Free-to-play, buy-to-play and subscription PC games compared
Is a free-to-play game really free, and when is paying upfront the better deal? This page compares the three common pricing models on the same six criteria.
Quick answer
A free-to-play game costs nothing to start, but it is designed to earn money through optional purchases during play. A buy-to-play game asks for one price before you start. A subscription game asks for a recurring fee. None is cheaper in every case: the total depends on how long you play and how much you choose to buy.
Why the three models exist
An online game has costs that continue after release. Servers have to run for as long as people play, matchmaking has to be maintained, and balance changes and new content are expected. Each pricing model is a different answer to how those ongoing costs are paid for. Understanding the answer a game has chosen tells you, in advance, where it is likely to ask you for money.
Buy-to-play front-loads the payment. The publisher receives most of its revenue at the point of sale and may supplement it with expansions. Subscription spreads payment evenly over time, and in return the player usually receives full access while subscribed. Free-to-play removes the entry price entirely and relies on a share of players choosing to spend inside the game. Because only some players spend, the purchases on offer tend to be designed to appeal repeatedly over a long period.
The comparison, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Free-to-play | Buy-to-play | Subscription |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to try | Nothing to download and start | The full price, unless a trial or refund applies | The first period's fee, unless a trial applies |
| Predictability of total cost | Low: depends on choices made during play | High for the base game | High per period, open-ended over time |
| Frequency of purchase decisions | Frequent | Infrequent | At each renewal |
| Typical purchases | Cosmetics, currency, time-savers, passes | Expansions, sometimes cosmetics | Usually few beyond the fee |
| Main thing to read first | The in-game store and how prices are shown | System requirements and refund terms | How to cancel, and when billing occurs |
| Main risk to budget | Many small purchases adding up | Buying a game that does not suit or run | Forgetting an active subscription |
The table describes common patterns, not rules. Many games now combine models: a game bought outright may still sell cosmetic items, and a free-to-play game may offer a monthly membership. Treat the model as the starting assumption and the vendor's own store page as the final word.
Free-to-play: strengths and drawbacks
Strengths
- You can find out whether you enjoy a game, and whether it runs on your computer, before spending anything.
- Friends can join without a purchase decision, which makes group play easier to start.
- Spending, if any, can be matched to how much you actually play.
Drawbacks
- Total cost is hard to predict and easy to underestimate, because it accumulates in small amounts.
- Prices are often shown in a premium currency, which makes the real-money cost less obvious.
- Some purchases may offer progress or convenience, which can change how the game feels for non-paying players.
Buy-to-play: strengths and drawbacks
Strengths
- The cost is visible and decided once, before you start.
- Fewer purchase prompts during play, in many titles.
Drawbacks
- You pay before you know whether the game suits you, so the refund policy matters.
- Online features still depend on the publisher keeping servers running.
Subscription: strengths and drawbacks
Strengths
- A fixed, known cost per period, with access to the whole game while subscribed.
- Easy to stop: cancelling ends further charges.
Drawbacks
- Costs continue whether or not you play in a given month.
- Automatic renewal can be forgotten, particularly after a trial converts to a paid plan.
Reading prices shown in a premium currency
Many free-to-play games price items in their own currency, bought in bundles with real money. This adds a step between the price you see and the price you pay. A simple habit removes most of the confusion: before buying, work out what one unit of the currency costs in Australian dollars in the bundle you would actually buy, and convert the item's price back into AUD. Bundles are often sized so that a purchase leaves a remainder, which is worth knowing before you buy.
Prices on PC stores are not always shown in AUD. Where a vendor charges in another currency, your card provider may apply a conversion rate and, in some cases, an international transaction fee. Your bank or card issuer can tell you whether such a fee applies to your account.
What Australian Consumer Law says about digital purchases
The Australian Consumer Law includes consumer guarantees that apply to goods and services, and the ACCC explains on its website how they apply, including to digital products. Consumer guarantees cannot be excluded by a seller's terms. If something you buy has a major problem, the ACCC explains the remedies available to you and how to ask the seller for them.
That said, a change of mind is generally not a ground for a remedy, and a game that simply turns out not to be to your taste is unlikely to qualify. This is part of why the cost to try matters: free-to-play lets you discover that a game does not suit you without needing a refund at all. If you think a purchase has gone wrong, start with the seller, then consult the ACCC's guidance or your state or territory's consumer protection agency.
A note on this site's wording. This page describes the general structure of pricing models. It does not state what any specific game charges, because prices and purchase options change and only the vendor can state them accurately.
Spending inside games and younger players
Where a child or teenager plays, the pricing model affects how often a purchase decision arises. Free-to-play games present that decision more often by design. The Australian Classification Board website explains how games are classified in Australia, and the eSafety Commissioner publishes guidance for parents and carers about online games. Practical controls, such as removing saved payment methods and using operating-system family settings, are compared on the family settings and spending page.
Choosing a model that matches how you play
The question to ask is not which model is cheapest, but which model makes your own spending easy to see and control. A few general patterns follow from the comparison above:
- If you are not sure you will enjoy a genre, a free-to-play title is the lowest-cost way to find out.
- If you want a fixed total, a buy-to-play game with few in-game purchases gives you that.
- If you play one game heavily for a set period, a subscription can be easy to budget and easy to stop.
- If you play a free-to-play game for a long time, decide on a monthly limit before the first purchase, not after.
- Whatever the model, read the vendor's terms on account closure and what happens to purchases if the game shuts down.
The title profiled on this site is described in its listing as free to play. The listing does not state what purchases the game offers, so the questions in this page's checklist apply in full. They are repeated, with the listing's own details, on the profile page.