Money guide
What each cabinet really costs
All twelve games on our floor cost £0 to start. This is everything each one will sell you afterwards — the item, the price as displayed, and whether it renews.
Checked against official pages on 24 September 2026. Prices and policies change — the source links at the foot of each section are the final word.
“Free to play” describes the door, not the room. So here is the room: every purchase we could find on each game's official site or store listing, priced as displayed on the day we checked, in the currency the developer uses. Several are priced in dollars — your card or PayPal will convert them, which is where the fees on our payment guide come in.
The headline, for anyone in a hurry: none of the twelve sells a battle pass, none sells a random-chance item, and seven of them sell nothing we could find.
| Cabinet | To start | The most it sells | Renews? | Adverts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2048 | £0 | Nothing — there is no shop | — | None |
| Bad Ice Cream 3 | £0 | Nothing — adverts pay for it | — | Yes, around the game |
| QWOP | £0 | Nothing on the web version | — | None |
| Territorial.io | £0 | Nothing in the game; optional supporter tiers | Supporter tiers only | Yes |
| Narrow One | £0 | Nothing we could find for real money | — | Yes; watching one doubles your coins |
| Jstris | £0 | Optional supporter tier, $3–$5 a month | Monthly, cancel any time | None |
| Diep.io | £0 | VIP $5 a month; Shinies from $1.99 | VIP is monthly | Yes, unless you pay for VIP |
| Deeeep.io | £0 | Nothing we could find for real money | — | Yes |
| Gartic Phone | £0 | Nothing we could find — adverts pay for it | — | Yes, before you join |
| Starblast.io | £0 | Optional one-off pass, $9.99 | — | Yes |
| Drednot.io | £0 | Optional Patreon membership | Monthly, via Patreon | None seen |
| The Password Game | £0 | Nothing — adverts on the site | — | Yes, on the wider site |
Words that hide a price
- Battle pass / season pass
- A paid track of rewards that runs for a fixed season and then ends. The price is fixed, but the value depends on playing enough to unlock it. None of our twelve sells one.
- Premium currency
- Points, gems or coins bought with money and then spent in the shop. The bundles rarely match the prices of the items, so there is usually something left over — which is the point. Diep.io's Shinies are the only example on our floor.
- Bundle bonus
- “+25%” on a larger pack of currency. It is a discount for spending more at once, not free money.
- Subscription or membership
- A monthly charge that renews until you cancel it. Jstris, Diep.io VIP and the Patreon tiers work this way.
- Random-chance item
- A paid box, spin or pack whose contents you do not know until after paying. We do not list games that sell them.
- Earned currency
- Coins you get only by playing. Narrow One and Deeeep.io pay for their cosmetics this way, which costs time rather than money.
Cabinet by cabinet
2048
The original site has no shop, no payment system and no adverts. It is an open-source page and has stayed that way since 2014. Copies elsewhere, including apps, are made by other people and may charge.
- Nothing is for sale.
Where these facts come from
Bad Ice Cream 3
Nitrome's HTML5 version has no shop, no unlocks and no currency. The page carries advertising around the game.
- Nothing is for sale.
Where these facts come from
QWOP
The browser version on Bennett Foddy's site is free, with no adverts and no purchases. A separate QWOP app for iPhone exists and is sold on its own; we have not listed its price because we could not confirm it on the day.
- Nothing is for sale.
Where these facts come from
Territorial.io
The browser game and the UK phone apps are free and advert-supported, and neither app lists any in-app purchase. The developer runs an optional Patreon; we could not open that page to confirm its tier prices, so we have not printed any.
- Supporter membership on Patreon: optional; tiers are set on the developer's Patreon page
Where these facts come from
Narrow One
Cosmetics are bought with coins earned by playing, and you can choose to watch an advert to double them. We found no way to buy coins with money in the browser version. A free Steam release exists; we could not open its store page on the day to check it.
- Nothing is for sale.
Where these facts come from
Jstris
Jstris has no adverts at all and is paid for by players who choose to support it. Nothing you can buy changes how a run plays. Payment is taken through PayPal or Xsolla, in dollars.
- Supporter, tier 1 (badge, emoji, name on the supporters list): $3 a month
- Supporter, tier 2 (adds 100+ block skins, username change, unlimited replays): $5 a month
- One-off donation: any amount, converted into supporter time
Where these facts come from
Diep.io
Diep.io has the fullest shop on our floor. Skins are fixed-price items bought with Shinies — nothing is randomised — and VIP removes the adverts. One bundle is priced at $499.99 in the shop; it is optional and cosmetic, and it is the single largest price we found anywhere on the floor. Payments are taken through Xsolla, in dollars.
- Shinies (the shop currency): $1.99 for 300 up to $49.99 for 9,500, one-off
- VIP membership (includes no adverts): $5 a month
- Arena Closer Pack (a year of VIP plus 20,000 Shinies): $499.99, as displayed
- Skins: 200 to 2,000 Shinies each, fixed prices
Where these facts come from
Deeeep.io
Skins are bought with coins that are earned by playing — by score and by eliminations. We found no way to buy coins or a membership with money, and the site is paid for by advertising.
- Nothing is for sale.
Where these facts come from
Gartic Phone
We found no paid tier on the official site. Browser extensions that call themselves Gartic Phone “Pro” or “Plus” are made by third parties, not the developer — we would not install them.
- Nothing is for sale.
Where these facts come from
Starblast.io
The browser game is free and advert-supported. The Elite Commander Pass is a cosmetic unlock bought once — it is not a rotating season, and nothing in it is random. The developer sells it for $9.99; the standalone Steam edition is priced separately.
- Elite Commander Pass (ship materials, laser colours, badges): $9.99, one-off
Where these facts come from
Drednot.io
Drednot.io is paid for by players who support its developer on Patreon. We could not open that page on the day to confirm tier prices, so we have not printed any.
- Patreon membership (badge, animated name colour, cosmetic items): tiers are set on the developer's Patreon page
Where these facts come from
The Password Game
There is nothing to buy in the game. Neal Agarwal's site is paid for by display advertising.
- Nothing is for sale.
Where these facts come from
Questions we get asked
Are these games really free?
Yes. All twelve cost £0 to start and none requires a purchase to keep playing. Seven have nothing we could find for sale.
Do any of these games have a battle pass?
No. The most any of them asks for regularly is a monthly supporter or VIP membership, which is optional.
Which game on the list costs the most?
Diep.io, if you choose to spend: VIP is $5 a month and its shop includes one optional bundle priced at $499.99. Everything in it is cosmetic.
Why are some prices in dollars?
Because that is how the developers price them. Your bank or PayPal converts the amount, and may add a fee for doing so.