pay-to-win

Pay-to-win describes a game where spending real money gives players an advantage over those who don’t pay. It’s almost always a complaint.

What makes a game pay-to-win

The line most players draw is between looks and power. Buying a cosmetic skin that changes how your character looks is generally accepted. Buying stronger weapons, faster progress or better stats is pay-to-win, because it lets wallets beat skill. Wikipedia’s definition is simple: a game counts as pay-to-win when paying players can gain any advantage over non-paying ones.

It’s often shortened to P2W, and it’s most associated with free-to-play and mobile games built around microtransactions and loot boxes.

Examples

• “I quit that game once it went pay-to-win.”
• “Skins only, no stat boosts, so it’s not P2W.”
• “You can’t compete in ranked unless you buy the premium cards. Total pay-to-win.”
• “The best gear is locked behind a paywall.”

A famous backlash

In November 2017, hours before launch, EA switched off microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront II after players complained they gave paying players unfair advantages, as TechCrunch reported. EA’s earlier Reddit reply defending the system became the most downvoted comment in Reddit history, recognised by Guinness World Records.

Related terms

• Nerf: to weaken something in a game.
• Noob: a beginner.
• Sweaty: playing far too seriously.
• Smurf: a skilled player on a new account.

Find more gamer talk in our gaming slang dictionary.