Is a free-to-play PC game actually free, or will I end up paying?

What "free to play" normally means

The phrase describes a business model rather than a promise. You pay nothing to create an account, install the game and play matches. The developer still has to pay for servers, staff and updates, so the money comes from somewhere else, and in almost every case that somewhere is a shop inside the game.

What a game sells varies a lot. Some sell only appearance: paint jobs, decals, outfits, banners. Others sell things that save time, such as boosts that speed up how quickly you earn rewards. Some sell items that change how you perform in a match. A few sell randomised packs, where you pay without knowing exactly what you'll receive. These are very different things to spend money on, and lumping them together as "microtransactions" hides the differences that matter to you.

None of this is hidden. It is normally described on the game's website, its store page, or in the game's own shop. The trick is reading it before you're invested, not three weeks in when you're one upgrade away from the machine you want.

The four kinds of in-game purchase

Many games mix several of these. A season or battle pass, for example, is usually a bundle of cosmetics and time-savers unlocked as you play. Currency packs are a layer on top: you buy the game's own currency with real money, then spend that currency in the shop.

Why in-game currency makes spending harder to track

When a game prices things in its own currency, the link to real dollars gets blurry. An item listed at 1,200 gems or coins tells you nothing until you work out what a gem costs. Packs are also often sized so the number you need doesn't match any single pack, which leaves you either short or with leftovers that encourage the next purchase.

Two habits help. First, work out the AUD value of the currency once, write it down, and convert prices before you buy. Second, check what currency the real-money price is charged in. If the shop bills in US dollars or euros, your card statement may show a different amount once your bank converts it and adds any foreign transaction fee.

Randomised items and the law in Australia

Purchases with uncertain contents have drawn particular attention from regulators. In Australia, how in-game purchases linked to chance and simulated gambling affect a game's rating is set by the national classification scheme. Rather than repeat the rules here, where they could go out of date, we suggest reading the current guidance from the Australian Classification Board directly and looking up the rating of any game you're considering.

Our position is simple: we never describe a game that sells randomised items, or contains simulated gambling, as suitable for under-18s. If you're choosing for a younger player, read our page for families as well.

How to set a spending limit you'll actually keep

1. Decide before you install. Pick a monthly figure in AUD, including zero. A number chosen calmly beats one chosen mid-match.
2. Don't save a card in the game. Typing details each time adds a pause, and the pause is the point.
3. Use a prepaid or gift card if you'd like a hard ceiling. When it's spent, it's spent.
4. Check the platform's purchase history once a month. Most game launchers and stores keep one in your account settings.
5. Review after a month of play. If you haven't spent anything and you're enjoying it, the limit is working. If you've spent more than planned, that's useful to know early.

Why the money has to come from somewhere

It helps to see the model from the other side. A multiplayer game needs servers running every hour of every day, staff to keep them running, and new content so people stay. A game that charges nothing to enter has to cover all of that from a minority of players who do spend. Industry writing often describes that minority as small, with a smaller group again accounting for most of the revenue.

That shapes the design. If most people pay nothing, the game is built to keep large numbers playing, because a crowd makes matches fill quickly and makes the game worth something to the people who do spend. It also means the shop is designed to appeal strongly to the few, which is why bundles can look expensive compared with the price of a whole game elsewhere.

Knowing this stops the model feeling like a trick. It is a trade: your time and presence in exchange for a game you did not pay for. Whether that is a good trade for you depends on whether the unpaid version is genuinely enjoyable, which is something you can only judge by playing for a week or two with your wallet closed.

Your rights if a purchase goes wrong

A digital item is still something you've bought. If a purchase doesn't arrive, or isn't what was described, contact the game's support team first and keep the receipt or transaction ID. Australian consumers have guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law that a business's own terms cannot remove; the ACCC explains what they cover and what to do if a business won't help. If a charge appears that you didn't make, contact your bank or card provider as well.

How this applies to Crossout

The offer we're paid on describes Crossout as free to play and says commission is paid when a reader registers, confirms their email address and logs in to the game. It doesn't describe the in-game shop, so we can't tell you what is sold there, how prices are shown, or whether any items are randomised. Those are exactly the questions from the table above, and the vendor's own website is where to answer them before you register.

If you'd rather compare it with other kinds of online game first, our page on vehicle-building games and shooters sets out the differences.

Common questions