Examples of Games with Microtransactions

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V): Users observe that GTA V's online component, GTA Online, uses "Shark Cards" to sell in-game money, which they believe led Rockstar to inflate in-game prices and reduce mission payouts, creating an artificial grind to encourage purchases. "GTA V is perfect example of this. By adding online money cards, otherwise known as "Shark Cards" into the game, Rockstar was forced to balance the in-game "economy" for the people who bought them."

Call of Duty: Many Users feel that microtransactions have negatively impacted the franchise, with some claiming the focus has shifted from game quality to in-game store offerings. "Call of duty stands out to me. It used to be one of the top shooters, in terms of sales, but also for rating and player reception Now player reception is in the dumpster, because everything but the store is in shambles."

NBA2K: The NBA2K series is often criticized for its aggressive microtransaction model, where players feel pressured to buy in-game currency (VC) to remain competitive or avoid a lengthy grind. "The whole model is "people who paid are astronomically better than you are, you better buy some vc or the games gonna suck for the first 25 hours""

Artificial Progression Barriers: Many Users believe that microtransactions often lead developers to intentionally slow down progression or add "filler" content to encourage players to spend money to bypass these barriers. "Stuff like this isn't just a new option because devs/publishers will be inclined to make unlocking things grindly or make it more difficult for the player artificially to unlock stuff."

Shift in Development Focus: Some Users argue that the emphasis on microtransactions can divert developer resources from creating meaningful gameplay content towards designing items or systems for purchase. "The fundamental problem with micro-transaction is that they make monetization part of the game design."

Incomplete Base Games: A common complaint is that games are released at full price with content intentionally removed to be sold later as microtransactions, making the base game feel incomplete. "The content from the microtransactions isn't really incremental content over and above a normal game. In other words, the game was artificially slimmed down and you have to pay more to get back content that should have been in the base version anyway."

Deep Rock Galactic: This game is frequently mentioned for having microtransactions that are primarily cosmetic and directly support the developers, without affecting gameplay. "Deep Rock Galactic probably. Thing is microtransactions are not something a game should have and that's the end of it."

For Honor: Some players find For Honor's microtransactions acceptable because they are mostly for cosmetic items like skins and emotes, and are not essential for strategic advantage. "They legitimately serve little to no strategic advantage. Pretty much just skins, emotes, and cool executions.. and they’re not locked behind only paying to get them or doing an insurmountable amount of grinding for the coin to afford them anyway."

Overwatch: Users note that Overwatch's microtransactions are mainly for cosmetics, and the game is generous in allowing players to earn most of these items by simply playing. "Overwatch is pretty good, in that regard. The only microtransactions are cosmetics, and you can get most of it by just playing."