31 Publications that Pay for Writing About Video Games & Gaming

Today, for our latest roundup of publishers, we have a list of 31 publications that pay for writing on video games, and gaming in general.

We’ve researched payment rates and found contact information for all of these publishers, to make it easy for you to connect with the right opportunity.

For paid Litworth subscribers, you can see many more opportunities in our database, including over 1,500 publishers that pay writers.

Paid subscribers can access the database here.

If you’re new to freelancing, I also very much encourage you to take our course on pitching. You can get the details here.

So, without further ado, here’s today’s list…

1. Restart is a gaming news website. They’re seeking pitches for reviews and other feature pieces from both seasoned and up-and-coming freelance writers. According to their pitch guide, their average rate is $200 per article. For more information, refer to this page.
2. lock-on is a gaming journal by Lost in Cult (an indie publisher and design studio). They focus on long-form explorations of a range of industry topics, essays that delve into personal experiences in relation to gaming, and discussions on games, narrative themes, hardware, etc. According to a tweet, their rates start at around £165 for 2,250 words with the possibility of increased pay based on the length and complexity of the piece. To submit your pitches, refer to this page.
3. Rock, Paper, Shotgun is a website that offers PC gaming news, reviews, previews, and opinion. They are currently looking for community reports, interview-led features, reviews, lists, and “spawn point” articles. According to their pitch guide, they pay a standard rate of £200 for articles of 1,000 to 1,500 words. They may pay £250 for reviews of particularly long games or interviews of multiple subjects. Details here.
4. Polygon publishes engaging stories based on video game artists, fans, and culture. They previously listed pay as $0.25 per word, but now state that ‘’all stories are paid at competitive rates, which are based on the amount and type of work.’’ To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
5. EGM is a website about video games. They are looking for gaming stories. Their focus is on feature stories in 3 main categories which are: reporting, profiles, and perspectives. They also publish scored reviews. To contact the editors, visit this page. They seem to have recently gone through ownership changes, so current pay rates are not clear. According to a payment report from 2020, they pay $400 for feature articles.
6. GamesIndustry.biz is a website about the games industry. They cover “every facet of the games industry, from design, development, publishing, marketing, distribution or retail, all the way through to media, freelance and studying.” They are looking to expand their freelance roster. They accept pitches for investigative pieces, interviews with industry figures, academy articles, and editorials. They encourage pitches from writers of diverse backgrounds. According to their pitch guide, their standard rate is £250 per article. To learn how to pitch them an article, visit this page.
7. IGN is an internet media company that covers video games, TV, movies, tech, and comics. They’re seeking games features, entertainment features, news, previews, and reviews. According to their pitch guide, rates are $300-$1,000+ for games and entertainment features, $30-$400 for news, $300 for previews, and $150-$400 for reviews. To learn more, refer to their guidelines.
8. Unwinnable is a website and digital magazine, founded in 2010 to provide a different kind of cultural criticism. They are looking for stories about comics, movies, TV shows, tabletop games, music. According to their pitch guide, they pay up to $150 for stories (1,500 words), $10 to $25 for essays (500 words and 375 words respectively), and $15 for short stories (1000 words).To learn more, read their submission guidelines.
9. Retro Dodo is a retro gaming website. They publish retro gaming news, reviews, guides, and features. They accept article pitches at pitches@retrododo.com. As per this post on X, they pay £250 to £300 per feature (2,000 words). To visit their contact page, click here.
10. Into The Spine publishes stories about video games and what they leave behind. They want contributors to talk about the stuff they love and tell stories about games, from indies to AAAs. According to their pitch guide, they pay a flat rate of $25 for shorter pieces between 150 to 300 words and $50 for personal essays, stories, and opinion articles ranging between 500 to 700 words. They are not always open to submissions. Be sure to carefully check their guidelines before submitting.To learn more, read their submission guidelines.