Baldur's Gate 3
FairA$100.28
Addictive design
Deluxe editions, pre-orders and re-releasesSubscription to play onlinePay once (premium)
Raid: Shadow Legends
Released July 2018 Developer Plarium
A dark-fantasy collection RPG in which you summon hundreds of Champions, equip them with gear and send a squad into turn-based battles across a story campaign, dungeons, boss fights, a PvP arena and clan content. It is played on phones and PC and is aimed at older teens and adults who enjoy building and upgrading a roster.
Money health
HarmfulChance, compulsion or exploitation
Addictive design
Very high5 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price
Freefree to download
Spending ceiling
No ceilingRepeat purchases, no limit
How it makes money
Harmful: chance, compulsion or exploitation
The game is free, and early on it is generous, but money is the way past the slow later stages: Champions come from random 'shard' summons, and story and dungeon stages cost Energy. The Australian App Store sells packs from A$1.49 (Rookie Pack) up to A$79.99 (Extra Savings Pack), and its listing shows only ten items, so bigger bundles may exist. TheGamer reported a steady stream of pop-up offers with countdown timers, and critics have called the monetisation aggressive and pay-to-win. A 2019 analysis by Pocket Gamer found most players could enjoy the game without spending, but said its layered design encourages heavy spenders.
How you pay
- Free-to-play
Free on mobile and PC. App Store packs run from A$1.49 (Rookie Pack) to A$79.99 (Extra Savings Pack), and Apple lists only ten items.
- Gacha
Champions are summoned from shards (Ancient, Void, Sacred and others). Apple lists the app as containing loot boxes and Plarium says it contains 'in-game purchases (including random items)'.
Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing
- Game currency
Gems are the premium currency and can be converted to silver, Energy, arena tokens and boosts, so real prices are not shown per item.
- Wait or pay
Campaign and dungeon stages cost Energy, which can be refilled with Gems.
- Pay to win
Purchases bring stronger Champions and gear faster; TheGamer (2020) called the monetisation 'the epitome of pay to win' and Gamezebo said progress is hard without spending.
- FOMO timers
TheGamer reported frequent pop-up pack offers with countdown timers, sometimes several in a row when leaving a screen.
- Collect all
Steam describes 800+ playable Champions, each with its own rarity and gear to chase.
minor part of the game - Starter pack
Pocket Gamer's 2019 analysis described a one-per-player US$10 starter pack as particularly good value, followed by a US$30 daily pack and US$100 shard bundles.
minor part of the game - Daily pressure
Free Mystery shards were granted every eight hours in 2019, and a paid daily pack dropped shards and rewards each day for a week.
minor part of the game - Social nudges
Clans unlock co-operative content such as the Clan Boss, and the clan grind is where deeper monetisation pressure shows up, according to Pocket Gamer.
minor part of the game - Whale design
Pocket Gamer's 2019 analysis said Plarium's layered design encourages players to spend big, with the game already a top-grossing title in several regions.
minor part of the game
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
What it costs
Free to start, then A$1.49–A$79.99 a purchase
| What | Where | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rookie Pack Smallest pack listed |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS ↗ | A$1.49 | Oct 2026 |
| Extra Savings Pack Largest pack shown; the page lists only ten items |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS ↗ | A$79.99 | Oct 2026 |
Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.
Reviews from across the web
What the critics said
MixedSteam
player reviews
player reviews
-
70/ 100
Multiplayer.it ↗
An Italian review that called it a pretty solid game with beautiful graphics.
Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.
Age ratings
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes). They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the badges above are for. About rating boards
Safety & parental controls
Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?
- Text chat
- Players can interact with strangers
- Contains user-made content (not pre-checked by the developer)
- Account: not recorded
Clans and the PvP arena put players in touch with strangers, and Apple's listing declares 'messaging and chat' and 'user-generated content' (clan names and chat). Plarium's site shows a 13+ age label, 18+ in Brazil. The game is very heavily advertised by online creators; purchases are made through the App Store, Google Play, Steam, Epic or Microsoft Store, so use their spending limits.
Platforms & release
Where you can play it
| Platform | Released | Store |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC Also on Plarium Play, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store; the Steam release was 9 January 2024. |
21 January 2020 | Store page ↗ |
| Mac Via Plarium Play; requires macOS Monterey 12 or later. |
— | — |
| iPhone and iPad | July 2018 | Store page ↗ |
| Android phones and tablets | July 2018 | — |
Further reading
- Official website ↗
- Pocket Gamer: How does Raid: Shadow Legends monetise? (2019) ↗
- TheGamer: Raid: Shadow Legends is bad (2020) ↗
- Raid: Shadow Legends on Wikipedia ↗
- Raid: Shadow Legends official site ↗
- Wikipedia ↗
Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, apps.apple.com, itunes.apple.com, store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, plarium.com, www.metacritic.com, www.pocketgamer.biz, www.thegamer.com. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.