If you have an Android phone, you probably get all your game and app downloads from Google Play. After all, Android is Google’s operating system, and most Android phones nowadays come preloaded with dozens of Google apps. While Google Play is definitely the biggest Android app store out there, there is another way. I’m talking about Amazon, and specifically Amazon Underground.
If you’ve ever had a Fire tablet or anything, you know that Amazon has its own app store. That’s not what I’m here to tell you about though, as I’m here to talk specifically about Amazon Underground. Amazon Underground is a subsection of the Amazon app store that offers games and apps completely for free in exchange for adding advertisements to the games. When I say completely free, I mean completely free, as Amazon Underground apps let you buy any in-app purchase you want as many times as you want without actually spending any money.
How Does Amazon Underground Work?
Amazon Underground is an opt-in program where developers can offer their games and apps for free. The way it works is that Amazon adds in ads to previously-paid games (and adds in more ads to previously-free games) to offset the price cut. Then, Amazon pays the developer based on how much time people are spending in the game or app.
Since in-app purchases also become free, this also forces game developers to design their games more thoughtfully. If you have a pay-to-win game that immediately becomes boring once you have everything, people aren’t gonna spend a lot of time in it so you won’t make much money. On the other hand, if you develop a deep game with all sorts of replayability, you might make more money releasing it for free on Amazon Underground than you would by releasing it for 99 cents or so.
What’s The Catch?
The only catch is that you’ll have to put up with more ads than usual. Some people would rather pay any amount of money than be forced to watch ads, while others are more than happy to slog through ads if it means they don’t have to pay money. In other words, if you get really frustrated with in-game ads, Amazon Underground games probably aren’t for you. On the other hand, if you’re broke and don’t mind watching ads, Amazon Underground might be a dream-come-true for you.
If you think Amazon Underground is for you, just follow this link on your phone and it will take you to the download. If you already have the Amazon app, follow that link anyways since it unlocks the Underground store on your device. Once you’re in, just browse around and try whatever you want. You don’t have to pay a penny to download mobile games and apps free on Amazon Underground, so you have nothing to lose.
