You've probably heard the term pay-to-fast before. While the term is not as popular, it's often confused with pay-to-win. However, there are a lot of new and popular games that can be considered pay-to-fast.

What Are Pay-to-Fast Games?

Pay-to-fast, also known as Pay 2 fast or P2F, is a term used for video games that let you progress in the game quicker if you spend real-life money on them. It's worth noting that pay-to-fast players don't get any exclusive items or power-ups, which means that free-to-play players will still have the chance to play and advance through the game without spending money. However, they'll need to spend a lot more time than Pay-to-fast players when it comes to grinding.

When you think of pay-to-fast or pay-to-win games, many free games probably come to mind. The truth is that a lot of free-to-play games are also considered Pay-to-fast or even pay-to-win.

You can clearly see how pay-to-fast works on a lot of mobile games. Many video games like Clash Royale, Brawlstars, or Clash of Clans are considered to be pay-to-fast games (even though a lot of people also use the term pay to win).

These games are pay-to-fast because the real-life money you use on the game will only help you upgrade your cards or brawlers faster. While that will obviously give you an advantage, especially when playing against a free-to-play player, it won't necessarily make you win games automatically.

Another great example is the game Genshin Impact. While some aspects of the game might be considered pay-to-win, the truth is that if you spend real-life money, you'll get the chance to unlock more heroes or level up faster than regular players. Again, it is an unfair advantage, but you aren't technically paying to win.

That's not to say that all mobile or free-to-play games are bad. There are still some great free mobile games with no ads or in-app purchases, but they're hard to find sometimes.

Pay-to-Win vs. Pay-to-Fast: What's the Difference?

Pay-to-win and pay-to-fast games share a lot of similarities. With that said, they're not the same term, albeit many games might be considered both pay-to-win and pay-to-fast.

As we mentioned before, pay-to-fast games will let you unlock weapons, items, heroes, etc., which will give you an unfair advantage when facing a free-to-play opponent, but they won't necessarily grant you the win.

For instance, if you play Clash Royale and you paid to upgrade all your cards to level 13, you'll have a clear advantage against an opponent with level 11 cards. However, the free-to-play player can and will eventually have the same level 13 cards, but they'll have to make a bigger effort than you.

Additionally, if both players play a match with cards at the same level, the more skilled player has a better chance to win, regardless if they spend money on the game or not.

On the other hand, pay-to-win games give a player a complete advantage that a free-to-play player would never have. For instance, a game might offer exclusive gear or characters for players willing to pay real money for it. Free-to-play players would never have a chance to win against a pay-to-win gamer, no matter how much more skilled they are.

P2W vs. P2F

There's definitely a gray area between these two terms. Most games will offer advantages to players in exchange for real money, which could be considered pay to win or pay-to-fast.

While P2W and P2F are different, they both mean pretty much the same: an unfair advantage to the people willing to pay real money.

Still, some distinctions can make a game completely pay-to-win or entirely pay-to-fast. The most important aspect you should know is that you should be very careful with both types of games, as they're mostly trying to get you to purchase digital items for your hard-earned cash.