Get Paid When a Follower Asks You to Play Their Game

Yes: a streamer, YouTuber, or Let's Player can charge a follower a set price to play that follower's own game, mod, ROM hack, or custom build as a priced custom request, paid upfront through a bio link. The request, the payment, and the delivery all sit in one place instead of a free ask buried in DMs. Custom Work lets you offer clearly scoped commissions and services: you set the price, the scope and the delivery time, and followers submit a brief and pay before you start.

No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. Brillay pricing

Three documented conditions explain why the ask keeps arriving. First, the audience is large and still growing: 212.3 million Americans play video games every week, up 3% (7.2 million) year over year, according to the Entertainment Software Association's 2026 Essential Facts report released June 3, 2026 (ESA). Second, most of the people pitching have no marketing department: half of all game developers are self-funding their games, according to the GDC 2025 State of the Game Industry report (GDC). Third, paid creator coverage of games is established enough to have its own enforcement record — the US Federal Trade Commission's July 11, 2016 case against Warner Bros. states the publisher "paid each influencer from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars" for sponsored gameplay videos (FTC press release).

Answered for free, each pitch is unpaid marketing work on someone else's timeline. Priced as a listing, it becomes a bounded offer the creator controls: a follower pays upfront, submits the details through the creator's page, and the creator plays or reviews it on their own time, with no live call, no scheduling.

Who actually sends a "play my game" request?

Three groups send these requests: indie developers pitching a new or unreleased title, modders and level designers who built inside someone else's game, and followers who want a favorite creator to react to something personal. All three usually arrive the same way — a cold DM, a forum reply, or a stream chat message — with no price attached.

Developers pitching an unreleased or newly launched title are chasing visibility around launch, and for a self-funded studio a creator's playthrough may be the only distribution channel actually available; the GDC 2025 State of the Game Industry report found half of all developers are self-funding their games. Studios that can pay have historically paid well for exactly this: the FTC's 2016 Warner Bros. complaint describes sponsored Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor gameplay videos that were "viewed more than 5.5 million times," with one influencer's sponsored video alone viewed more than 3.7 million times (FTC).

Modders and level designers face a related problem: their work lives inside a platform they don't own — a game's own workshop, a ROM-hacking community, a Roblox catalog — so a direct line to a creator can carry more weight than an in-game leaderboard spot. Followers making the ask are simpler: they built or bought something and want the creator's reaction.

Is a follower's game request a Paid Question or a custom request?

List a follower's game request as a custom request, not a Paid Question, because playing something needs a link, file, key, or build.

Two different things decide the offer type: what the follower can submit and what the creator can deliver back. For Personalized Videos, followers submit a written description of the request. Paid Questions let a follower pay your set price to ask you one private question, and you send back one written reply, privately (how Brillay works).

With Personalized Videos, the follower describes the request, and the creator delivers one video. A game review belongs under Custom Work because the follower may need to send files or links and the creator can deliver notes, files, or a link. That is why a "play my game" ask stays under Custom Work even when the final delivery is a recorded video. The same bounded-session logic applies to selling play-with-me gaming sessions, where a follower pays to join you in-game rather than to have you try theirs.

What should a "play my game" listing include?

A "play my game" listing should state five things before anyone pays: what the follower submits, which platform and how long the session runs, how the result is delivered, the delivery time deadline, and what is out of scope. For Personalized Videos and Custom Work, you set a delivery time of up to 5 days from purchase.

• Submission format: A download link, a store key, a file upload, or a specific build/version — stated up front so the creator isn't guessing. Custom Work accepts follower-sent files and links (how Brillay works).
• Platform and length: Which console, PC, or mobile platform, and roughly how long the session or segment will run.
• Delivery style: Whether the play happens live on the creator's own stream, or is recorded and delivered privately, and whether written notes are included.
• Delivery time: Set the delivery time for Personalized Videos or Custom Work within 5 days of purchase (how Brillay works).
• Exclusions: What isn't included — a full walkthrough, multiple sessions, a review score, or bug-fixing feedback beyond a first impression.
• Refund policy: Brillay creators can decline a request, so a build that won't launch, needs an account the follower never provided, or falls outside the stated scope can be sent back rather than argued over (how Brillay works).

Any price or scope example on this page is illustrative only, not a guarantee of outcome, audience reaction, or coverage.

How much should you charge to play a follower's game or build?

Price a "play my game" request against time plus exposure, not clock time alone: a launch-week feature is worth more to an indie developer than a five-minute reaction is to a casual follower, even at identical length. You set the price for Custom Work — for comparison, see how much StartPlaying takes in fees on a gaming-specific marketplace.

Where these ranges come from: the four bands above are Brillay's own worked examples, published September 2026. These bands are Brillay's illustrative examples, rather than survey results, marketplace averages, observed Brillay transaction data, or creator earnings figures. You set the price, so treat these bands as a starting point to edit, not a rate card.

The one dated, primary-source benchmark for paid gameplay coverage sits at studio scale rather than follower scale: in its July 11, 2016 action, the FTC stated that Warner Bros. "paid each influencer from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars, gave them a free advance-release version of the game, and told them how to promote it" (FTC). That is a funded publisher campaign, not a single follower's request, so it sets a ceiling for context rather than a comparable price.

Do you have to disclose a paid game request as an ad?

Yes, when the person paying is a developer, modder, publisher, or studio and the creator gives an opinion about the game, US law treats the resulting video or stream as an endorsement that needs a clear, conspicuous disclosure. The FTC's staff guidance says early access alone is not enough — a paid reviewer has to say they were paid.

"I'm doing a review of a video game that hasn't been released yet. The manufacturer sent me the game and is paying me to review it. Is it enough just to disclose that the manufacturer gave me a 'sneak peek' of the game? No. Merely referring to your early access doesn't tell people that you were paid for your review. You should say that you were paid." — FTC, "The FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking"

Placement matters as much as wording. The FTC alleged that Warner Bros. "did not instruct the influencers to include sponsorship disclosures clearly and conspicuously in the video itself," directing them to the description box instead, where most disclosures appeared below the fold behind a "Show More" click (FTC). Jessica Rich, then Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in that announcement: "Consumers have the right to know if reviewers are providing their own opinions or paid sales pitches." The FTC's same staff guidance adds that a disclosure reading "Sponsored by [name of the video game]" would be adequate, and that simultaneous written and spoken disclosures are the strongest option.

Outside the US, look up the local equivalent rather than assuming FTC rules apply. In the UK, CAP guidance states that whenever a brand gives an influencer "a payment or any other incentive (requested or unsolicited)," any content featuring or referring to that brand must be "obviously identifiable as advertising," a requirement under consumer protection law enforced by the Competition and Markets Authority and Trading Standards (ASA/CAP, "Recognising ads: Social media and influencer marketing"). CAP recommends a clear identifier such as "#ad" and advises against relying on the label "sponsored," which the ASA has ruled insufficient in influencer cases (ASA/CAP).

Practical rule for a paid listing: if the person who paid you is the person whose game you are reviewing, the payment is a material connection, so label the stream, video, or post as an ad up front. A non-commercial follower paying for a private, undelivered-to-the-public reaction is a different situation from a developer buying public coverage, but the safe default is to disclose whenever the result is published. This is general information, not legal advice.

Do you need Twitch Affiliate or YouTube Partner status to charge for this?

No. Charging a follower directly through Custom Work has no follower minimum and no platform-tier requirement, unlike the in-platform monetization tools each streaming site gates behind its own thresholds.

Twitch's Affiliate Program — the tier that unlocks Bits, its closest thing to a real-money "tip to make me do something" mechanic — requires reaching 25 followers, streaming for 4 hours across 4 different days, and averaging 3 viewers (Twitch Help — Affiliate Program FAQ and Joining the Affiliate Program). YouTube's gate for its main revenue tier is steeper:

"Get 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months, or Get 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days." — YouTube Help — Partner Program overview

YouTube also runs a lower fan-funding-only tier requiring 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days, which unlocks Super Chat and Super Thanks without ad revenue (YouTube Help — expanded Partner Program eligibility). Custom Work sits outside all of it: any creator can list "play my game" at any subscriber or follower count. Your panel link keeps taking orders before you reach Affiliate and while you are offline, and viewers pay as guests, with no account to create first.

Where do devs, modders, and followers usually send these requests?

Put the listing where the pitch already lands: a bio link that works across every platform, a pinned message in the modding and indie-dev Discord servers where these asks originate, and a stream panel or channel description. Publishing the price up front filters casual asks before anyone drafts a cold message. It is one link that carries every offer, with nothing to moderate and no community to keep warm.

• Bio link: One Brillay link works the same whether the pitch comes in on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, or X.
• Pinned Discord message: Modding and indie-dev Discord servers are where a lot of these pitches originate; a pinned link with the price and format separates casual asks from real intent.
• Stream panel or channel description: A short line like "want me to play your game? here's how" redirects a chat pitch to the listing instead of a mid-stream negotiation. The same listing works at any follower count — Custom Work has no follower minimum to clear before it goes live.

Pointing a pitch at a link with a clear price and scope is also a faster, less awkward way to decline one than negotiating in DMs.

What else can you offer alongside a paid game request?

A "play my game" listing does not have to be a creator's only paid option. Personalized Videos let a follower pay for a custom video, Tips let a supporter send a one-time amount to say thank you with nothing to deliver in return, a Goal is one named funding target with a progress bar, and Brand Collaboration Inquiries collects a brand’s budget, timeline, and deliverables into a separate brand inbox.

• Personalized Video: A recorded reaction or shout-out aimed at the follower themselves, separate from playing their build.
• Tips: Tips let a developer or follower send a one-time thank-you after a feature without buying another listing, with nothing owed back (how Brillay works).
• Goals: A goal toward a bigger ask — a dedicated multi-part series or new capture gear — with a visible progress bar rather than a one-off payment (how Brillay works).
• Brand Collaboration Inquiries: For a studio or publisher proposing paid coverage, Brand Collaboration Inquiries collects the budget, timeline, and deliverables into a separate brand inbox (how Brillay works).

Keep the game-request listing narrowly scoped — one build, one session, one price. For the rest of what a gaming creator can list, see the broader rundown for gaming and streaming creators. If followers want ongoing help getting better at a game rather than a one-off playthrough, that calls for a different listing — see how to take game coaching clients from one link.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be a big streamer to charge for a "play my game" request?

No. Twitch's Affiliate Program, the tier needed for Bits, requires 25 followers, 4 hours streamed across 4 different days, and an average of 3 viewers, and the YouTube Partner Program requires 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. Brillay Custom Work has no follower minimum and no monthly fee.

Do I have to say a game session was paid for?

Disclose it whenever a developer, modder, or studio paid for coverage and the result is published. FTC staff guidance states that disclosing early access alone is not enough and that a paid reviewer "should say that you were paid" (FTC Endorsement Guides FAQ). UK creators fall under CAP rules requiring content to be "obviously identifiable as advertising" whenever a brand provides payment or any other incentive (ASA/CAP). Rules vary by country; this is general information, not legal advice.

What if the game or build doesn't work?

You can decline a request when a sent build won't launch, needs an account or key the follower never provided, or otherwise falls outside what the listing described (how Brillay works). Stating the submission format up front — link, key, or file — reduces how often this happens.

Is this the same as a sponsored deal with a game studio?

No. A "play my game" listing is a single follower's or solo developer's paid request for one session. A studio or publisher proposing paid coverage is a different conversation, better routed through Brand Collaboration Inquiries, which collects the budget, timeline, and deliverables into a separate brand inbox (how Brillay works). Either way, published coverage that was paid for needs a disclosure (FTC Endorsement Guides FAQ).

Does the play session happen inside Brillay?

No. Followers pay upfront through a private order page and submit the request details there; the play session itself happens on the creator's own stream, recording setup, or game client, the same as any other custom request (how Brillay works).

Is this the same as letting viewers vote on what you play?

No. A follower's game request is a specific title or build that one follower owns or built, submitted as its own paid listing. That's different from letting viewers pay to pick what you play next from your existing library, and different again from charging for spots in a community game night, where followers pay to join a session rather than to have a specific game tried.

Create your free Brillay page and turn the next "will you play my game?" pitch into a listing instead of a free favor.