Want to win $500 worth of coffee? Starbucks is rolling out a new mobile game

Michelle Gant
·2 min read

Starbucks fans will soon have a new way to earn even more rewards from their favorite coffee chain.

On Tuesday, the company announced the release of its first augmented reality game. Called Starland, the game will be similar to the wildly popular Pokémon Go craze that made its debut a few years back — let's just hope this version results in fewer real-life injuries.

To play Starland, people first have to sign up for Starbucks Rewards program, download the app and make sure they have a working camera on their smartphone. Over the next month, the coffee chain says it will be giving away 2.5 million different prizes through the game.

Starbucks is rolling out its first augmented reality game, Starland, on March 13. (Starbucks)
Starbucks is rolling out its first augmented reality game, Starland, on March 13. (Starbucks)

Starting Friday, March 13, every Starbucks Rewards member will have the chance to play the game up to two times a day. Each game will give players an opportunity to win something, whether it’s a smaller prize, like a raffle ticket you can put toward a grand prize, or an instant win worth real money.

So how does it work? When players open the game, they will see floating stars in their surroundings (you don't have to be in a Starbucks store) through the phone’s camera. Stars may change positions as players shift their phones around. Catching the stars will give players the chance to win various prizes, including free drinks for an entire year, the ability to earn triple stars (Starbucks Rewards points), free breakfast for a year, a $500 Starbucks gift card or 15,000 stars — which is about 100 Starbucks drinks or about 75 lunch items.

Instant prizes include free brewed coffee, a free pastry and 150 bonus stars.

This isn’t the first time the coffee chain has given customers the chance to win free Starbucks via gaming.

Starbucks Summer Game (which was not an augmented reality experience) returned last August for the fourth year. It allowed Starbucks Rewards members the chance to win up to 2 million prizes, including a grand prize trip to Costa Rica.

Food

For the past several years, the company has also run a Starbucks for Life sweepstakes around the holidays.

As with the chain's previous games, Starland lets customers earn plays when they spend money at participating Starbucks locations in the U.S. and Canada.

If you want to get in on the action but aren’t a Starbucks Rewards member yet, you can sign up for free on the chain's website. But do it soon because the Starland game ends April 8.