The badges
Every way a game can charge you
Each game in the guide gets badges for how it makes money. Open any badge to see what you're actually buying, how it works, when it's fine and what to watch for.
Pay clearly, know the ceiling
You know what you are paying for before you pay, and there is a limit to what the game can take.
Fine if you understand it
Reasonable on its own, but it can tip into overspending or overplaying if nobody is paying attention.
Built to push spending
Commonly designed to make you spend or play more than you would choose: pressure, friction you can pay to remove, or prices you can't easily see.
Chance, compulsion or exploitation
Built around chance, compulsion or exploiting players: paid randomness, gambling-like loops, or money that can leave the game.
How you pay
Price-tag badges describe the business model: what the money is actually for.
Fair
Pay once (premium)
You pay one price up front and the whole game is yours to play.
28 games in the guide →Shareware and free demos
Play the first part for free; pay only if you want the rest.
2 games in the guide →Expansion packs
More of a game you already own, in its own box, for a known price.
3 games in the guide →Watch
Paid DLC and season passes
The game is sold in slices: pay again for maps, characters, chapters or cosmetics.
7 games in the guide →Deluxe editions, pre-orders and re-releases
The same game sold in a pricier edition, ahead of release, or again as a re-release.
22 games in the guide →Early access and crowdfunding
You pay now for a game that is still being made.
Explainer →Monthly subscription (one game)
You pay every month to keep playing one online world.
6 games in the guide →Subscription to play online
You pay a yearly fee just to play online with the game you already own.
5 games in the guide →Game library subscription
One monthly fee gets you access to a catalogue of games you don't own.
10 games in the guide →Cloud streaming
The game runs on a company's computer and is streamed to your screen.
Explainer →Licence, not a copy (game-key cards)
You buy the right to play, not a copy you can keep.
Explainer →Pay per play (arcade credits)
You put in a coin or a credit every time you want a turn.
3 games in the guide →Cosmetic-only purchases
The game is free or fully fair to play, and you pay only for looks.
15 games in the guide →Caution
Pay by the hour (time-billed)
The clock is running, and you are paying for every minute you're connected.
Explainer →Free-to-play with in-app purchases
The game costs nothing to start, then sells you things inside it.
26 games in the guide →Battle pass / season pass
You buy a ticket for a season, then earn the rewards by playing against the clock.
18 games in the guide →Ad-supported (free with ads)
The game is free because advertisers pay for your attention.
6 games in the guide →Player-built worlds and platform currency
Players make the games, and everyone pays in the platform's own currency.
4 games in the guide →Real-money trading and token exchanges
Players, or the publisher, swap in-game items and currency for real money.
7 games in the guide →Harmful
Loot boxes (paid random items)
You pay for a mystery box and hope it holds what you wanted.
13 games in the guide →Gacha (paid random pulls)
You pay for a random pull at a character, and the best ones are rare on purpose.
4 games in the guide →Play-to-earn, crypto and NFT games
You buy in, play, and are promised tokens you can cash out.
1 game in the guide →Techniques
Hooked badges describe the mechanics a game uses to keep players paying or playing. One game can use many.
Watch
Daily rewards, streaks and pressure to return
The game rewards you for turning up every day and nags you when you don't.
12 games in the guide →Starter packs and first-purchase bonuses
A cheap, too-good-to-miss first purchase that gets you to open your wallet for the first time.
9 games in the guide →Rewarded ads ('watch to continue')
Watch an ad to keep going, get an extra life or double your reward.
2 games in the guide →Collect-them-all pressure
The set is never quite complete, and finishing it costs more.
15 games in the guide →Caution
Content held back for sale
Part of the game feels missing, and you can buy it back.
4 games in the guide →Virtual currency (gems, coins, credits)
You swap real money for gems, coins or points first, and prices are then shown in those instead of dollars.
31 games in the guide →Energy and wait timers
The game makes you stop or wait, then sells you the way round it.
10 games in the guide →Limited-time offers and FOMO
If you don't buy or play it before the timer runs out, it's gone.
21 games in the guide →Manufactured scarcity and grind
Good things are made rare or slow to earn so you'll pay to skip the grind.
8 games in the guide →Difficulty tuned to make you pay
The game is made hard or easy on purpose to get you to spend.
Explainer →Pay-to-win power
Players who spend get stronger than players who don't.
6 games in the guide →Pity timers and guaranteed pulls
If you keep paying for random pulls, the game eventually promises you the prize.
4 games in the guide →Built around 'whales' (heavy spenders)
Most players pay nothing, so the game is built to find the few who will pay a lot.
2 games in the guide →Social pressure (gifting, guilds, asking friends)
The game uses your friends, family or team to keep you playing and paying.
8 games in the guide →One-tap purchases and dark patterns
Buying takes a single tap, with no password and little chance to think.
Explainer →Aimed at children (parents' cards)
The audience is children, and the money comes from a parent's card.
1 game in the guide →Intrusive ads between rounds
Full-screen ads pop up after every round, whether you want them or not.
Explainer →Built never to end
The game has no end because it makes money while you keep playing.
20 games in the guide →Always-online requirements and kill switches
The game needs the company's servers to work, so it can be switched off.
15 games in the guide →Data harvesting (the game as a sensor)
The game quietly records what you do and sells or uses it.
4 games in the guide →Players build it, the platform keeps the cut
Kids make the games, and the company keeps most of the money.
1 game in the guide →Harmful
Slot-machine mechanics (variable rewards)
The game pays out at random, with near-misses and big wins dangled in front of you, like a slot machine.
4 games in the guide →Skin betting and third-party gambling sites
Game items worth real money are used as chips on outside gambling sites.
3 games in the guide →