How to get and win free games (giveaways and more)

I had a message asking me how did I win Call of Duty Vanguard Ultimate Edition, and it got me thinking about what advice I can give to people that want to win or receive free games. I've probably won over 30 or so games in the past few years, like Final Fantasy 7, Fallout 76, Alien Fireteam Elite, COD Modern Warfare, Cold War, Kingdom Hearts 3, the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, Outbreak, and a lot of others.

So, how can you do it?

1. Social media. Twitter is probably the best place to try, though Instagram and Facebook do have giveaways, but I'm just not on those much. Mostly you just have to retweet, but sometimes you'll have to go to gleam or a website. Always check who is doing the giveaway, because some will take giveaways to get followers, and in some cases sell their Twitter handle to someone (this is done so a person can instantly gain a lot of followers).

Follow streamers and influencer for gaming. They get free codes to give out. Check out smaller streamers to have a better chance to win. They'll do giveaways in their streams, and sometimes people that win won't want the codes, and gives you a chance to get multiple games.

Even if you don't win, be nice and polite to everyone. Don't beg for codes or be rude to anyone doing giveaways. Streamers and Influencer talk to each other, and it will get you banned from multiple people and could even get you banned off social media sites.

Also follow gaming companies and their employees. Xbox's Major Nelson does a weekly giveaway, mostly on Fridays, where you can win 2-3 games and other prizes (though I have yet to win). I've only seen people from Xbox do giveaways (like Aaron Greenburg, and, when he worked for Xbox, Mike Ybarra (who I did win a game from). If you know any Nintendo or PlayStation employees that do giveaways let me know.

2. Playtesting. This can be a bit harder to get in, but once you do, you can get a lot of games, and even money. I have one company that has given me a lot of games, and another one that pays me for each Playtest (if I qualify). Search the web for any company that does Playtesting (EA and 2K for example), and sign up on the site. It could take months for you to hear anything, but check the site weekly for any updates or Playtest to sign up for. Remember you have to sign a non disclosure agreement and can't talk about any of the games you test. If you do you will be banned, and possibly be subject to a lawsuit.

The biggest problem I have with Playtesting is time. Some can take 2 weeks to complete, and you have to put in 30+ hours of playtime and fill out very long surveys. You may even have to do a video chat with representatives from the survey company.

I hope this can help you out, and remember, be nice and follow the rules. You will probably lose a lot, but just keep trying.