I thought it ' d look cooler this way and when i flick people off i have ignignokt and err flipping them off too <| sep |> b 2 p Buy To Play . These games are a 1 time purchase Diablo 3 for example . p 2 p Pay to Play . These games often have an initial cost to buy the game , then pay the monthly game timeplay time subscription generally $ 1015 month Larger titles utilize this method because they need the ongoing subscription revenue to pay for the large staff and server costs associated with maintaining the game . f 2 p Free To Play . These games are completely free to install and play . They monetize in different ways , the most common is an in game shop where you can purchase cosmetics or in some cases actual character improvements . This leads to the distinction of p 2 w or not . p 2 w Pay to Win . This means the cash shop gives you advantages over the f 2 p users .