You are here
Pay to Play MMO Games

Subscriptions and Season Passes are purchasing models which require to pay to unlock the game content for a fixed amount of time. In most cases, Pay to Play MMO Games also provide an opportunity to choose a limited free-to-play trial to access all features. It's much more affordable and convenient for players to enjoy the gameplay for free or to try it for the first time, but they won't get the full experience. Another feature of this model is the lack of in-game microtransactions or the cash shop only for cosmetic features.
Recommended Games

More about Pay to Play MMO Games
Subscription is a comfortable way for most players to experience games. This payment method does not necessarily require to pay a significant price to get the access, so it attracts more new players to try out the game; it is also convenient and more affordable for casual players to play when they choose to. Subscriptions offer different options to choose from, and more extended versions of it usually are cheaper.
Season Pass is a standalone purchase which you can buy after experiencing a basic version of the game. It includes all-new features that will come out over a specific amount of time, so the players do not have to pay for all the expansion sets separately, which usually is much more expensive than a Season Pass. Pay to Play MMO Games are not the same as Pay to Win projects. In the first case, all players must purchase the subscription to access the game content, which will be the same for everyone; and in the second one, the players pay to get extra abilities and powers to overcome other players.
Buy to Play Games feature different payment model, where you must pay a full price to access the game with all its features indefinitely without a requirement to have a subscription plan. Some MMOs can be a combination of both Buy to Play and Pay to Play models. In this case, you must purchase the full game with all its expansion sets first, then choose a subscription plan to buy time, and only after that, it is possible to experience the whole game.
Best Pay to Play MMO Games
- World of Warcraft is an MMORPG that requires an active subscription and purchased expansion sets to access all the features after the beginner experience. Players can also buy or sell time using in-game currency, which is also a way of exchanging the real money to gold coins to spend in the game.
- Eve Online is a free-to-play MMORPG, where players can buy a premium subscription to gain access to a wide variety of bonuses, such as additional currency, faster levelling, luxury items and more.
- The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMORPG that features more than one payment method: both buy-to-play and pay-to-play are available, and it is up to you to choose which one fits you more.