A common occurrence in the gaming industry is also something that avid and casual gamers alike can agree on. Pay-to-win games force the player to pay money not just to play, but to advance or have advantages over other players in player-vs-player games, and they are one of the most annoying trends in video games.

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Play-to-win isn't a new model. It crops up constantly in mobile gaming, and has for a long time. Character collection games like Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and Marvel Strike Force as well as level-based games like Angry Birds are both exceptionally guilty of this model. That said, AAA games built for consoles and PCs are guilty of it too.

10 Neverwinter Is Technically Free-To-Play

Castle Ravenloft as it appears in Neverwinter DnD game

Like many pay-to-win games, Neverwinter follows a free-to-play formula that allows players to download and play the game for free. As the player advances, however, they are faced with powerful equipment that would take months upon months of grinding to actually achieve. Those same items can simply be purchased with actual money, though, making the game much easier if the player is willing to pay.

As an action MMORPG based on D&D, Neverwinter's story is fun, and it can be played without spending money. Casual fans can level up and acquire better equipment as they advance, but the longer one plays, the harder it becomes to keep leveling. Neverwinter also offers a player-vs-player (PVP) mode, and players who haven't spent any money don't stand a chance.

9 Genshin Impact Capitalizes On The Gacha System

Genshin Impact travelers and archons posing.

Genshin Impact is an open-world action role-playing game that allows players to collect characters of different weapon types, elements, and power sets to build powerful teams. To acquire these characters, players must pull on character banners through a gacha system, which is basically in-game gambling. Outside the gacha system, Genshin Impact is amazing, with a unique and interesting ongoing story and more ways to play than most gacha games ever get.

Genshin Impact is free to download and gives players enough free characters and free pulls on the banners to make it possible to be completely free-to-play. Some fans even brag about being free-to-play. However, the 5-star characters that drop from these banners will noticeably improve gameplay and make it easier. Plus, half of the appeal of a gacha game is for fans to get their favorite characters.

8 Warframe's Grind Seems Endless

Duviri Paradox in Warframe.

Warframe, much like Neverwinter, is a game that can be downloaded and played for free. With interesting character designs and unique combat mechanics, Warframe is quite popular in the MMO world. That said, it's extremely difficult to grind, especially for new players who haven't been consistently playing since the game's release in 2013.

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Actually being able to complete the main story requires specific warframes that can be tedious to grind for, and the grind seems deliberately irritating in order to convince players to just purchase the characters and items instead. The problem is that some new warframe bundles can cost upwards of $60, the cost of a whole new game.

7 Candy Crush Saga Is The Model For Costly Mobile Games

Candy Crush Saga Logo

One of the most infamous examples of a pay-to-win game is Candy Crush Saga. At its core, this game is a highly addictive Bejeweled-style matching game that can be mindless and easily rewarding. This game shows off a common mobile game model that is free to download, offers easy introduction levels, and has lots of free upgrades at first.

Once a player has been playing Candy Crush Saga for a while, though, they'll find that each level becomes impossible to beat. They'll eat through all of their saved power-ups and do-overs and eventually be forced to purchase more power-ups and continues to keep going. Candy Crush Saga is also a perfect example of how many games only give players a certain number of tries before they need to wait (or pay) for their energy to refresh.

6 Final Fantasy: All The Bravest Relied On Final Fantasy's Popularity

Final Fantasy: All the Bravest logo

Final Fantasy: All the Bravest capitalized on the idea of taking a popular game built for consoles and/or PC and making a mobile-friendly version of the game. Much like Lara Croft GO for the Tomb Raider franchise, this game plays off of the popularity and hype of the extremely successful Final Fantasy series.

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All the Bravest, however, forces players to pay in order to actually advance. Not only do players have to keep paying to unlock all the characters available in the game, but they also have to keep paying to gain more energy if they don't want to wait. This is a common mobile tactic, but it becomes costly to just sit and enjoy playing the game.

5 APB: Reloaded Runs In The GTA Vein

Several characters taking cover behind a car in APB: Reloaded.

Almost like a love letter to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, APB: Reloaded has made a name for itself by being a third-person MMO shooter that allows players to play however they want. Whether as a good guy who fights for justice or a bad guy causing mayhem, this franchise has solid appeal for gamers who enjoy games like GTA.

Like many pay-to-win games, APB: Reloaded is technically free but really improves with some money spent. If players want to avoid tedious grinds and enjoy the gameplay without it feeling cumbersome, paying for premium is necessary, and it can be draining for long-term players. Without it, players will be stuck on the same grind for ages.

4 Clash Of Clans Is Just Another "Freemium" Game

Clash of Clans cover art

Clash of Clans is a mobile strategy game that, like many other pay-to-win games, is free to start out. Technically speaking, a player never has to spend any money to play this game. But if they wish to progress through the game and actually stand up against other players who put money in, spending money becomes more necessary.

Any game that pits players against other players and has the option to pay to progress or get an advantage is, in a way, pay-to-win. Paying to have advantages over other players means paying to beat the competition, especially those who won't or can't pay the same amount.

3 Star Wars Battlefront Tanked Because Of Loot Boxes

Clone Troopers leaving a transport ship in Star Wars Battlefront II

Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefront II were gorgeous Star Wars games that brought everyone's favorite heroes and villains into a single place. With fun gameplay, impressive graphics, and the ability to play a number of popular characters, these Star Wars games were set up to be massive successes. However, its lootbox system proved to be more than players would put up with.

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The Battlefront games locked so many characters and so much content behind loot boxes that it made them almost unplayable without shelling out even more money. What was even worse was that these AAA games were anywhere from $60-$100 just to purchase in the first place. Eventually, Battlefront II's loot boxes were removed after the massive controversy nearly destroyed the games, but the damage was done.

2 Diablo Immortal Follows In All The Bravest's Footsteps

Diablo Immortal Classes Artwork

Much like All the Bravest, Diablo Immortal reaps the benefits of being attached to the popular gaming franchise. As a recent launch that came out in 2022, Diablo Immortal brought the Diablo world to mobile devices. While the game had a lot of promise, it ended up performing similarly to most mobile games on the market these days.

As fans feared, Diablo Immortal was filled with microtransactions that stack up quickly. While the game has made quite a lot of money from its players, it's not what fans wanted to see, and overall, it's been a massive disappointment.

1 MapleStory Sucks Wallets Dry

MapleStory side scroller gameplay

MapleStory came out in 2003 and since then, it has been the definition of a pay-to-win game because the game literally allows players to pay their way straight to the top. Giving players the ability to pay their way to victory is exactly the type of behavior that frustrates fans who wish to enjoy games and play them authentically.

Despite the literal pay-to-win content of this game, the franchise is still ongoing. MapleStory 2 came out in 2015, and despite how old the original game is, it's still being updated.

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