According to Statista, daily usage of mobile phones grew from 152 minutes in 2014 to 215 minutes in 2018. Daily mobile phone usage is also estimated to grow to 234 minutes by 2021.
Furthermore, it’s clear that we spend a lot of our phone time on mobile apps and games. There were 2.2. billion mobile gamers as of 2018, and this number is expected to increase as technology becomes more accessible around the world.
Now, I’ve covered ways to make money playing videos games or various passive income apps before. However, I want to tackle a newer entrant to the world of apps that pay you to play games: Mistplay.
If you want to play games for gift cards and make the most out of the time you spend on your phone, this Mistplay review is worth the read.
Mistplay Review - Quick Facts
Name: Mistplay
Description: Mistplay lets you earn rewards for playing your favorite & new mobile games. Just install Mistplay, try games from your games list, and earn prizes for playing.
Offer price: Free
Operating System: Android
Application Category: Reward Apps
Author: Tom Blake
Overall
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Earning Potential
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Ease Of Use
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Game Variety
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Reward Variety
What Is Mistplay
Mistplay is a “loyalty program for gamers” and rewards users for playing new mobile games.
Mistplay launched their free mobile app in 2017 on the Google Play Store, and has surpassed 5+ million downloads and has a 4.4 star rating after more than 75K reviews. The platform plans to expand to IOS devices, and currently offers a wait list for interested players.
How Does Mistplay Work?
The concept behind the Mistplay is simple. Once you create a free Mistplay account, you select new mobile apps to download and play through the Mistplay app interface.
You have to give Mistplay access to monitor your app usage, the app can then track how much time you spend playing your new games.
The app also tracks your in-game rank and achievements and rewards users with points the more they progress.
So, for example, you might find a classic Kingdom-building simulator game on Mistplay and decide to give it a try. As you level up in the game and spend time playing, you earn more Mistplay points.
Points can be exchanged for a number of prizes, such as Amazon gift cards or prepaid Visa cards. However, there are different ways to earn points, and it’s important to know the different routes to maximize your earnings.
How To Earn Mistplay Points
To make money with Mistplay, you need to download and play games. But, different games pay different amounts of points or have varying requirements, such as reaching certain milestones like in-game level or playtime.
1. Earn Mistplay Units, GXPs, & PXPs
Mistplay uses a three-tiered points system to reward players.
Here is how the point system breaks down:
Units – As you play a game, you earn Unit points. Units are the in-app currency you actually use to redeem gift cards.
GXPs (Game Experience Points) – GXPs are a way to track your level for an individual game. The longer you play a game, the more GXPs you earn. GXPs are not meaningless as the higher your GXP/level, the more Units and PXPs you earn.
PXPs (Player Experience Points) – PXPs determine your overall Mistplay player profile rank. Having higher PXP scores enables you to earn more GXPs as you play mobile games, and leveling up your Mistplay profile also rewards bonus Units.
I know this sounds confusing, but once you get started with Mistplay, the process is simple. Just try new games, earn Units (which can be redeemed for rewards), and level up your in-game profile and overall Mistplay account the more you play.
2. Refer Friends
Referring your friends to Mistplay is another easy way to earn Units and, ultimately, free gift cards.
Inviting your friends to Mistplay rewards you with 100 Units, which is around $0.40-$0.50. Not much, but hey, it’s free money and playing mobile games with your friends is more fun anyway.
3. Win With Streaks, Contests, & Freebies
Mistplay rewards players for being consistent. If you use the app 7 days in a row, you earn a 14 Unit bonus.
Additionally, Mistplay also runs contests that pay grand prize amounts of 10,000 units. To enter contests, players usually have to download one new game and reach a certain level to be eligible.
Finally, you can also earn some quick Units just by starting out.
Mistplay awards a 200 Unit welcome bonus, and you can earn small but easy amounts of additional Units by following Mistplay on social media or subscribing to a newsletter.
Mistplay also shares ‘Mistcodes’ as part of special promotions. Mistcodes can be redeemed for additional units, and the best way to find them is to follow Mistplay on social media or subscribe to their newsletter.
The bottom line: playing games on Mistplay is really the only way to earn prizes. The referral system and contests are a nice touch, but don’t depend on them for the bulk of your earnings.
Mistplay Games List – Types Of Mobile Games
Since the only way to earn free gift cards on Mistplay is to put some time into gaming, it’s important that you actually enjoy the game selection.
Mistplay actually offers unique games depending on your region. This is a rewards platform after all, so it all boils down to how much game companies are willing to pay to promote their games on Mistplay and what regions they want new players.
I live near Toronto, and some of the top Mistplay games in my list include:
- Pirate Kings.
- King of Avalon: Dragon War (this is the one I’ve been playing).
- Yahtzee.
- Originals: Interactive Story Series (this is single player).
- Solitaire.
- Slotmania.
In other words, you really have 3 categories of games on Mistplay: strategy games, single player games, and casino/cards related games.
Granted, this is just based on my sample size, but it makes sense.
After all, these genres are popular, and many of these games allow players to pay real money to accelerate their progress, so acquiring new users is valuable.
Extra Reading – The 9 Best Trivia Apps For Earning Cash & Prizes.
How to Redeem Points – Mistplay Rewards List
Redeeming prizes on Mistplay is easy. Once you have enough Units, you can head to the shop to redeem electronic gift card codes or to purchase Avatar upgrades for your Mistplay profile.
Currently, Mistplay rewards include:
- Amazon gift cards.
- Prepaid visa cards.
- Best Buy gift cards.
- Cinneplex gift cards.
- Google Play Store Credit.
- iTunes credit.
Amazon rewards start as low as $0.50. However, you get the most bang for your buck if you hold out for the $10-$25 gift card options.
Is Mistplay Worth It? – My Experience & Earning Potential
It wouldn’t be a fair Mistplay review if I didn’t tackle how much money you can actually make with this app.
Again, here’s the main takeaway: you need to actually play and enjoy these games for Mistplay to be worth it.
Here’s why: it takes a while to earn points, and you need to shuffle between games in your Mistplay MixList.
The main reason for this is because ranking up your GXPs in games increases how fast you can earn from a game, but increasing your level in an individual game becomes harder and harder.
Therefore, to avoid diminishing returns for your playtime, it’s important to have a robust mixture of games on the go to grind out levels.
Here are my initial results from playing games on Mistplay:
I played for roughly 45 minutes, but Mistplay only registered the time I was truly active. In that time, I leveled up to level 4 in-game and also reached level 2 on Mistplay.
For my efforts, I was awarded 39 Units. Again, this is under $0.10, and hardly worth mentioning. This highlights the main fact about Mistplay: you need to actually enjoy the games you play for this to be worth it.
I only put in 45 minutes for this test because frankly, I hate mobile games. However, I believe it is important to actually test out these apps before writing reviews to actually get a feel for how things work.
So, what do other users have to say?
Is Mistplay Legit? – What Users Say
Out of all the Mistplay reviews I read, this Reddit thread provided some valuable insight into how much money you can make with Mistplay and what to expect from the app.
The main takeaway is that you really need to maximize how many games are in your Mistplay MixList. As this user explains, it took 17 installed games and 94 hours of gametime to earn $80.
This is a horrible hourly rate. But, as he points out, much of this playtime was semi-idle at work. Plus, by focusing on games with higher Unit rewards and capping out on levels, earnings also improve.
But, as other users understandably point out, the payout is still incredibly low. Your best options are to cashout quick or to treat it as a semi-passive, slow earner.
So, you can’t get rich by playing games on Mistplay. However, if you enjoy these games, you might as well earn some free gift cards every year for your time.
Extra Reading – 16 Easy Ways To Score Free Money.
An Exciting New Update – Mistplay Status
I had to updat our Mistplay app review because there’s an exciting new change that’s rolling out that’s going to help serious gamers earn more rewards.
Recently, Mistplay has announced their Mistplay Status program is beginning to roll out to new users and will hopefully become platform wide.
In a nutshell, Mistplay Status pays you when you make in-game purchases on eligible games that are part of the program.
Games clearly indicate if they;re part of the program, but again, Mistplay Status is still rolling out to everyone.
Anyway, as you spend money in-game, you earn Loyalty Gems.
If you get enough Loyalty Gems, you level up your overall status level, which work in the following tier system:
- Bronze. Everyone begins at this level if they have access to Mistplay Status.
- Silver. This tier makes you earn 1.1X more Units on games when you level up and from daily play bonuses.
- Gold. Same prizes as Silver plus 1.1X more Loyalty Gems for in-game purchases.
- Platinum. Earn 1.25X more Units for level ups, daily play bonuses, and 1.25X more Loyalty Gems.
Ultimately, this type of gaming cashback reward isn’t going to be as lucrative as other platforms like Honey or Rakuten.
However, nowhere else that I know of offers cashback for in-app gaming purchases. If you spend money on this sort of thing, you can increases how much Mistplay pays.
How Does Mistplay Make Money?
Mistplay is a user-acquisition and data play. This is nothing different than other rewards and loyalty platforms.
You can see how Mistplay explains the benefits of their platforms to potential advertisers. Specifically, they allow game companies to target users based on demographic info and previously installed games to boost engagement and retention.
It’s actually pretty crazy. Mistplay states they serve more than +100M monthly impressions globally.
There are other apps like Mistplay, as well as many other apps that used this model that have since turned belly-up. AppLike is a past contender that comes to mind, but of all the gaming loyalty programs I have seen for mobile devices, Mistplay is different.
Apps like AppLike focused on rewarding users. Advertisers were almost an afterthought, and the amount of fraud going on from phone farms or idle devices that pretended to play was pretty astonishing.
In contrast, Mistplay focuses on integrity and protecting the interest of their advertisers. In my mind, this makes it more likely that Mistplay will stick around as the leading mobile gaming rewards app. However, the catch is that earnings are always going to be lower.
Mistplay FAQs
I decided to tackle some of the most popular questions about this app in order to complete my Mistplay review. You can view a more comprehensive FAQ on Mistplay’s support website.
Is Mistplay Safe?
Mistplay doesn’t require anything from users, save for an email address. However, you have to grant Mistplay access to monitor your phone’s app usage as this is how the app tracks playtime and points.
Overall, Mistplay is safe to use and doesn’t steal your data, drain your battery, or mess with your phone.
However, I encourage you to read Mistplay’s privacy policy before downloading the app.
Where Is Mistplay Available?
Currently, you can download this app in the following countries:
- The United States.
- Canada.
- The UK.
- Germany.
- France.
- Denmark.
- Norway.
- Sweden.
- Finland.
- Australia.
- New Zealand.
- Singapore.
Not a bad list if you ask me!
Can I Use A VPN With Mistplay?
You cannot use a VPN to connect to Mistplay. Doing so may result in an account ban since games on Mistplay are geo-specific for data collection and targeting purposes.
Why Am I Not Earning Points?
There are several reasons you might not earn points with Mistplay. The main reason results when users forget to launch their games through their MixList of games (this enables tracking).
Other reasons include:
- Your phone is in power saving mode.
- You have reached the level cap. All games have a level cap of 20.
- Your phone is idle.
- You have reached a daily play cap. All games have a maximum daily playtime of 2 hours.
Why Do I Have Different Games?
Again, Mistplay games are geo-specific. If you don’t like your current options, you have no choice but to wait for new advertisers to join the mix.
Age Requirements?
There isn’t an age requirement to use Mistplay.
Does Mistplay Actually Work?
I used the Mistplay app myself to test it before writing this review, and there are plenty of games.
Additionally, the app does work: you earn Units and GXP, and PXP for playing new games and leveling up.
Granted, it takes a while to earn points, so Mistplay isn’t going to make you a lot of money very quickly.
The $0.50 Amazon gift card rewards help make up for this fact, but even so, don’t expect a lot of free gift cards right out of the gate.
Pros & Cons
If you’re still wondering if Mistplay actually works and if this gaming app is worth it, consider the following pros and cons.
The Pros:
- Decent gift card reward variety
- Plenty of games and genres to choose from
- Available in numerous countries
- Gift card rewards start at $0.50
- Earn passive income if you already play games on your smartphone
The Cons:
- Extremely low earning potential
- Games progressively pay less as you level up
- No PayPal cash rewards
- Not an enjoyable side hustle if you don’t enjoy gaming
- No desktop version
Apps Like Mistplay
There used to be many apps like Mistplay. However, advertiser fraud and low user retention rates spelled the end for many apps.
There are still other popular mobile gaming rewards apps. If you like the idea of Mistplay and want to try more apps that pay you to play games, I recommend checking out:
There aren’t many other rewards platforms that are still legit, and these are the two best Mistplay alternatives I could find.
What Makes Mistplay Unique?
When you compare Mistplay against other mobile apps that pay you for playing games, it’s clear why Mistplay is one of the most popular options on the market.
Many other gaming apps fall short because you run out of games, which really hurts your earnings.
In Mistplay’s credit, there’s a very solid list of games, and game genres are also quite varied so there’s something to entice most gamers.
Another benefit is that the Amazon gift card rewards start at $0.50. So, even though Mistplay takes a while to earn with, you can at least earn real rewards.
In contrast, apps like App Flame and AppNana have smaller game lists, so you’ll probably get bored of the apps a tad sooner.
Ultimately, Mistplay still has a low earning potential. But the game variety of low cash out requirements are what make this app unique in the space.
Now, if you prefer playing games on PC, then Gamehag is undeniably the best platform to use since it has plenty of free gift card rewards and you can earn by playing lot of different games.
But, in terms of mobile gaming, Mistplay deserves its spot as one of the most popular apps.
Is Mistplay Legit?
At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide if Mistplay is worth it.
This app is a refreshingly honest mobile gaming rewards platform that isn’t looking to burn advertisers for a quick buck.
However, this app is not a great way to earn a lot of free gift cards. Personally, I’d only install this app if you’re actually a fan of mobile gaming.
I don’t think it’s fair to say Mistplay is a scam, but have realistic earning expectations and try to play games you’re actually interested in.
Game variety is solid, and you can realistically earn free gift cards, which is a plus!
Thanks so much for reading! I hope my Mistplay review has answered some of your questions!
Download Mistplay today and start earning free gift cards for playing fun mobile games!
If you’re on the lookout for additional money making apps and ideas, I suggest checking out the following posts:
Catch you guys in the next one!
Tom is a 23 year old recent college graduate from Canada with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and marketing. This Online World is all about providing people with honest ways to make and save more money by using technology. To learn more about Tom, read his About Page!
If you’re interested in freelance writing services or want to partner with This Online World, please visit Tom Blake Digital to get in touch!