"Pay-to-win" or "P2W", is a pejorative term for a game that offers any advantage that can be obtained faster or exclusively via commercial transactions over gameplay rewards or the impact of the player's own performance.

This market practice is seen negative because it destroys the sportiveness of games, rewarding mediocre players who look for an easy way to beat the competition or the challenge, instead of promoting fair play.

Imagine, for example, an Archery competition where the archers could optionally buy the right to use laser-dot scope aims in their bows Every archer would look to exploit that artificial advantage, instead of actually improving themselves at the sport.

Games that let you buy better gear or allow you to make better items then everyone else at a faster rate and then makes the game largely unbalanced even for people who have skill in the game without paying.

The sad proof that gaming is in its most dead and soul-less state so far.

Several games nowadays have the option to pay real money to enhance the experience of the player, often frustrating him unless he pays up.

Good ways to milk players of the money they thought they wouldn't spend in the game include: energy bars that reduce the time he can devote to his game, huge timers that need to be reduced for the player to be able to continue his journey, better gear to deal with players that don't want to pay, and, the most common one, the existence of a currency in the game that can't be earned without your credit card.

Pay-to-win is sadly increasing everywhere, from small games on Kongregate to medium-sized browser games such as Epic Duel, to the larger games where you need to pay to unlock certain features, such as Injustice and Mortal Kombat.

Being a noob who cant get his/her own skills, so they pay real money that skilled players would rather not waste to get an unfair advantage that should not be there

Traditionally, pay to win refered to a situation in a videogame where paying real life money gave the player any sort of advantageous or otherwise gameplay-altering (non-cosmetic) effect or object. These could range from acquiring regular in game items that can be obtained easily through regular gameplay to powerful items and advantages via the use of real money, whether exclusively or not.

Nowadays, the meaning of the expression varies slightly. It is mostly used to describe games which either have significantly powerful perks or items exclusively obtained with real money or excessively grindy games where the advantage obtained by using real money can be accomplished through gameplay, albeit taking very long to obtain.

Some players argue that pay to win only applies to online games, in which paying real money can give players an edge over players who simply play the game in order to unlock more weapons, characters, progression, etc. while others consider it can apply to any kind of game (including single player titles) where paying real money gives an advantage to the player.

Games which merely offer some minor advantages (in game objects, currency, experience boosts...) via microtransactions, DLCs or other bonuses are regarded by most as not pay to win, even though they technically fit that description in the traditional sense, since they are still considered advantages tied to real world money.

Pay to Win is a situation in gaming (usually MMOs or Massively Multiplayer Online games) where companies allow you to buy items or advantages with real money that cannot be obtained normally by playing the game.

An exception to the rule is that if an item/advantage can be obtained in-game but the acquisition time is unreasonably long, that can also be considered Pay to Win.

Any game policy where specific content needed to win is locked behind pay walls. Forcing people to pay, in order to access said content. While none can gain access to the content though other in game methods (combat, trading, etc)

Paying real life currency to beat players who are inherently better than you in any game.

Buying something that gives a big advantage over others.