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132 articles
Showing 61–70 of 132
Genshin Impact
August 2026 is a stress test for the F2P model: $6 billion in game revenues, a shifting player base, and the rise of 'premium F2P.' Where the sector is healthy, where it's struggling, and what 2026's biggest launches mean for the future.
A taxonomy of the 7 most common F2P monetization patterns in 2026, ranked from "fair" to "predatory." We rate each on a 5-axis score (informed consent, pay-to-win, progress gates, value for spend, refund policy) so you can decide for yourself where to draw the line.
Once Human
Once Human's 30M players and 200+ hours of content without pay-to-win is the new ethical F2P standard. The 5 design choices other games should copy.
Apex Legends
Live-service games are disappearing at an alarming rate. In 2025-2026 alone, Apex Legends Mobile, EA FC Mobile, and several F2P games shut down. We make the case for treating games as cultural artifacts worth preserving, and what the industry + community can do about it.
Mobile F2P revenue is down 18% year-over-year in 2026 as Once Human's console launch, cross-progression, and the death of the daily login push players to PC and console. The 5 reasons mobile F2P is dying.
Fortnite
Free-to-play games in 2026 are a $100+ billion industry. But how do they actually make money? The five business models that dominate F2P gaming, the whales that fund 90% of revenue, and the future of the genre.
Halfway through 2026, the F2P landscape has shifted. Once Human overtook Helldivers 2 as the surprise hit of the year. Marvel Rivals 3.5 brought Blade and a new ranked meta. Genshin hit 5.0 with Natlan. We crunch the data on what F2P players are actually playing in 2026.
Battle passes are the most player-friendly monetization in F2P games — until you realize the math only works if you log in every day for three months. A look at the actual value across 8 major F2P games, the games that get it right, and the games that abuse the model.
F2P is the dominant business model in PC and mobile gaming, generating $103B+ in 2025. But how do these games actually make money? We break down the 5 main revenue models, who uses each, and which ones are most/least predatory. Includes revenue-per-user numbers and the actual mechanics behind each model.
stellaris
Steam runs free weekend events throughout August 2026 with at least 4 F2P-relevant weekends including Stellaris, Civilization VI, Anno 1800, and Humankind. We track every free weekend with F2P relevance and link to the Steam pages.
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