In-game purchases explained: currencies, premium time and random items
Many online PC games cost nothing to start and earn their money once you are playing. This guide explains how those purchases are usually built. It covers your rights when you buy digital content in the UK, and how to set spending limits that hold when you are in the middle of a game.
The short answer
Work out what a virtual currency costs in pounds. Find out whether premium time renews automatically. Treat randomised purchases with extra caution. Set a monthly limit before you play, not during a session. UK consumer law gives you rights over digital content you pay for, and Citizens Advice explains how to use them.
The main ways games sell things
| Type | What you get | Main thing to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual currency | A balance of game-specific money, bought in bundles | The conversion to pounds is rarely obvious, and bundle sizes may not match item prices |
| Direct items | A named item at a stated price | Whether it changes gameplay or is purely cosmetic |
| Premium time | A period of enhanced account benefits | Whether it renews automatically and how to switch renewal off |
| Season or event passes | Rewards unlocked by playing during a set period | Whether you will realistically play enough to collect them |
| Randomised items | A container whose contents are decided by chance | You do not know what you are paying for, and the odds may be hard to find |
Virtual currencies: convert everything to pounds
A virtual currency puts one step between your money and what you buy. You pay pounds for a bundle of currency, then spend the currency on items. That step has two effects worth knowing about. First, it makes prices harder to judge: an item priced in a game's currency does not show its pound value. Second, bundle sizes often do not line up with item prices, so you may be left with a remainder that nudges you towards buying another bundle.
The counter is simple arithmetic. When you first look at the shop, work out what one unit of currency costs in pounds at the bundle size you would actually buy, and write it down. From then on, convert before you buy. It feels fussy, and that is why it works.
Premium time and automatic renewal
Many online games offer premium status for a fixed period, adding faster progress or extra rewards. Before you buy, find out three things: what premium actually changes, whether it renews automatically, and where in your account settings renewal can be switched off. If you are not sure about renewal, set a reminder a few days before the period ends.
Randomised items deserve extra care
With a randomised purchase you pay first and find out what you got afterwards. The UK government reviewed these purchases, often called loot boxes, through a call for evidence and set out its position in a published response. PEGI labels flag games where in-game purchases include random items. You can check any game on PEGI's website.
Our view as a publisher is that randomised purchases are a reason for adults to be deliberate and a reason not to present a game as suitable for children. If you buy them, look for any published odds in the game, set a firm limit, and do not chase a particular item. Chance has no memory, so a long run without the item you want does not make it more likely next time.
What to watch out for
- Offers that appear after a loss or near the end of a session. Those are moments when judgement is weakest. A rule of "no purchases after a defeat" is easy to keep.
- Limited-time pressure. Timed shop offers come round again in some form. If you would not buy it at the end of the week, do not buy it now.
- Saved cards on shared computers. A saved card makes accidental or unauthorised purchases easy. Remove it, or require a password for every purchase.
- Third-party currency sellers. Buying currency or items outside the official shop usually breaks the game's terms, and you have little protection if the seller disappears.
- "Free currency" offers. Sites promising premium currency for nothing are fishing for logins or pushing downloads. No outside site can add it to your account.
Setting a limit that actually holds
Choose a monthly figure in pounds
Choose it before you start, when you do not yet care about the game. An amount you would spend on a cinema trip or a book is a reasonable starting point. You can change it later, but only at the start of a month.
Use a payment method with a natural ceiling
Prepaid store credit, a gift card or a card with a low spending limit stops you going over without relying on willpower.
Remove saved card details
Typing the number in each time adds a pause, and the pause gives you time to reconsider.
Keep a running total
Check your purchase history in the game account or in your bank app once a month. Most people who overspend do not know their total.
Decide what happens if you hit the limit
The answer is that you stop until next month. Deciding that in advance avoids an argument with yourself later.
Your rights when you pay for digital content
In the UK, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you rights over digital content you pay for, including that it should be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. If paid content does not meet those standards, you may be entitled to a repair or replacement, and in some cases a price reduction.
For online purchases, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 generally give a cancellation period, but for digital content that period can end once supply begins, if you have expressly agreed to that and acknowledged that you lose the right. In practice, the checkbox you tick when buying in-game content often deals with this. Read it.
These are general points, not legal advice. Citizens Advice explains digital content rights in plain English and can help you work out what applies to a specific purchase.
Disputed or unexpected charges
If you see a charge you do not recognise, contact the game's support team first and check your purchase history. Someone else in the household may have made it, or a renewal may have fallen due. If you think an account or card has been misused, contact your card provider promptly. If fraud is involved, report it to Action Fraud in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or to Police Scotland if you live in Scotland.
A worked example of converting currency
Suppose a game sells a bundle of 1,000 units of its currency for a set price in pounds, and you are looking at an item priced at 650 units. Divide the bundle price by 1,000 to get the cost of a single unit, then multiply by 650 to get the item's real price. You will also have 350 units left over. Those units are worth something only inside that game, and only if you buy something else. The example uses invented round numbers to show the method, not any game's actual prices. The same two steps work for any game, and they take less than a minute.
If spending stops feeling like a choice
For most people, in-game spending is an ordinary hobby expense. If it has started to feel hard to control, or you are spending money you need for other things, talk to someone you trust. Your GP is a sensible first step. The NHS website has general information about where to get help for compulsive behaviours.