Cost & Pay-to-Win
How free-to-play friendly, how expensive, and how pay-to-win every gacha game we cover actually is. Reviewed and kept current.
First, what pay-to-win actually means here
It means two different things depending on the game. In PvE gacha games (almost all of the big ones), spending buys convenience and collection speed, not power over other players. Every story and endgame challenge is beatable for free. In competitive games, spending buys a direct advantage over real players, and the costs can be effectively unlimited. That one distinction decides whether a game costs you nothing or costs you a fortune.
Costs below are approximate, vary by region and top-up bonuses, and assume you buy currency from empty. As a free player you do not pay these amounts: you reach pity with saved currency instead. Last reviewed 2026-06-29.
| Game | Type | F2P | Pay-to-win | Pity | Cost to guarantee a unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limbus Company The most generous gacha we cover. Almost every team clears the endgame, so you build around who you like. | PvE | Low | Very generous income, fair battle pass | Very low, often free | |
| Wuthering Waves The kindest pity and income of the big-budget action games. Pure PvE, so money only speeds up collecting. | PvE | Low | 80 pulls, better-than-coinflip on featured | Around $160 | |
| Honkai: Star Rail Fair and transparent HoYoverse economy. The monthly card is the only purchase that really matters. | PvE | Low | 90 pulls, 50/50 on featured | Around $200 | |
| Reverse: 1999 Kind economy and little pressure to chase duplicates. One of the friendliest pulls in the genre. | PvE | Low | 70 pulls, 50/50 on featured | Around $120 | |
| Genshin Impact Entirely PvE. Every challenge is beatable free with good team building and gear. | PvE | Low | 90 pulls, 50/50 on featured | Around $200 | |
| Zenless Zone Zero Same fair HoYoverse model. Strong free starter roster carries you a long way. | PvE | Low | 90 pulls, 50/50 on featured | Around $200 | |
| Path to Nowhere Reasonable economy and a PvE focus. Spending speeds up your Sinner roster, nothing more. | PvE | Low | Standard pity, reasonable income | Around $100 to $150 | |
| NIKKE: Goddess of Victory Mostly PvE, but leaderboard raids reward heavy investment. Very playable free, a touch more spend-encouraging. | PvE + competitive | Moderate | 200-pull spark, counter carries over | Around $200 to $250 | |
| Whiteout Survival Competitive 4X with kingdom wars. Spending directly out-powers other players. Set a hard budget before you start. | PvP / 4X | High | No ceiling on total spend | Hundreds to thousands to compete |
The most generous gacha we cover. Almost every team clears the endgame, so you build around who you like.
- F2P
- Type
- PvE
- Pity
- Very generous income, fair battle pass
- Guarantee cost
- Very low, often free
The kindest pity and income of the big-budget action games. Pure PvE, so money only speeds up collecting.
- F2P
- Type
- PvE
- Pity
- 80 pulls, better-than-coinflip on featured
- Guarantee cost
- Around $160
Fair and transparent HoYoverse economy. The monthly card is the only purchase that really matters.
- F2P
- Type
- PvE
- Pity
- 90 pulls, 50/50 on featured
- Guarantee cost
- Around $200
Kind economy and little pressure to chase duplicates. One of the friendliest pulls in the genre.
- F2P
- Type
- PvE
- Pity
- 70 pulls, 50/50 on featured
- Guarantee cost
- Around $120
Entirely PvE. Every challenge is beatable free with good team building and gear.
- F2P
- Type
- PvE
- Pity
- 90 pulls, 50/50 on featured
- Guarantee cost
- Around $200
Same fair HoYoverse model. Strong free starter roster carries you a long way.
- F2P
- Type
- PvE
- Pity
- 90 pulls, 50/50 on featured
- Guarantee cost
- Around $200
Reasonable economy and a PvE focus. Spending speeds up your Sinner roster, nothing more.
- F2P
- Type
- PvE
- Pity
- Standard pity, reasonable income
- Guarantee cost
- Around $100 to $150
Mostly PvE, but leaderboard raids reward heavy investment. Very playable free, a touch more spend-encouraging.
- F2P
- Type
- PvE + competitive
- Pity
- 200-pull spark, counter carries over
- Guarantee cost
- Around $200 to $250
Competitive 4X with kingdom wars. Spending directly out-powers other players. Set a hard budget before you start.
- F2P
- Type
- PvP / 4X
- Pity
- No ceiling on total spend
- Guarantee cost
- Hundreds to thousands to compete
How to play gacha cheaply (or free)
- Buy the monthly card first, if anything. The roughly $5 monthly pass is the best value in most games. Everything above it is luxury.
- Skip weapon and Light Cone banners as a free player. They have worse pity and are rarely worth it without spending.
- Save to pity, do not gamble. Pull only when you have enough saved currency to reach hard pity, so you never rely on luck.
- Do not chase duplicates. Constellations, Eidolons, and dupes are the most expensive and least necessary part of any gacha. One copy clears the game.
- Claim your codes. Free currency adds up across every patch.
Where to go next
Found a game that fits your budget? Pick by what you want to play: