Paid surveys and earning by playing games: is it worth it?

Paid surveys and apps that supposedly pay you for playing games are among the first offers found by people looking for ways to earn online. They are appealing because no skills are needed: you answer questions or play on your phone and get money. But how much can you really earn, and where does earning end and a scam begin?

This part of the guide covers how paid online surveys work, what to expect from “play and earn” apps and who these ways are really worth the time for.

How paid surveys work

Market research companies look for opinions about products, advertisements and services. After registering on a research platform, you fill in your profile, and the platform offers surveys that match your age, place of residence and interests. For a completed survey you get points that can be exchanged for money or gift vouchers.

The three most important things to know: there are not many surveys for residents of Lithuania, some of them are cut off after a few questions if you do not fit the target group, and you can cash out only once you have collected a minimum amount.

How much you can earn

Money for surveys is extra pocket money, not an income. One survey usually takes 5–20 minutes, and the reward for it is cents or a few euros. If we worked out the hourly earnings, they would almost always be lower than in any ordinary job.

How to recognise a reliable survey platform

• Registration is free. If you are asked to pay “for membership” or “activation” – it is not a survey platform.
• Clear payout terms. The minimum amount and the methods are stated: bank transfer, PayPal, gift vouchers.
• There are company details and a privacy policy. You know who collects your data and who it is passed on to.
• Dozens of euros per hour are not promised. The promise “earn 100 euros a day by answering questions” is a scam.

Earning by playing games: what is behind it

Apps that promise to pay for playing games mostly earn from the ads that you watch. Your reward is a few cents, and the payout threshold is set so high that most people never reach it. Some of these apps simply do not pay out.

Another variant is cryptocurrency “play-to-earn” games, where you have to buy tokens or characters in order to start. That is no longer earning but a risky investment: the Bank of Lithuania (LB) warns that offers promising profit without risk are often scammers' schemes.

Games can bring money in another way – by creating content. Game streams and videos on YouTube or Twitch, game reviews with affiliate links – that is already content creation, which is covered in more detail in the part of the guide on earning on social media.

Real cases: a fake survey and “deposit to get more”

A survey questionnaire can also be bait for collecting data. In October 2026 in Vilnius, a woman (born 1944) filled in a survey questionnaire on the social network Facebook. Soon she was contacted by strangers who introduced themselves as “personal data and property protection specialists” and swindled her out of 20 000 €. A genuine survey platform does not call you after a questionnaire and does not offer to “protect” your money.

The police daily incident report for October 2026 describes a case in Tauragė: a man (born 2001) contacted a person through an app about a “deposit multiplying” service, transferred 360 € in one night and did not receive the agreed profit. The scheme is the same as in apps that promise a reward only “after you pay a fee”: the money travels in one direction.

If you have already transferred money – first call your bank, then report it to the police via epolicija.lt or by phone on 112.

What to replace surveys with if you want more

If you like surveys because you do not need to know anything, but you would like a bigger reward, the logical next step is affiliate marketing. You recommend a product to friends or your followers and get a commission – one sale can bring more than dozens of surveys.

Frequently asked questions