Whether we like it or not, microtransactions are now a regular part of the gaming medium. Offering small pieces of content to add on to a larger product, they can improve upon an experience or expedite what could take hours to accomplish in-game. That said, there are times when these microtransactions pushed the limit of what can be considered a small purchase, and these 10 in particular are some of the most expensive of all time.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Land Deeds, $50-$100 (Star Citizen)
Star Citizen has already made headlines over the years for the astronomical amounts people have invested in it, but some microtransactions that have flown under the radar are the lot claims and land deeds players can purchase. For $50-$100, players can buy a small piece of the galaxy to call their own, safe from outside attacks by prospective space invaders and plunderers who want to ruin their day.
Of course, it’s also worth noting that they can’t actually access and defend their claim to any portion of space until the game is complete, meaning their money has technically been invested in vaporware until the game is officially released.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Lazer Jet, $100 (Grand Theft Auto V)
A fan favorite from the base game, the Lazer Jet has convinced many a player to brave Fort Zancudo’s defenses in the hopes of soaring through the sky at nearly impossible speeds. With the release of Grand Theft Auto Online though, players received a new, more assured way to obtain the jet.
For 6.5 million GTA dollars or, if you don’t feel like sinking in the hours to raise the funds through gameplay, $100 of real-world currency, players can have the jet at their disposal for whatever they’d like, from free-flying around the game world to staging an attack on Fort Zancudo to gain another Lazer Jet for free! Except it wasn’t; the first one still cost $100.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Apathy Bear Gun, $552.15 (Gun Bros)
There are some mobile games that are shameless in their embrace of the free-to-play, microtransaction heavy design model, and then there’s Gun Bros. A straightforward action shooter title with a bevy of different options for weapons and equipment to use, it’s easy to lose several hours blasting away in the game and easier still to sink a large amount of money into new items to use if you’re not careful.
The most extreme example of this is the Apathy Bear Gun, an item that while hilarious in its special effect also ran players $552.15 of real-world currency just to use it. Never mind a new weapon for your character; a player could afford to buy a new game console and several complete games with that much scratch.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Blue Part Hat, $1,000+ (Runescape)
Runescape has a wealth of cosmetic items for players to unlock, and as such, some have grown to be considered more valuable than others. One such item was the Blue Party Hat. Offered to players as part of a limited time event and quest line, the Blue Party Hat was one of the most highly sought after cosmetic items among Runescape players and continues to run a hefty price in online item exchange markets, currently sitting at about 2 billion gold just for the chance to wear this spiky blue piece of parchment. This is crazy enough, but it becomes even crazier when you do the math and discover that the hat is currently worth $1,000 or more in real world currency, and that many people trade for these items daily through the item trading sites dedicated to the game.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Rogue Night Elf Character, $9,000 (World of Warcraft)
If you ask any player of World of Warcraft what the game’s biggest drawbacks are, most will tell you it’s the randomized nature of equipment drops and the time investment needed to level up a character. It’s no surprise then that there was a booming character trading market, wherein players could purchase rare or optimized characters for their own use with real-world money.
One of the most extreme examples of this was when one user dropped anywhere between $9,000 and $10,000 on a Night Elf Rogue character with top of the line gear, said to be one of the most well made and powerful characters in the game. Sadly, the high of obtaining this character didn’t last long due to WoW developer Blizzard cracking down on character trading, issuing a ban on the character’s use.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Revenant Supercarrier, $9,000 (Eve Online)
Eve Online is well known for its pricey digital exchanges, but this one takes the cake. One of the rarest ships available in the game, the Revenant Supercarrier at one point only had three known ships in the game and was thus seen as a highly valuable piece of virtual property.
This reached its peak when one player was willing to drop $9,000 for the right to own one such ship. That’s enough to pay home state tuition for a semester of college in most states. To make matters worse, the proud new owner of the ship didn’t even own it for that long. A few days after the purchase was made, the ship was summarily destroyed in a space battle. Money well spent!
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Echoing Fury, $14,000 (Diablo III)
Diablo III’s randomized loot drop system may not be ideal for those who want to unlock the best equipment, but it did allow for some to profit from their luck through the online market known as the Auction House. This was most certainly the case for the Echoing Fury, a rare war hammer with such a low drop rate that it became one of the most highly sought after weapons in the game.
It reached its peak value when one player managed to sell his for over 14 billion in-game gold, which was the equivalent of $14,000. The buyer even got to hang onto his rare equipment as well: While Blizzard did eventually end the existence of the Auction House for its potential to abuse the game’s trading system, the players involved in the trade were not banned or punished. It was a win-win, so long as the new owner of the hammer never had any buyer’s remorse.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Dragon Slaying Sabre, $16,000 (Age of Wulin)
Another MMORPG, another case of a gamer dropping an insane amount on a virtual piece of equipment. Prior to the launch of this online offering from Chinese developer Snail, an auction was held for a one of a kind weapon known as the Dragon Slaying Sabre, with the special piece of digital cutlery going to the highest bidder.
Of course, few would have believed how high the winning bid actually got to; $16,000, all for a weapon that the player couldn’t even get their hands on until the game launched in full at a later date. It’s an almost admirable amount of trust they put into the developer and their game, even if that much money could have funded a comfortable trip around the entirety of Europe.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
M9 Bayonett Crimson Web, $23,850 (CS:GO)
It’s a red knife. That’s it. There are dozens upon dozens of other weapons included in the game, each just as capable as the next of killing your opponent if you have the skill and practice to do so. And yet, for whatever reason, this knife seemed valuable enough for someone to drop what is considered a year’s income on a virtual knife skin.
In fact, let’s talk about how much almost $24,000 can buy. It’s enough to buy a used car and take a road trip along the west coast; or, it could be used to pay rent on a townhouse for nearly two years, utilities included. But no, it went toward a digital weapon skin that most didn’t even notice because it was stabbing them.
10 of the Most Expensive Microtransactions in Video Games
Legacy Ethereal Flames Wardog, $38,000 (DOTA 2)
Hm. So, how to put it with this one… It was a dumb purchase. Sure, it was a one of a kind item in the online arena fighter DOTA 2, and yeah, it probably had a few other players feeling envious of the person who nabbed it. That said, it cost that person $38,000, it was a skin for the courier creatures that fly supplies to the player, and shortly after the value of the skin dropped dramatically after more of the skins were unlocked and flooded the marketplace. So yeah, someone dropped a yearly salary on a courier creature skin. This is fine.
Know of some extremely expensive microtransactions? List them in the comments below, and check out some of our other lists on topics like ranking every Tomb Raider game from worst to best.
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