5 Online Gaming Business Success Stories [2025]
Love gaming and want to turn that passion into a profitable venture? Consider starting an online gaming business.
In simple terms, this involves creating, marketing, and managing games that players can access via the internet. Think about developing engaging mobile games, multiplayer online battle arenas, or intriguing puzzle games that captivate a global audience.
The allure of the online gaming business lies in its expansive market; the number of gamers worldwide is constantly growing, providing a vast target audience. You don't need to be a coding expert; you can outsource development while focusing on game concepts, marketing strategies, and community engagement.
Harnessing the power of social media, gaming forums, and streaming platforms can significantly boost your game's visibility. If you’re excited by the idea of combining creativity with technology, the online gaming industry offers an exciting, scalable, and lucrative path.
In this list, you'll find real-world online gaming business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a online gaming business that makes money.
1. Overgear ($12M/year)
Tony Doronin, along with his partners Dmitriy Beseda and Alex Karetin, founded Overgear, a gaming marketplace that offers gaming assistance and training services. Alex, who had experience in investment projects and a passion for gaming, saw the lack of competition in the gaming services market and the potential for a project that provided a higher level of user experience. They launched Overgear in 2017 and have since expanded their services to different gaming disciplines, generating $1 million in monthly revenue.
How much money it makes: $12M/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 36
Overgear, a gaming marketplace offering assistance and training in WoW, Path of Exile, Destiny, Call of Duty, and Valorant, saw over $8 million in revenue and a 6x increase in clients in the past year by prioritizing user experience and customer retention through SEO and Google Ads, reinvesting profits, and creating a user-friendly product, amongst other things.
2. Dilly Dally Games (Mexican Train) ($240K/year)
In 2006, Christian Tuskes was juggling a full-time job as a defense contractor and pursuing a master's degree in Computer Science when he stumbled upon the idea for Dilly Dally Games. While playing Mexican Train Dominoes with friends of his mother-in-law, he realized the game’s potential as an engaging digital project. His aim was to create a project that not only fulfilled his degree requirements but could also be a long-term pursuit.
Christian kicked off the development of Mexican Train Dominoes on Adobe Flash, using tools he already possessed. Initially, he attempted to sell the game via software licenses on eBay, but after limited success, he pivoted to an ad-supported web-based model, which was a game-changer. This initial setback taught him the importance of adapting to market demands and encouraged him to refine his strategies.
During the ideation phase, Christian focused intensely on user interface and experience, aware that translating a physical tabletop game to a screen required significant design adaptation. The process involved compromises, yet he learned not to let the pursuit of perfection stall progress and chose to launch with a functional version that he later realized was essentially an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). This approach underscored a valuable lesson: iteration and adaptability are key to developing a successful product.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
Dilly Dally Games, run by solopreneur Christian Tuskes, has over 10k daily active users and earns between $16-17k per month from ad revenue due to its unique appeal to a demographic underserved in the gaming industry, as well as its focus on long playing times.
3. Online Solitaire ($180K/year)
Holger, a designer-turned-developer, came up with the idea for Online Solitaire after experiencing both a burnout and a failed startup venture. He wanted to work on a project that could generate passive income while leveraging his design skills. Observing that many solitaire websites lacked a well-designed interface, he saw an opportunity to create a better version that focused on aesthetics and usability.
Inspired by Patrick McKenzie's success with Bingo Card Creator, Holger sought out to improve a simple, existing concept rather than invent something brand new. He conducted initial research by scripting App Annie for games that met specific criteria: significant search demand, existing market validation, and a noticeable gap in quality. Holger identified solitaire as a viable option due to its existing popularity and the potential for design improvements.
During the ideation phase, Holger faced the challenge of ensuring his product stood out in a crowded market. He relied on his design background to make aesthetic enhancements and created an MVP within a few weeks to test market reception. This approach allowed him to iterate quickly based on user feedback and revise his designs to improve the user experience, successfully transforming his passion for coding and design into a side-hustle with growth potential.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
Designer-turned-developer creates Online Solitaire, an online gaming website that features popular solitaire games such as Klondike, Spider, and Freecell, earning about $1,500 each month from SEO and optimization tools like Moz and Firebase.
4. Summerfield's Toys ($19.9K/year)
Matthew Fiore, a senior in high school and passionate LEGO lover, came up with the idea for his business, Summerfield's Toys, when he realized that he could turn his love for LEGO into a profitable venture. After starting with selling LEGO Minifigures from his own collection, he expanded to reselling LEGO sets and individual bricks, leveraging platforms like eBay and BrickLink to attract customers worldwide. With a focus on customer service and a growing network of distribution channels, Matthew's business has seen exponential growth, making $1.6k per month and paving the way for a promising future.
How much money it makes: $19.9K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
How many people on the team: 0
A high school student turned his love for LEGO into a $1.6k/month business, Summerfield's Toys, by reselling sets online through eBay, BrickLink, and Facebook Marketplace, in addition to buying and reselling brand new sets.
5. UltraShock Gaming ($15K/year)
Hassan, the founder and CEO of UltraShock Gaming, came up with the idea for his indie game marketing firm when he noticed the struggles indie game developers faced in getting their games on large PC platforms like Steam. Inspired by their frustrations, he decided to create a platform to help these developers with marketing, copywriting, and beta testing in exchange for a percentage of profits. With a community of over 500,000 gamers, UltraShock Gaming has generated $15k in revenue per year, with $12k in profit.
How much money it makes: $15K/year
How much did it cost to start: $4K
How many people on the team: 1
Aspiring founders looking to start a profitable business can learn from the story of how Hassan founded UltraShock Gaming, an indie game marketing firm, built up an audience of over 500,000 gamers, and generated $15k in annual revenue (with $12k profit) in just 2 years by offering marketing and advertising services for indie game developers.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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