buytoplay

Buy-to-play is a video game monetization model in which players pay an upfront, one-time fee to acquire the base game. After purchase, they can typically access the core content without a mandatory ongoing subscription. Revenue from the title may then come from optional expansions, downloadable content, and in-game microtransactions that are not required to play the game.

Buy-to-play is contrasted with free-to-play, where the game is free to start and monetized through microtransactions, and with subscription-based models, which require ongoing payments to continue playing. In the buy-to-play model, the upfront price covers access to the base game, while additional content may be sold separately.

Historical context: Buy-to-play gained prominence in PC role-playing and online games in the 2000s as an alternative to monthly subscriptions. Guild Wars (2005) popularized a pay-once approach with episodic expansions. Guild Wars 2 uses a base game you purchase once, with optional cosmetic and content purchases; other non-subscription online games and many single-player titles use a similar approach by selling expansions or DLC instead of a recurring fee.

Advantages of buy-to-play include a known upfront cost and no ongoing payments, which can appeal to players who dislike subscriptions. For developers, it offers predictable revenue from initial sales. Potential drawbacks include higher barrier to entry, reliance on expansion and DLC sales for continued revenue, and perceptions of paywalls for content or advantages through paid cosmetics or convenience features.

See also: free-to-play, subscription model, microtransactions, DLC, expansion.