Skillz offers a unique skill-based gaming experience where you participate in its contests using either traditional or virtual currencies. Very few sites can pull this off, and based on what I discovered during my Skillz review, it did. Here’s how.
The sign-up offers are easy to claim, and there are a couple of promotions for existing players, including a VIP program. Payments are fast and secure, and you’ll have 400+ titles to choose from. Plus, Skillz offers a great mobile-first gaming experience. I’ll cover other features at the site and provide a 360-degree view of its operations. Keep reading.
Skillz is a multiplayer gaming site where you can compete in mobile games against other players worldwide for either real cash or virtual in-game currencies. It’s free to join, and each Skillz-enabled game features numerous free-to-enter tournaments, as well as tournaments with real-money prizes that cost as little as $0.60 to enter.
Skillz's real cash tournaments are currently available in about 75% of the world. As long as you’re at least 18 years old, reside in a jurisdiction where real cash tournaments are available, and own a mobile device, you can enter said tournaments. That said, in the US, cash games aren’t currently available in AR, CT, DE, LA, and SD. Cash gameplay is also currently unavailable in ME and IN when cards are involved. You also can’t play cash matches in dominoes in New Jersey.
Based on my findings, Skillz’s free-to-play games are available in all US states except:
I also learned that the site’s services aren’t available to players in:
Besides supporting traditional currencies, Skillz also uses three virtual currencies. Let’s look at how they work.
These virtual currencies are used to play games at Skillz and are strictly for entertainment. They’re obtained via gameplay, optional Z pack purchases, and bonuses. However, they can’t be redeemed for real prizes. Note that Z Coins are strictly for use across all the site’s free-to-play games, but can’t be used to play its skill-based games.
Ticketz are used to play Skillz’s games and can be won from gameplay, and used to play more games or redeemed for prizes. Note that they can’t be redeemed for real cash prizes, but can be redeemed for prizes in the Ticketz store. Potential prizes include merch and various other items.
You can use Bonus Cash to enter tournaments and compete for real cash prizes. It can’t be withdrawn, and you can get it via referral bonuses and limited-time Bonus Cash offers. Whenever you enter a match, the entry fee is mostly 90% real cash and 10% Bonus Cash. However, you could use more Bonus Cash if you don’t have enough real cash to cover up to 90% of the entry fee. If you’re successful in the tournament, your entry fee is refunded to the same method you used to pay, but the prize will be 100% real cash.
Skillz deploys algorithms to match its players based on their ability levels and game histories to ensure that every tournament is fair. Most player matching is done asynchronously, meaning you and other players can play the same match with the same conditions, but you don’t have to play simultaneously.
With this player-matching format, there’s always a “Host” and a “Challenger,” and sometimes, the site matches both at the same time. At other times, a game may remain “pending” (unmatched) until after the Host has finished playing. In cases where the site’s unable to find a Challenger within 7 days, it automatically cancels and refunds the Host’s match.
I found an interesting mix of games at Skillz. The game lobby features up to 10+ game categories and 400+ games. Some game categories include puzzle, cards, board, sports, trivia, and arcade, among others. I didn’t find many slot titles, as the site focuses on skill-based games rather than chance-based ones.
That said, since Skillz is a mobile-first site, all the gaming is done on the app or its mobile site. However, you can’t play the games right off the app, since they are also apps. Let’s say you want to play Blackout Bingo via the Skillz app. You’d first have to download it from the game lobby before playing.
Some of the more popular titles at the site include:
Due to Skillz’s unique approach to gaming, some of its games can be played with virtual currency or with a real cash entry fee.
Skillz does a lot of things differently, as you’ve probably seen already. To offer you a better grasp of what using its services is like, here’s what I found after testing its features.
Skillz awards you 2,500 Z Coins after successfully completing its sign-up process. It’s relatively easy to claim, and you don’t need a Skillz promo code to claim it. Just take the following steps:
When you first download a Skillz game and register your account, the site also offers you a no-purchase bonus. The amount of the bonus varies as it's linked to the treasure chest that you open up after launching the game. However, it’s a random number of Ticketz or Z Coins.
I also found a couple of other promotions for existing players, including a VIP program, which I’ll discuss later in this review.
Skillz has a simple site design that sports a dark background and lots of colorful tiles. There are lots of links and buttons that make moving around the site easy. The games are clearly categorized, and there’s a search feature to help you find any game you want. Its fast site speeds also ensure that you’re where you want to be within seconds of clicking a link or button.
My only complaint is that you can’t play on your desktop or laptop as the site is only designed for mobile gameplay.
Skill-based gamers who love playing on the go will love Skillz thanks to its mobile-first approach. The site offers a native app that’s available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You can also find links to download the app at the site’s footer.
You can download the Skillz app at no cost. Downloading it is fast, and the launch time is quick. I found the app pretty responsive, and you won’t experience any lag when downloading in-app games.
If you don’t have space to download the app, you can also play Skillz games without downloading the app, as its mobile site is equally easy to use.
Although you don’t need optional Z Coin pack purchases to play at the site, it still offers optional Z Coins to help extend your gameplay. At the time of writing, the site supports reputable payment methods, including credit cards, Apple Pay, and PayPal.
You can withdraw your real cash prizes directly to your bank through ACH, and thanks to Skillz's partnership with Aeropay, most withdrawals are paid in less than 24 business hours. Ticketz can only be redeemed at the Ticketz Store. Some of the prizes I found there include Skillz flip-flops, Skillz hoodies, and musical shopping sprees worth $5,000 or $10,000.
That said, the items in the Ticketz store may change based on availability and interest. I also learned that all orders are fulfilled within 2-5 business days, but shipping times vary by item and location.
You can contact the Skillz support team via live chat and email. It’s a 24/7 service, which is one of many things the site does right. That said, I think the service could be better.
A chatbot operates the live chat, and I didn’t find an option to chat with a human agent. I also didn’t like that the chatbot wasn’t very interactive, as it kept churning out links to articles in the Help section as answers to my queries.
Speaking of the Help section, there’s a horde of articles there, and you’ll find answers to almost every question you have, if you can find the time to sift through.
Skillz is available in 30+ US states, though its services are restricted in some of them. As a site for skill-based gaming, it doesn’t require any sort of license to operate. What it does need to do is comply with local laws, which it does well. As for security, the site uses advanced SSL technology and features a detailed, transparent Privacy Policy.
Skillz Rewardz is the site’s six-tiered loyalty program that rewards you for your onsite activities. Basically, the more Ticketz you claim, the higher your tier and the more perks you have access to. Here are the tiers in the Skillz Rewards program and the qualifying Ticketz:
The tiers are based on the amount of Ticketz claimed during a calendar month, and tier progress resets on the 1st of each month.
Daily bonus
You’ll be awarded no-cost Ticketz for logging in to and completing daily challenges on designated Skillz mobile games that can be found on your mobile device. However, not all daily challenges award Ticketz; they may also award Z Coins based on your progress in the Rewards Calendar.
Referral bonus
This offer awards you and your friend $1 in Bonus Cash if they sign up to the site using your promo code. They must also fund their account before they become eligible for the offer.
I have reviewed tons of sites and have tested several skill-based gaming sites at different times. But I’ve never tested a site that offers both real money and virtual currency gameplay. Skillz does just that, and it allows you to enter tournaments with other players using either virtual currencies or real cash.
There are 400+ titles to play on Skillz, across 19 categories, including cards, board games, dice, trivia, and word games. The site offers a native app and a great mobile site, so you can play with or without downloads. Using the site across devices is easy, and claiming its available offers is even easier.
If you’re looking for something different from skill gaming sites, then you might want to check out Skillz. To do so, click the on-page banners to get started.
You can play up to 400+ games, including puzzles, cards, board games, sports, trivia, and arcade games, among many others.
Yes, you can. The site features a native app and is also fully mobile-optimized.
Skillz supports real money gaming and transactions. However, it also supports gameplay via free virtual currencies.
