Share trading games to master your craft

Share trading can be a great way earn some extra money and invest for the future, but it can also be risky if you're new to the stock market. With so much conflicting information on which stocks to buy, it can be hard to know where to start.

That’s where share trading games can be a great resource. Many of these games stimulate the stock market so that users can practice trading using virtual money.

This way, you can learn how to develop an investment strategy without putting any of your own money on the line. Practice makes perfect!

Once you're ready to start, take a look at our share trading comparison table to find an account that suits you.

Share Trading Account Offer

IG Share Trading Offer

AUD 5

Active trader brokerage - Australian shares

Share Trading Account Offer

Competitive broker fees on Australian shares, international shares, forex and CFD trading.

• Brokerage - AU shares: From AUD 5 or 0.05%
• Brokerage - US shares: USD 0
• Sign-up process: Instant
• Support - After hours: Yes

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Important: Share trading carries risk of capital loss.

How do share trading games work?

Most share trading games offer a real-time simulation of stock market investing. These games provide you with a set budget, for example $50,000, of pretend money. You can then use these virtual dollars to “buy” your very own portfolio of shares.

Share trading games can teach you how to research companies, place different trade orders, build an investment strategy and minimise losses.

However, it’s important to understand that these can never truly imitate the real deal. Your appetite for risk and willingness to accept losses will always be different when your hard-earned cash is on the line.

It’s also worth pointing out that successful sharemarket strategies often take several years to produce the desired results, which is a far beyond the timeframe of many share trading games.

What online share trading games are available?

The following games are a selection of online share trading games based on different markets and available to Australians.

1. ASX Sharemarket Game

This is one of one of Australia's most well-known share trading games. The ASX Sharemarket Game is open to all members of the public including school students.

Players are given a virtual AUD$50,000 to invest in 200 companies listed on the ASX – with company prices mirroring real live market prices and a standard brokerage fee per trade.

The game runs for 15 weeks between August 1 and November 13 and you can set up a league to compete against family and friends. An online portfolio allows you to monitor your stocks and at the end of the competition, cash prizes are available to the three competitors with the most valuable portfolios.

2. StockWatch Trading

StockWatch Trading gives you a budget of AUD$50,000 which you can use to manage your own fantasy share portfolio. The game is free and aims to offer an experience as similar to real-life trading as possible.

The game allows you to buy and sell shares, keep a record of your trades and your share portfolio, test out trading strategies and see how your performance stacks up against other traders. Instead of determining the leading trader based on the value of their portfolio, StockWatch Trading uses a points system based on good share trading practices.

3. Investopedia Stock Simulator

Although not based on the ASX, the Investopedia Stock Simulator is another free share trading game designed to give you a taste of sharemarket investing. Players are given a virtual budget of US$100,000 to invest and can compete with more than 700,000 other traders from around the world.

You can join or create challenges to test your skills against other investors, such as who can achieve the best investment results each day.

4. Wall Street Survivor

Another game based on the US market rather than the ASX, Wall Street Survivor is nonetheless worth a look for Australian investors. It gives competitors a budget of US$100,000 to invest in whichever stocks they like.

Features include simple-to-understand stock ratings and advice, a huge resource library and tips on company research. It’s a very useful educational tool if you’re looking to find out more about investing in stocks.

5. ASX Options Trading Game

This free simulation game run in collaboration with the ASX is for anyone wanting to hone their skills in options trading. Although trading options is an added challenge to regular share trading, the ASX Options Trading Game is suitable for both beginners and advanced traders.

When you sign up, you're given $50,000 of virtual cash to play with and a four-week period to maximise your funds and get your name on the leaderboard. If you're curious about what trading options can get you, the game's last winner made $167,000 in four weeks, compared to $71,222 in the regular ASX sharemarket game (September 2019).

The options game is run four times a year and it's a terrific resource for new and old investors or if you're just interested in taking your trading strategy to the next level.

What are the benefits of using share trading games?

1. 1. • Learn how to trade. Share trading games allow you to gain an understanding of how the sharemarket works, and how you can buy and sell shares to generate wealth.
      • No money at risk. Share trading games let you gain trading experience without actually investing any of your own money. This means that you won’t end up out of pocket if you make a mistake.
      • Put theory into practice. Share trading games allow you to put some of your trading ideas and investment strategies into practice without exposing yourself to any risk.

What are the risks involved?

1. 1. • Never the same as the real world. Despite their benefits, playing a share trading game is never the same as investing in real life. Your appetite for risk and overall investment strategy is always going to be different when you’re not actually risking any of your own money.
      • Short-term. Many share trading games only run for a limited period, for example 10 weeks, which is not enough time to get a full understanding of how the stock market works.

Ready to try the real deal? Compare share trading accounts below

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Name	Product	Standard brokerage fee	Inactivity fee	Markets	International
IG Share Trading Finder Award		AUD 8	AUD 50 per quarter if you make fewer than three trades in that period	ASX shares, Global shares, Forex, CFDs, Margin trading	Yes	$0 brokerage for US and global shares plus get an active trader discount of $5 commission on Australian shares. Enjoy some of the lowest brokerage fees on the market when trading Australian shares, international shares, forex and CFDs, plus get access to 24-hour customer support.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
eToro Share Trading (US stocks) Finder Award		USD 0	USD 10 per month if there’s been no login for 12 months	Forex, CFDs, US shares	Yes	Zero brokerage share trading on US stocks with trades as low as $50. Note: This broker offers CFDs which are volatile investment products and most clients lose money trading CFDs with this provider. Join the world’s biggest social trading network when you trade stocks, commodities and forex from the one account.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Superhero share trading		AUD 5	No	ASX shares, ETFs	No	Pay zero brokerage on all Australian ETFs. Trade ASX stocks with a flat $5 commission fee and a low minimum investment of just $100.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Bell Direct Share Trading Finder Award		AUD 15	No	ASX shares, Options trading, mFunds, ETFs, Warrants	No	Invest in Australian shares, options and managed funds from the one account with no inactivity fee. Bell Direct offers a one-second placement guarantee on market-to-limit ASX orders or your trade is free, plus enjoy extensive free research reports from top financial experts.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
CMC Markets Stockbroking Finder Award		AUD 11	No	ASX shares, Global shares, Forex, CFDs, Options trading, mFunds, ETFs, Warrants	Yes	$0 brokerage on global shares including US, UK and Japan markets. Trade up to 9,000 products, including shares, managed funds, forex, commodities and cryptocurrencies, plus access up to 15 major global and Australian stock exchanges.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
SelfWealth Share Trading (Basic account)		AUD 9.5	No	ASX shares, US shares	Yes	Trade ASX and US shares for a flat fee of $9.50, regardless of the trade size. New customers receive free access to Community Insights with SelfWealth Premium for the first 90 days. Follow other investors and benchmark your portfolio performance.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
ANZ Share Investing		AUD 19.95	No	ASX shares, Global shares, Options trading, mFunds, ETFs, Warrants	Yes	Earn 1 Qantas Point per AU$3 spent on brokerage fees on certain instruments. Access Morningstar reports, company announcements and and live pricing via ANZ’s share investing platform. Available for desktop and mobile.	More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Westpac Online Investing Account		AUD 19.95	USD 63.50 per year on the global markets account	ASX shares, Global shares, Options trading, ETFs	Yes	More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Important: Share trading can be financially risky and the value of your investment can go down as well as up. “Standard brokerage” fee is the cost to trade $1,000 or less of ASX-listed shares and ETFs without any qualifications or special eligibility. If ASX shares aren’t available, the fee shown is for US shares. Where both CHESS sponsored and custodian shares are offered, we display the cheapest option.

Some commonly asked questions about share trading games

• Do I invest real money in a share trading game?

  No. These games are played using “virtual” money.

• Are there rules about which stocks I can buy?

  Yes, but rules differ between games. For example, the ASX Sharemarket Game allows players to “purchase” shares in ASX200 companies.

• In the ASX Sharemarket Game, can I invest all of my budget in one company?

  No. Individual share purchases are not allowed to exceed more than 25 per cent of the total value of your portfolio.

• Is there a game available for school students?

  Yes. The ASX runs two of its Sharemarket Games specifically for Australian school students each year.

• How else can I get a taste of share market investing?

  Some online share trading platforms offer a free demo account for a trial period, allowing you to test out the features of their platform without actually spending any money.

If you’re new to investing, share trading games are a useful tool to help you learn the basics of buying and selling shares. Start researching share trading games today to find a game that will help you build your investment knowledge.