Need for Speed Payback was criticized for combining a full-priced racing game with loot boxes and other microtransactions that made upgrading cars feel unbelievably slow. Players complained that the game's progression encouraged grinding or spending money rather than simply enjoying its racing. | © Ghost Games/Electronic Arts
Fallout 76 has spent years expanding its microtransaction system through the Atomic Shop and Fallout 1st subscription. Cosmetics themselves aren't necessarily unusual for a live-service game, but the additional monetization layered onto a full-priced Fallout title became incredibly controversial, especially when players were already frustrated with the game's many technical problems that were present at launch. Bethesda has attempted to resolve these issues, but some players remain unsatisfied. | © Bethesda
Star Wars Battlefront II is arguably one of the most infamous examples of controversial monetization. Its original progression system tied stat-boosting "Star Cards" to randomized loot boxes, meaning players had to spend money to gain unfair competitive advantages. Characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader were also locked behind costly paywalls. The backlash was so severe that EA temporarily disabled in-game purchases shortly after launch and eventually overhauled the entire progression system. | © DICE/Electronic Arts
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III continued Call of Duty's wildly elaborate ecosystem of paid cosmetics, Battle Passes, bundles, and crossover content. While the game's monetization system generally focuses on cosmetics and the seasonal Battle Pass, the sheer volume and pricing of premium content are a frequent point of criticism among players. | © Sledgehammer Games/Activision
Marvel Snap initially earned praise for its quick matches and accessible design, but its microtransaction system became increasingly controversial as more currencies, bundles, card acquisition systems, and paid content were introduced. Some players felt that the game's economy became more complicated than its simple gameplay suggested. Improvements have been made since the game's release in 2022, but some negative sentiments still remain. | © Second Dinner
Diablo Immortal drew enormous criticism for its aggressive monetization system after launch. Although the game is free, players needed to invest real money to upgrade their character and remain competitive. Naturally, this created a huge gap between players willing to spend heavily and those who weren't. Many complained that the progression system felt too slow and grindy. The game's monetization became so notorious that it overshadowed much of the discussion surrounding its actual gameplay. | © Blizzard Entertainment/NetEase Games
Assassin's Creed Odyssey faced backlash for selling XP boosts in a game where progression already felt extremely grindy. The Helix Store was also a point of contention, with many considering the paywall for items like legendary weapons and powerful armor sets predatory. Ubisoft eventually addressed the controversy by adjusting the game's progression system, but the presence of purchasable boosts reinforced the perception that the game was encouraging players to pay to skip parts of its own design. | © Ubisoft
Middle-earth: Shadow of War initially included random loot boxes, purchasable Orcs, and other pay-to-win elements. The entire system proved to be rather controversial because Shadow of War's Nemesis system — a progression system that allowed players to organically collect rewards — was one of its biggest selling points. War chests and the in-game currency were eventually removed from the game, with the developers admitting that these mechanics "undermined the heart of our game." | © Monolith Productions/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Halo Infinite alienated many long-time fans upon the game's release in 2021 due to its severe microtransaction system. The initial version of the Battle Pass, armor customization, shop prices, and progression system frustrated players, as it made it tough for them to unlock items without spending money in the game. The developers subsequently made substantial changes to improve in-game progression and customization. | © 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
NBA 2K26 and other recent entries in the basketball game series have faced recurring criticism over Virtual Currency (VC), MyCareer progression, and the sheer amount of monetization surrounding modes such as MyTeam. Many argue that spending money to upgrade their build in a game they already purchased for a large price tag is predatory and completely unnecessary. | © Visual Concepts/2K
The Sims 4 is known for its enormous number of paid DLCs. Expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, kits, and other content can collectively cost many times the price of the base game. While these aren't necessarily unusual for many modern-day games, the sheer number of paid additions has made The Sims 4 a frequent example of a game that overloads players with paid DLCs and microtransactions. | © Maxis/Publisher Electronic Arts
Gran Turismo 7 was heavily criticized at launch over its aggressive microtransaction economy that made earning in-game credits feel slow and repetitive. On top of that, high car prices and low race payouts made it nearly impossible to really enjoy the game. The developers later increased payout caps, added high-reward events, and re-introduced car-selling mechanics. | © Polyphony Digital/Sony Interactive Entertainment
As a series, EA Sports FC has faced years of criticism over its monetization system, especially through its Ultimate Team mode. Players can spend real money on randomized packs in pursuit of better players, while new editions continue to introduce fresh Ultimate Team content and pay-to-win mechanics. This system has become so central to new series instalments like EA Sports FC 26 that it's almost a necessity to spend if you want to remain competitive in the game. | © Electronic Arts
Overwatch significantly changed its monetization model after replacing the original game's loot boxes with a Battle Pass and a rotating in-game shop. While the change removed randomized loot boxes, it also made many cosmetics harder to obtain without spending, with some individual skins and bundles carrying hefty prices. The game's ongoing reliance on exclusive cosmetics, Battle Passes, and limited-time items has been at the center of ongoing debates within the Overwatch community. | © Blizzard Entertainment
Destiny 2 has undergone several major changes to its monetization model, involving expansions, seasonal content, dungeon keys, cosmetics, and more. For players who want access to everything, the number of separate purchases can become too complicated to follow. The game has also received backlash for its aggressive microtransactions and price increases for certain items. Bungie's evolving approach has repeatedly sparked debates about how much of Destiny 2's content should sit behind additional paywalls. | © Bungie
Whether you like it or not, monetization is a rather common sight in modern-day games. However, the real trick for developers is integrating these microtransactions in a manner that isn't aggressive or too overbearing on the player. Some games strike that balance. Others? Not so much. That said, here are 15 games that became somewhat controversial for the way they handled monetization.
