Is Atlas Earth a Scam?

If you’re thinking of playing Atlas Earth, you need to know whether it’s safe. Is Atlas Earth a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Atlas Earth is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety when playing this game.

What Is Atlas Earth?

Atlas Earth is a location-based game that sells virtual land parcels, which are mapped to the real world.  

Participants purchase plots starting at $5, collect virtual rent every second, watch ads to boost earnings, and redeem cash when their balance reaches $5 through PayPal or gift cards.

Purchasing a parcel grants you a virtual license within the game, not actual ownership of real-world

Atlas Reality, the maker, says rent is not guaranteed and may change or pause. property.

The game was launched in 2020. 

Is Atlas Earth a Scam?

No, Atlas Earth is not a scam. It’s a legitimate location-based mobile game. However, for most users, it is likely not an effective way to earn money.

Multiple independent reviewers and consumer sites have evaluated the game and generally agree that it shouldn’t be viewed as a money-making opportunity.

For example, Paid from Surveys says that Atlas Earth is a legitimate and somewhat fun mobile game where you earn tiny amounts by “owning” virtual land, but the earnings are very slow and small. It’s okay for casual, patient players, but you shouldn’t expect to make much money or spend real money on it.

Similarly, The Budget Diet says Atlas Earth is technically legit and does pay out, but the earnings are extremely small, making it take months or even years to reach the $5 cash-out threshold. Overall, it concludes that the app is misleading and not worth using as a way to make real money.

User reviews of Atlas Earth are mixed: 

• 2.9 out of 5.0 stars (from 82 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (from 232,751 reviews) on Google Play.
• 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (from 78,605 reviews) on the App Store.

Positive reviews say the game is legit, enjoyable, and pays real money, but only if you’re patient or willing to invest effort/time. 

Some users mention that there’s a friendly, active community and ongoing updates.

Negative reviews say the app is buggy, slow to pay out, poorly supported, and designed to push spending. 

A number of users say it takes weeks or months to get enough Atlas Bucks for a single plot. 

Many mini-games are viewed as repetitive or unfair and some users report getting halfway or fully through surveys only to be told they’re disqualified with no reward.

On online forums like Reddit, people likewise report very varying experiences. 

Some call it a terrible investment once you do the math. 

Others argue that treating Atlas Earth like an investment is a mistake. At best, it’s a hobby that can cover “a coffee” or a tiny bill if you grind ads.

Atlas Reality, the maker of Atlas Earth, is not Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited at the time of writing.

The company has received three complaints on the BBB website over the last three years, with two of these complaints being closed within the past 12 months. The complaints center around account access failures, missing in-game rewards, loss of earnings, and poor customer service. 

Atlas Earth security

In its privacy policy, Atlas Earth provides a brief description of its security measures.

It says it uses a combination of administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. 

These measures include internal data management policies, employee training, access controls, encryption, and secure facilities for storing data.

Atlas Earth privacy 

Atlas Earth explains in its privacy policy the type of data it collects, why it collects it, and with whom it shares it.

It may collect the following personal information: 

• Identity information: Name, email, phone, address, and age/identity verification.
• Location data: Collected if you turn on location services. 
• Profile information: Username and profile picture.
• User-generated content: Posts, photos, videos, etc. 
• Communications: Emails, support chats, and SMS.
• Payment information: Collected via third-party payment providers.
• Preferences: Settings like language or display preferences.
• Device details: IP address, browser, OS, pages viewed, etc., often via cookies.
• Information collected from third parties: Login data from platforms like Google, Apple, Meta, information about your behavior on other sites/apps from advertisers and analytics partners, and transaction details from payment providers. 

The company may use your data to operate and provide the app/website, analyze usage and improve services, send service/support messages (e.g., account or purchase updates),  send marketing and show ads (based on your preferences), maintain security and detect fraud, and comply with laws.

Atlas Reality may share this information with service providers (hosting, payments, support, and security), advertisers (though only aggregate information), partner services integrated into the app (e.g., surveys), law enforcement or authorities (if required), and potential buyers if the company is involved in a sale or merger.

The company stores information only for as long as needed for the purposes listed.

Depending on where you live, you may be able to exercise privacy rights like the right to request access, correction, deletion, or portability of your information.  

So, Should You Use Atlas Earth?

Depends.

If you treat the app as entertainment rather than an investment, yes. It can provide small cash rewards and a sense of novelty. 

Atlas Earth is not suitable for people seeking quick profits or meaningful passive income.  Base earnings are minimal, and cashouts require a significant amount of time or money.  Individuals with limited budgets or those who are uncomfortable with targeted advertising and data collection may find better alternatives.

How to Use Atlas Earth Safely and Privately 

• Download the Atlas Earth app from an official app store. Such as the App Store or Google Play. 
• Compare returns (if you’re using Atlas Earth to make money). Weigh the tiny returns from virtual rent against bank savings accounts or cash‑back credit cards. Earnings from Atlas Earth are far lower than most high‑yield savings rates.
• Read the fees and purchase policies. Review the costs of parcels, in-app purchases, and any PayPal or Venmo fees before spending.  Understand that rent rates can be reduced or paused.
• Control your location data. Set location to “While Using App Only” rather than “Always,” so you aren’t tracked when the game is closed.
• Keep your identity private. Since your username and profile picture can be public, use a nickname instead of your real name and a non-identifying avatar (not a selfie).
• Be careful what you post. Anything posted in the community feed may be visible to all users, shared externally, and stored and reviewed by human moderators. 
• Turn off personalized ad tracking. Atlas (and partners) track your behavior across other apps/websites, so be sure to turn off personalized ad tracking.
• Don’t use social logins. Logging in with Apple, Google, or Meta shares your data with Atlas Earth and vice versa. It’s better to create a separate Atlas Earth account with an email and password.
• Review in-app settings. And max out your privacy settings. 
• Choose private payment methods. Like Apple Pay/Google Pay. Avoid saving your credit card in-app.