9 Best Gaming Affiliate Programs: Insights and Lessons for Success 

As of 2023, the gaming industry is valued at over $200 billion and is expected to continue rising to $300 billion by 2025. 

This massive rise indicates a projected increase of people tuning in and joining the gaming community as potential ‘customers.’

It’s good news if you are in the gaming niche business. The more attractive the industry becomes, the more you can capitalize on the public’s growing interest in it to boost your company’s revenue.  

While you might not have had any experience working with trusted affiliates, this review guide will expose the nine best programs that tell you why they’re so worth the shot. 

The 9 Best Gaming Affiliate Programs: Best Picks and Key Takeaways

We’ve already established how massive the gaming industry is. With millions of active customers worldwide, there’s enough room to grow your business.

However, this also means more competition. So, how will you tap into that global fanbase without doing everything by yourself?  

Our top nine affiliate programs show you the tricks of the trade, with an emphasis on partnering with a reliable gaming affiliate marketer for online success.  

Let’s dive in. 

1. CardTrader Affiliate Program

When we worked with CardTrader to design their affiliate program, our goal was to capitalize on their unique features and build something truly distinctive in the trading card marketplace.

Enter CTZero, a program which allows buyers to purchase cards from various sellers and consolidate them in a single shipment, and lowering the shipping costs. 

Instead of offering several tiny incentives that might lead to other equally tiny orders, the program actually allows sellers to spend more. A collector looking for 5 cards to complete a set could get 1 from Europe, 2 from Asia, and 2 from Africa in one shipment and receive all 5 at the same time.

They place one order, don’t need to worry about the logistics, and even get a discount on their order. Talk about a win-win affiliate program.

Oh, and it’s not just CardTrader and buyers who win, actually. Sellers can make a killing as well since they don’t have to worry about the logistics of international shipping. CTZero gives them easy access to a global marketplace where they can sell their cards hassle-free.

Key Takeaways from CardTrader

• The best programs should ensure most of their customers can benefit from it in some way, even if they don’t directly get money in return for spending/referring new clients.
• Allowing bulk purchases delivered at once encourages international collectors and resellers to buy more.
• There’s no shortage of dedicated players and card collectors. Having a one-stop-shop platform where they can trade fosters great brand loyalty. 

2. Razer Affiliate Program 

There’s a high chance all passionate gamers worldwide know of Razer. It’s a top-grade lifestyle brand offering various products for all gaming needs. They sell laptops, gaming chairs, accessories, apparel, and custom options for added personality. 

Razer’s affiliate program is a standout example of tiered commissions, offering up to 12% to attract affiliates. 

With easy-to-use marketing assets like banners and text links, Razer simplifies promotion for its partners and appeals to influencers and content creators with niche audiences. Plus, a low payout threshold of $50 via PayPal ensures payments are hassle-free. 

Key Takeaways from Razer

• Offering clear, tiered commission structures and practical promotional tools combined with a strong brand identity draws in avid gaming fans.
• Product diversification through a variety of collections helps you stay relevant.
• Community engagement through quality affiliates fosters customer loyalty and repeat sales.  

3. Twitch Affiliate Program

Twitch is like a digital hangout space for gamers. Interested affiliates can live stream video games and esports while talking to their audience in real time.  

It offers vast monetization opportunities with loads of excellent features for community building. Affiliates in this space are known to deliver high-quality and engaging streams that get people talking online.

As of this writing, Twitch requires its affiliates to have at least 50 followers, eight hours of streaming across seven different days, and an average of three viewers to qualify. 

Commission Rate: 5 to 50% per sale

Key Takeaways from Twitch 

• Partnering with trusted streamers is an excellent way to tap into niche audiences.
• Consistency and authenticity in sharing expertise or product knowledge builds trust and a loyal following. 
• There’s a high potential for monetizing engagement through subscriptions, tips, and purchases. 

4. Green Man Gaming Affiliate Program

Green Man Gaming keeps it simple with a 2-5% commission on multi-platform game sales. The company sells a vast collection of video games, including indie and AAA releases.

Affiliates worldwide benefit from tools like banners and exclusive offers, while real-time analytics foster transparency and trust. With the industry’s popularity and loyal customers, you increase the chance of attracting more organic traffic to your blog, gaming website, social media, or YouTube channel.  

Key Takeaways from Green Man Gaming

• Focusing on a niche helps you narrow your customer demographic and what they value most in your products.
• There are a lot of content types you can make around video games to fit all types of social media platforms.  
• Many top-performing gaming affiliates love video games, making their content authentic and more engaging. 

5. Logitech Affiliate Program 

Logitech is one of the most globally popular names in today’s list. It enjoys a consistently high customer satisfaction rating and is known for its wide product selection. 

The brand’s mice & keyboard accessories are among the best sellers, but you’ll also find their speakers, webcams, headsets, controllers, and other high-quality gaming accessories in demand. 

It’s one of the most competitive programs but one that’s highly profitable for affiliates who drive sales. Commission rates range from 4% to 10%, depending on the product category, offering a great example of tiered incentives. A 30-day cookie window gives affiliates plenty of time to earn from their referrals.

Key Takeaways from Logitech

• Multi-channel campaigns through affiliate marketing, esports events, and social media drive sustainable industry partnerships. 
• Investing in influencer marketing to generate buzz helps strengthen brand presence.
• Paying attention to customer data is a primary step before rolling out campaigns. 

6. SecretLab Affiliate Program

SecretLab is a trusted seller of premium gaming chairs and ergonomic products with exceptional design and durability. 

It’s an excellent program for content creators, influencers, and website owners to earn up to 12% per sale by promoting these goods to their followers.

A key factor we like about its affiliate program is a supportive partner team that sets affiliates up for success. They give partners access to their product resources and analytics to track clicks, conversions, and real-time earnings. 

Partner marketers can also use SecretLab’s pre-made, professionally designed banners and images to promote the products on their platform. 

Key Takeaways from SecretLab 

• Partnering with trusted gaming, esports, and pop culture brands helps build your niche authority.
• Repurposing website content for social media sharing drives more visitors to your site. 

7. Epic Games Affiliate Program

Think Fortnite, Rocket League, or Infinity Blade – all brainchildren of Epic Games. It’s the highest name among the top gaming affiliate programs.

It has a wide product range and flexible earning potential with its time-limited special promotions and revenue sharing. 

With its solid branding and global audience, Epic Games has stricter affiliate eligibility requirements. Interested partners should at least have 1,000 followers from major platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, etc. Commision rates start at 5% and can go as high as 12%.

Key Takeaways from Epic Games 

• Influencers and celebrity partnerships drive more attention to your brand. 
• Fostering community engagement through online forums and feedback channels is an effective way to gather improvement suggestions and discuss game updates. 

8. Amazon Associates

While not exclusive to gaming products, Amazon Associates deserves a spot for its global reach and brand trust.  

Amazon is also big on seasonal sales events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, which often see a surge in customer purchases. Affiliates can capitalize on these programs to promote gaming accessories, console games, and other products gaming enthusiasts will be interested in. 

The platform also allows its affiliates to customize text links, banners, and widgets tailored for specific categories. They can also earn up to 10% per sale.

Key Takeaways from Amazon Associates

• Providing user-friendly tools that partner marketers can use for free helps with brand style consistency.
• Leveraging cross-selling potential across product categories maximizes revenue potential. 

9. GameFly Affiliate Program

GameFly is one of the trendy video game affiliate programs focusing on rental services. It’s great for targeting cost-conscious players who are interested in trying new games but aren’t ready to purchase. 

Its extensive library gives affiliates enough room to promote products like new releases, classic titles, and multi-platform items like new console games. 

GameFly’s free trial promotion is also a great selling factor that helps attract potential subscribers. 

They offer affiliates 5 to 10% new per sign-up and 10% per sale, ensuring they incentivize both the expansion of their userbase and revenue.

Key Takeaways from GamerFly

• Rentals have a low entry barrier for customers, encouraging them to invest in high-end games without the upfront cost. 
• Rentals are a low-risk, low-commitment option that has better conversion potential from affiliate recommendations. 

Gaming Affiliate Programs: The Basics

Think of these affiliate programs as your partnership deals with industry influencers. They help you promote your products and services by sharing them with their followers and subscribers. 

You’ll find value in affiliate marketing if you’re among the following:

• Game developers
• Console manufacturers
• Gaming accessory sellers  

You don’t even have to ship bulk items to your affiliates. They will only need unique tracking codes or links to share with their audience across social media, websites, blogs, and streaming channels. 

Affiliates earn by commissions, so you don’t get stuck in a fixed, dollar figure contract without a sales guarantee. 

5 Tips to Succeed in Gaming Affiliate Marketing

We’ve established gaming as a profitable niche, but increasing your company revenue will take time and strategic execution to bag those game sales. 

Before partnering with affiliates, consider doing the following:

Learn About Gamer Psychology 

What is the mindset of a gamer? Delve into their preferences, gaming patterns, and preferred platforms. 

Are they mobile gamers or hardcore PC gaming enthusiasts? Knowing these details will simplify your content creation strategies, ensuring you create materials that fit the platform they love to engage. This also narrows your options to affiliates who know enough about your products. 

Opt for Lucrative Affiliate Partnerships

Landing lucrative partnerships is a surefire way to increase your revenue. Offer programs with attractive commissions, clear payment terms, and a broad collection of gaming products and services.

Pay attention to the following:

• Established influencers offering collaborative opportunities.
• Affiliate marketers with sufficient knowledge of the industry and your brand.
• Professional credibility as supported by peer reviews and recommendations.  

Create High-Quality, Attractive Gaming Content

We’re emphasizing this factor because the cornerstone of your affiliate marketing success is compelling content. 

You can’t earn if you don’t convince your audience to purchase the goods based on what you share on your platform. 

Here are a few tips to help you:

• Develop captivating and informative materials to engage your audience while promoting affiliate products.
• Experiment with different content formats like blogs, vlogs, and live streams.
• Incorporate storytelling to enhance relatability. Having first-hand experience with the product you’re promoting is always an advantage.  
• Provide honest product evaluations to build trust. 

Use SEO and Social Media 

Spend some time doing keyword research to find relevant gaming and affiliate marketing terminologies. Use leading platforms like TikTok and Instagram to distribute your content.

Make Strategic Brand Alliances

Connections matter in affiliate marketing. Start cultivating strong partnerships with game developers, publishers, and affiliate managers for some cross-selling opportunities. 

This can help you gain access to exclusive deals and promotional ventures to widen your campaign’s reach.

Networking can also yield market insights and feedback, positioning you better against competitors. 

Partner With Affiliates to Grow Your Business – We’ll Guide the Way! 

Launching a successful affiliate program can be a game-changer for your business. By partnering with the right affiliates, you can expand your reach, drive more traffic, and boost revenue. 
Book a meeting with our Vivian Agency experts, and let’s design a program that fits your business model!