Guides / How Mobile Games Work
Is This Game Pay-to-Win? A 12-Point Test From Game Developers
ONI Games · Published
A free 12-question test that shows how pay-to-win a mobile game is before you spend money or weeks on it: what each warning sign means, how to check it in ten minutes and why games are built that way, from a studio that makes free games.
A game is pay-to-win when money buys power that counts against other players. Almost every free game sells something, so the real question is how much the money matters: whether paying saves you time, changes how you look or decides who wins. We make free games ourselves, and these are the twelve signs we would check before putting money or weeks into someone else's.
Quick answer: if you can buy power and that power counts in PvP, the game is pay-to-win. If money only saves time or buys looks, it is not. The test below scores everything in between, and you can take it in ten minutes from the store page and the first hour of play.
Pay-to-win, pay-to-skip or pay-for-looks
| Type | What money buys | Fair to free players? |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-for-looks | skins, themes and emotes with no stats | yes |
| Pay-to-skip | time: faster timers, extra speed, auto-collect | mostly, if the free pace is reasonable |
| Pay-to-progress | levels or content that free players reach much later | depends on how hard the wall is |
| Pay-to-win | power that counts against other players | no |
Whether other players are involved changes everything. In a single-player idle game, a paid boost only changes your own pace. In a game with an arena, a ranked ladder or guild wars, the same boost decides who beats whom, and the free players are the ones who lose.
Take the test
Answer from what you can see on the store page, in the first hour of play and in recent reviews. The explanations below tell you where to look for each sign.
The pay-to-win test
Tick everything that is true for the game. The score updates as you go.
The score adds up the warning signs, weighted by how much each one tilts the game toward paying players. Paid power plus PvP always ends in pay-to-win, whatever the rest says, because that is what the term means.
The 12 warning signs, explained
1. You can buy power
Look at the shop. Skins, frames and emotes are harmless; stat boosts, gear, heroes, levels and upgrade materials are power. How to check: open the shop in the first session and note what each tab sells. Why games do it: a small share of players pays for most of a free game, and power is what those players buy, as our guide to how free mobile games make money explains.
2. There is PvP where that power counts
Arenas, ranked ladders, guild wars and leaderboards with rewards all turn bought power into wins over other people. How to check: look for PvP buttons in the main menu and read what the top ranks win. If the only opponent is the game itself, sign 1 matters much less.
3. The best items come from paid random draws
Gacha summons, chests and card packs sell a chance, not an item. How to check: look for a summon screen and a premium currency that buys draws. The age rating gives it away too: PEGI marks such games with the note Paid random items, and ESRB with In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items). When we answered yes to that question for one of our own games, its rating went to 18+ in Brazil, M in Australia (Chance-Based In-Game Purchases) and USK 12 in Germany (Increased Incentives to Buy).
4. Drop rates are hidden or there is no pity
Google Play and Apple both require games to show the odds of paid random items before you buy. A fair gacha shows them clearly and adds a pity counter that guarantees a top item after a set number of draws. How to check: tap the rates or info button on the summon screen. Our guide to gacha pity and drop rates shows how to read them.
5. VIP levels grow with spending
VIP levels reward total spending with permanent bonuses: more energy, faster timers, extra daily rewards. Each level makes the next purchase feel more valuable, which is the point. How to check: look for a VIP badge next to your name or a VIP tab in the shop, and read what the higher levels give.
6. Energy stops you and refills are for sale
Energy or stamina limits how much you can play before you have to wait. That is not unfair by itself; selling the refills is what turns it into a tollbooth. How to check: count how many runs one full bar gives you and how long it takes to fill again. Our guide to energy systems explains the common designs.
7. Offers pop up by themselves
A starter pack at 80% off, a countdown at 23:59:59, an offer that appears right after you lose: these are timed to catch you at an emotional moment. PEGI now marks games whose purchases are only available for a limited time or in limited quantities with the note Time-limited offers, and rates them at least PEGI 12 unless spending is turned off by default. How to check: play for half an hour and count the offers you did not ask for.
8. Single purchases go up to $100
Packs of $49.99 to $99.99 exist for the few players who spend a lot, and they show that the game is tuned around big spenders. How to check: on Google Play, open About this game; the In-app purchases line shows the price range per item.
9. A wall in the first days that money removes
Every idle game and RPG slows down at some point; what matters is whether the free path continues. A wall in the first few days that only a purchase removes quickly, while free players wait a week, shows a game built to sell rather than to entertain. How to check: compare how fast you progress on day one and day three, and look for reviews that mention a wall or a paywall. Our guide to progression walls explains the difference between a design wall and a paywall.
10. Prices hide behind several currencies
Gems buy crystals, crystals buy tickets, tickets buy draws. Every step makes it harder to see what anything costs in real money. How to check: divide the price of the cheapest gem pack by the gems it gives, and you know what one gem is worth; do the same for every currency you meet.
11. The battle pass sells power
A battle pass is fair when its paid track adds cosmetics and extra rewards on top of a free track. It tilts the game when the paid track holds heroes, gear or stat boosts that free players cannot get. How to check: open the pass and read the paid row. Our guide to how battle passes work shows what to look for.
12. Recent reviews complain about paying
Old reviews describe the game as it was. How to check: on Google Play, sort the reviews by newest and read the one- and two-star ones from the last month. Look for words such as pay to win, P2W, paywall and whale. A few complaints are normal; a page full of them is a pattern.
How to put a price on a pack
Before you buy, turn the offer into time. Work out how many gems the game gives free players per day, then divide the pack's gems by that number: the result is how many days of free play the pack replaces.
Example: a $4.99 pack gives 1,000 gems, and free players get about 50 gems a day. The pack replaces 20 days of free gems, so you pay about 25 cents per day saved. Whether that is worth it is your call; the point is to compare packs by gems per dollar and days saved, not by the size of the discount.
Ignore the crossed-out price. A pack labelled 800% value is compared with a price nobody pays. Compare gems per dollar across packs instead: the biggest pack usually has the best rate, which is exactly why games push it.
What fair monetization looks like
- Cosmetics that change looks, not stats.
- A one-time purchase that removes ads, instead of ads you can only escape by paying again and again.
- Optional rewarded videos: you choose to watch one for a bonus, and the game is fine without them.
- Published odds and pity for everything random.
- A battle pass whose paid track adds extras, not power.
- A free pace that respects your time, where paying makes things faster but never makes them possible.
Our list of free-to-play friendly idle games puts these criteria to work.
If you enjoy a pay-to-win game anyway
- Play the parts without PvP. Story, campaigns and events against the game are where bought power matters least.
- Treat ranked rewards as a bonus, not a goal, if chasing them keeps you buying.
- Set a monthly budget before you start, and stick to it.
- Turn on purchase authentication on Google Play, so nothing is bought by accident; this guide shows how.
- Know the refund rules in case something goes wrong: how to get a refund for a Google Play game.
FAQ
What is the difference between pay-to-win and pay-to-skip?
Pay-to-win sells power that beats other players. Pay-to-skip sells time: you reach the same place a free player reaches, only sooner.
Is gacha always pay-to-win?
No. Gacha means paying for a chance at an item. It becomes pay-to-win when those items give power in PvP, and it is fairer when the odds are published and a pity counter guarantees a top item.
Are idle games pay-to-win?
Most single-player idle games are pay-to-skip at worst, because paying only speeds up your own progress. Idle RPGs with arenas, guild wars or ranked leaderboards can be pay-to-win; check signs 1 and 2.
Is a battle pass pay-to-win?
Only if the paid track gives power that free players cannot get. A pass with cosmetics and extra rewards on top of a free track is not.
Can a pay-to-win game still be fun for free players?
Yes, if you stay out of the parts where money decides: play against the game rather than the leaderboard, and set your budget before the first offer appears.
Sources
- Google Play Console Help, Payments policy: games with paid random items must show the odds before purchase.
- Apple, App Review Guidelines, 3.1.1: loot boxes must disclose the odds before purchase.
- PEGI, What do the labels mean?: Paid random items and Time-limited offers.
- ESRB, Ratings guide: In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items).
- ONI Games, IARC age rating questionnaire in Play Console, September 2026.
