Is Off The Grid another pay-to-win blockchain game? Possibilities explored

Off The Grid is currently in its Early Access stage and gaining much popularity, especially among content creators. While many appreciate the title, others have raised concerns about it being another pay-to-win blockchain game. However, before we delve into these concerns, we must understand how the monetization in the game works and what exactly pay-to-win means.

Simply put, any game is pay-to-win if you get a competitive advantage over others by buying your way through it, completely skipping the grind.

Now that we have established what pay-to-win exactly means, let us take a closer look at the monetization system of Off The Grid.

Disclaimer: The opinions in this article are solely those of the author.

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How does the monetization system work in Off The Grid?

Off The Grid is free-to-play, so it is natural that it has some sort of monetization system in place so that the developer can make money and keep it going.

So how does the monetization system work in Off The Grid? The game features a currency called GUN. These GUNs are essentially the in-game currency, similar to COD Points in Call of Duty. Using these, you can buy items such as a weapon or an attachment. On top of that, there's a subscription model called OTG Pro, which charges $11.99 monthly for a few additional benefits.

Hexes in Off The Grid (Image via Gunzilla Games)

Usually, players won't need to use GUNs at all if they simply want to play. But there's a catch. In the game, you earn special boxes called "Hex," which are essentially loot boxes. You need GUNs to open these Hexes. These may contain powerful weapons and equipment, which are usually better than default items. Now, you can definitely earn GUNs by playing the game, but is an extremely slow process.

You'll have to go through all the daily, weekly, and monthly challenges. Let's assume you completed all them of and grind your way throughout the month. You may now ask how many GUNs you have earned.

Listing of a weapon in the Off The Grid Marketplace (Image via Gunzilla Games)

You have earned only 171 GUNs and usually, you can expect to spend over 1000 GUNs if you are looking to buy a weapon of Epic rarity.

Although the developer has yet to include a way to buy GUNs with real money, it won't be surprising if it does allow that later down the line. However, this is exactly what may lead to a pay-to-win system. You will be able to skip the grind of earning GUNs and simply buy them. Now, you can head over to the title's Marketplace and buy the enhanced items or open tons of Hexes and build them into your loadout.

Doing so will give you an advantage over others who decide not to buy them, and this exactly fits with our definition of pay-to-win as discussed earlier.

Let's say you decide not to buy them. What's your next quickest way to earn a lot of GUNs? By selling your high-tier items that you earned from opening the Hexes in the Marketplace that you may not need.

Only OTG Pro subscribers can sell items in the game's Marketplace (Image via Gunzilla Games)

But here's the catch. You cannot sell anything in the Marketplace if you are not a subscriber of the OTG Pro plan.

By this point, you should have a clear idea of how the monetization system works in the game. But is it a pay-to-win cash grab? Check out the section below for our final thoughts on the game.

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Conclusion: Is Off The Grid a pay-to-win game?

As it currently stands, yes, Off The Grid is a pay-to-win game. You might now be wondering that if the game doesn't allow you to buy GUN tokens using money yet, how can it be a pay-to-win game? Well, the answer is simple. As mentioned earlier, if a basic feature of the Marketplace is hidden behind a paywall, how can you not call it a pay-to-win game?

The Marketplace is your best bet at earning GUNs right now. It can be used to buy better gear and hence, give you the edge over your opponents in the matches.

Price of an Epic weapon in Off The Grid Marketplace (Image via Activision)

If you see the image above, this is a listing of a weapon of Epic Rarity that can be sold or bought for nearly 2800 GUNs. But, if you don't have OTG Pro, you'll not be able to sell anything in the Marketplace. This gatekeeps you from being able to earn a high amount of GUNs in the game, even though you may own the item.

The developer has claimed that you'll be able to own everything on the blockchain. But, if you can't even sell what you own without paying money for it first, do you even own them or is it just the illusion of ownership?

All the grind earning GUNs, opening Hexes, earning rare gear, and you can't even sell them in the game to earn GUNs so that you can buy what you exactly want. This is simply not a good monetization system.

We'll give the developer the benefit of the doubt for now as the shooter is Early Access. But hopefully, it will address these concerns by the time Off The Grid is ready for its full-fledged release.

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That covers everything that you need to know about the monetization system in OTG and our thoughts on whether it's pay-to-win.

For the latest Off The Grid news and guides, check out the links below:

• All Off The Grid Early Access maps
• What is Off The Grid? Brand new battle royale explained
• How to get Off The Grid Early Access for PC, PS, and Xbox?