dollars, depending on your project’s scale. As of 2021, Minecraft Partner Program developers have generated over $350,000,000 on the platform collectively.
This option will be excellent for you if you’re a serious Minecraft fan because it lets you earn money while honing your creative skills. There’s also the satisfaction of creating worlds other Minecraft fans will enjoy.
Buff Gaming is another excellent way to make money playing Minecraft. This application lets you earn loyalty rewards passively while playing. You’ll need to download it before launching Minecraft.
When you earn points, you can redeem them for items like gaming hardware, video games, merchandise, and gift cards. It’s an all-around great app to make more money.
Related: is Buff legit?
The value of the items you earn can range between $10 and $60 (depending on what you win).
This option is excellent because it lets you earn while playing Minecraft.
This option is similar to the first method on this list, the difference being you stream Minecraft gameplay on Twitch rather than YouTube.
You can become a Twitch partner and earn revenue from the subscription fees paid by your channel’s followers. Generous subscribers can donate if they find your content entertaining. And you have a chance to attract sponsors.
If you grow a large Twitch following, you can earn hundreds or thousands of dollars. It’s can receive invitations from sponsors who want you to promote their products to your followers.
This monetization method is fantastic because you’re not limited to subscription earnings. You can also earn through donations, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and your merchandise.
If you’re tech-savvy and have some experience hosting Minecraft servers, you can earn money with a laptop and give Minecraft players server access.
Many players double as Minecraft server hosts, making money by providing access to a reliable Minecraft server. You can offer paid memberships or create a shop-like server where other players can buy in-game items.
You can make a couple of dollars from each member recurrently.
Making money from private servers is an excellent way to receive recurrent income as a Minecraft player.
If you’re knowledgeable about Minecraft and you have decent art skills, you can use your skills to make some cash.
Some Minecraft players love the game so much that they’re willing to pay for drawings that feature their characters from the Minecraft world. You can tap into this love by selling drawing commission gigs on Fiverr.
Your customers will want everything, from YouTube banners to desktop wallpapers, meaning you’ll always work on something new.
You can charge between $5 to $100 and beyond, depending on your skills.
This Minecraft monetization option is great because it lets you do something enjoyable with your art skills. You’ll also get satisfaction from your customers gushing about your Minecraft-related artwork.
Do you know how to build amazing Minecraft architecture? You could put those skills to good use and earn some money on the side. There are many people who want to build Minecraft maps, worlds, etc., but lack the skills needed to do it.
That’s where you come in. You can show off your Minecraft creations on gig marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork and offer your skills for a fee.
Typical amounts for these types of gigs range between $50 and $100. You can charge more depending on your project’s complexity.
This monetization option is great for building your skills.
You can create Minecraft-related artwork and sell it on your online store using the print-on-demand business model.
You might need to use this monetization method in conjunction with one of the streaming ones, as you’ll need a following to make it work. With that said, you can also rely on the built-in traffic print-on-demand marketplaces like RedBubble and Teepublic.
Print-on-demand marketplaces typically pay royalties per item sold. Since you’ll be selling items like mugs, stickers, and T-shirts, the amounts you make will depend on the item’s price and your profit margin. Expect to earn between a couple of cents up to a dollar per unit sold.
Selling Minecraft merchandise via print-on-demand is fantastic because it can provide a passive income stream. Thanks to the way the business mode works, you don’t have to spend on inventory or storage.
You can blog about Minecraft to make money. Like option eight, this monetization method works best in tandem with another option (e.g., the one involving hosted servers).
Blogging requires work, perseverance, and some SEO knowledge to get your posts to show up on Google’s search engine results pages. But if you get it right, you’ll get plenty of traffic you can monetize in multiple ways.
The sky is your limit once you get traffic. Some blogs earn thousands of dollars every month from multiple sources.
Blogging about Minecraft is excellent because you have multiple monetization options. You can sell server membership, drive traffic to your print-on-demand store, get ad revenue from Google, sell affiliate products like gaming laptops and accessories, plug your art services, and so on.
There are several compelling reasons to make money with Minecraft, including:
You may want to rethink your Minecraft money-making plans for the following reasons:
With the pros and cons out of the way, let’s learn how to start making money with Minecraft.
Your first step is to sign up for a Minecraft account.
Microsoft (the Minecraft owner) provides multiple options for getting Minecraft, including on your laptop, console, and phone. Each option has a specific price plan. You can find the details on the website’s Get Minecraft page.
After buying your chosen Minecraft version, install it by following the prompts.
Once you have a Minecraft account, log in and set up your profile. Next, browse the platform for any games that interest you and have fun playing.
You can either choose to play other gamers’ creations or build yours. This step will also give you ideas on the types of games you can stream (if you choose that monetization option).
If you decide to stream yourself playing Minecraft, you’ll need a platform to do it on. YouTube and Twitch are two of the best ones.
Sign up for an account on either platform, depending on which one’s partner program catches your fancy. Make sure you gather the equipment you need to stream videos (for example, screen-sharing software, a mic, and a decent laptop).
While it’s possible to blog about Minecraft on platforms like Medium, you’ll be better off owning your digital space. You’ll need to host your content and a domain name that browsers can use to locate your site.
A quick Google search will pull up several domain registrars and hosting companies you can use. You’ll also need a content management system like WordPress.
There are several factors to consider when making money with Minecraft, including:
The majority of monetization methods available to Minecraft players require skills. If you decide to create a blog, you’ll need good writing skills.
Video streaming requires you to know your way around a camera and screen-sharing software. Creating art on Fiverr or for print-on-demand requires art skills, and so on.
Even though many players have made a tidy sum from the platform, don’t expect to do the same without committing time and effort to the cause.
Therefore, if you have responsibilities like a full-time job, you’ll just need to be able to do this side hustle in your spare time.
It bears repeating that you need a computer with excellent processing power to play Minecraft. The game’s minimum system requirements include a computer with:
You’re golden if your computer meets the above requirements, as you can offer your streaming fans or game players the best the platform has to offer.
Although many of the people who play Minecraft are teenagers and young adults, the platform has a considerable preteen user base (it’s suitable for kids 7 and up).
Therefore, you’ll need to be mindful of the content you put into your games (if you go the development route). The platform has had issues with kids getting exposed to inappropriate content, and you wouldn’t want to add to the problem. You can avoid problems by pointing out age restrictions (where necessary).
While the Minecraft game costs money, there are several ways to play it online for free. An example option is the free MinecraftOnline server.
Minecraft has many large servers, but the largest of them all is a minigame server called Hypixel.
Minecraft’s in-game currency, which gamers use to purchase items in its marketplace, is called Minecoin.
Not a fan of Minecraft? Here are similar side hustles you can use to earn spare cash:
Minecraft offers plenty of opportunities for the average user to make money. Many of them are easy to start, and if you put in the effort, you might have moderate success.
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