Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
WatchA$79.95
Addictive design
Paid DLC and season passesDeluxe editions, pre-orders and re-releasesPay once (premium)Collect-them-all pressure
Genshin Impact
Released 28 September 2020 Developer miHoYo (HoYoverse) Publisher HoYoverse
An open-world action RPG set in the fantasy land of Teyvat. You explore, solve puzzles and fight with a party of characters who each use a different element, and you can team up with friends in co-op. New regions, story chapters and characters arrive in regular updates.
Money health
HarmfulChance, compulsion or exploitation
Addictive design
Very high5 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price
Freefree to download
Spending ceiling
No ceilingRepeat purchases, no limit
Australian rating
Mild violence, online interactivity, sexualised imagery
How it makes money
Harmful: chance, compulsion or exploitation
The game is free, and almost all of the money comes from 'Wishes': random draws for new characters and weapons that cost 160 Primogems each. Primogems can be earned slowly by playing or bought as Genesis Crystals, from A$1.49 for 60 up to A$159.99 for 6,480 on the App Store. The top-rarity pulls have a published base rate of 0.6% and are guaranteed by pull 90, but a limited character can be lost to a standard one on a 50/50, so a guaranteed featured character can take up to 180 pulls, or 28,800 crystals (roughly A$700 at app-store prices by our arithmetic). There is also an optional monthly pass (Blessing of the Welkin Moon, about US$5) and a paid battle pass (A$14.99 or A$30.99). In 2025 the developer agreed to pay US$20 million to settle US Federal Trade Commission claims about loot boxes and children.
How you pay
- Free-to-play
The game is free on every platform. Genesis Crystal packs on the Australian App Store run from A$1.49 (60 crystals) to A$159.99 (6,480 crystals).
- Gacha
Characters and weapons come from 'Wishes' on rotating banners, 160 Primogems per pull, with a published base rate of 0.6% for the top rarity.
- Battle pass
The paid 'Gnostic Hymn' battle pass is A$14.99 on the App Store (the 'Gnostic Chorus' version is A$30.99), with free rewards alongside the paid ones each season.
minor part of the game
Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing
- Pity timer
Odds climb from around pull 74 and a top-rarity item is guaranteed by pull 90, but the limited banner has a 50/50 that can send you to a standard character first (up to 180 pulls for the featured one).
- Game currency
Real money buys Genesis Crystals, which convert one-for-one into Primogems, which are then spent on pulls. Prices are never shown as dollars per character.
- FOMO timers
Featured characters and weapons sit on limited-time banners that rotate on a schedule, and the FTC complaint cited limited-time 'Event Banners' as part of how the game was marketed.
- Wait or pay
Original Resin is a refilling energy bar spent on boss and domain rewards, which caps how much you can farm per day.
- Collect all
New characters are added every update and each is a separate pull, so a complete roster is never finished.
minor part of the game - Daily pressure
The Blessing of the Welkin Moon pays out a daily allowance of Primogems that you have to log in to claim, and daily commissions give Primogems for turning up.
minor part of the game - Starter pack
Crystal packs carry a one-off bonus the first time each size is bought, according to community guides; we have not confirmed the exact rule from the publisher.
minor part of the game
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
What it costs
Free to start, then A$1.49–A$159.99 a purchase
| What | Where | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Genesis Crystals Smallest crystal pack |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS ↗ | A$1.49 | Oct 2026 |
| 6,480 Genesis Crystals Largest crystal pack. One Wish costs 160 Primogems. |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS ↗ | A$159.99 | Oct 2026 |
| Gnostic Hymn Paid battle pass tier |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS ↗ | A$14.99 | Oct 2026 |
| Gnostic Chorus Higher battle pass tier |
Apple App Store (AU) · iOS ↗ | A$30.99 | Oct 2026 |
Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.
Reviews from across the web
What the critics said
-
9/ 10
IGN ↗
Praised the large, rewarding open world and the pleasure of exploring it.
-
9.3/ 10
Game Informer ↗
Called it a very strong action RPG with a great wide-open world to explore.
-
84/ 100
PC Gamer ↗
Enjoyed the exploration and combat but was critical of how the free-to-play monetisation shapes the later game.
-
7/ 10
GameSpot ↗
A good game held back by the restrictions that come with its free-to-play design.
Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.
Age ratings
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes). They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the badges above are for. About rating boards
Safety & parental controls
Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?
- Text chat
- Players can interact with strangers
- Contains user-made content (not pre-checked by the developer)
- Needs an online account
Co-op worlds of up to four players unlock part-way through the game, and players can message each other and send friend requests using a player ID. Miliastra Wonderland lets players build and share their own levels, which the developer does not pre-check (Apple lists 'user-generated content' and 'messaging and chat'). As part of a 2025 US settlement, HoYoverse blocks US players under 16 from buying loot boxes without a parent's consent and checks ages in the US; we found no sign that this applies in Australia, so set spending limits in the App Store, Google Play or console family settings.
Platforms & release
Where you can play it
| Platform | Released | Store |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | April 2021 | Store page ↗ |
| PlayStation 4 Wikipedia reports PS4 downloads were removed in September 2025 and in-game purchases ended in February 2026. |
28 September 2020 | — |
| Xbox Series X|S | 20 November 2024 | — |
| Windows PC | 28 September 2020 | Store page ↗ |
| iPhone and iPad | 28 September 2020 | Store page ↗ |
| Android phones and tablets | 28 September 2020 | Store page ↗ |
Further reading
- Official website ↗
- FTC: Genshin Impact developer to pay US$20 million and stop selling loot boxes to under-16s without parental consent (January 2025) ↗
- Genshin Impact on Wikipedia ↗
- Genshin Impact official site ↗
- Wikipedia ↗
Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, apps.apple.com, store.playstation.com, www.classification.gov.au, www.esrb.org, pegi.info, www.ftc.gov, www.metacritic.com, opencritic.com, opencritic.com. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.