pay to win

English

Alternative forms

• pay-to-win
• P2W

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

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Adjective

pay to win (comparative more pay to win, superlative most pay to win)

1. (video games) Designed in such a way as to allow players to exchange real-world currency for in-game benefits.
   • 2020, Christopher A. Paul, Free-to-Play: Mobile Video Games, Bias, and Norms, MIT Press, →ISBN, page 59:

     Concerns about pay-to-win dynamics are laced through core games, as the default norm is that superior players should win battles contested on a level playing field.

   • 2021, Stéphane Le Lay, Emmanuelle Savignac, Jean Frances, Pierre Lénel, editors, The Gamification of Society, volume 2, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 107:

     Admittedly, the loot boxes first of all monetize video games, by reinforcing the pay-to-win logic, but they also contribute to their gamblification (Johnson 2018), […]

Noun

pay to win (uncountable)

1. (video games) The ability and/or practice of exchanging real-world currency for an in-game benefit.

Usage notes

The term is most often used in the context of competitive online multiplayer games, free-to-play games, and mobile games, as the effects of this type of monetization are often seen and more keenly felt in those categories, but it is not limited to these genres.

See also

• free-to-play
• gacha
• loot box
• microtransaction

Anagrams

• waypoint