Premium currency
Also said as Hard currency, Gems, Virtual currency, Paid currency
Money you buy with real money and then spend in the game, as gems or coins. It sits between your wallet and the price, on purpose.
Refuse the tricks in this. Odd pack sizes strand you with leftovers, and a price in gems is hard to turn back into dollars, particularly for children. In January 2025 HoYoverse agreed to pay the FTC $20 million over Genshin Impact, including complaints about multi-step currencies that make spending hard to track. It disputed much of this, and the settlement requires that it sells loot boxes directly for dollars in the US.
Say it
“Show the real price on every item, right next to the gems. Sell packs in amounts that match what things cost, and if a player has leftovers, let them cash out or buy something small.”
Where you’ve seen it
Most free-to-play games use it. It is common enough that a price tag in plain money stands out as the exception.
Not to be confused with soft currency
Soft currency is earned by playing, and it is a normal part of an in-game economy. Premium currency is bought, and the design question is what it hides.