microtransaction

noun

mi·​cro·​trans·​ac·​tion ˌmī-krō-tran-ˈzak-shən 

-tran(t)-ˈsak-

plural microtransactions

: an online transaction involving a small amount of currency

And each time a song is streamed on one of those platforms, a microtransaction occurs, ranging from around .001 to .005 cents per play.

—John Klyce

especially : such a transaction made within a video game (as to purchase exclusive content or competitive advantage)

The microtransactions that most mobile games are built on—$1 here, $5 there—can add up quickly.

—Seth Schiesel

Is it entirely legal for companies with business models based mainly on microtransactions to target young gamers who may not fully understand that they are incurring a charge when they purchase things with in-game currency?

—Eric Neigher

Blizzard [Entertainment] famously touted last week that "Diablo Immortal" made $24 million in its first two weeks purely from microtransaction purchases.

—Josh Rouse

Examples of microtransaction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Purchasing champions and forging new ones seems perfectly suited to take advantage of the kind of microtransaction activity gaming companies salivate over. —Ash Parrish, The Verge, 30 Oct. 2024

This is something that will largely be aimed as the Asian market where there is far less pushback to extensive microtransactions. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

Yes, there will be bad microtransactions and ones Destiny fans are not used to in the main game that sells almost exclusively cosmetics. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

And without that, microtransactions would have to be more annoying. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

micro- + transaction

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above