What “Official” Means Here
An official route is one where the publisher itself sells the currency, or a currency-like item, or hosts the exchange. Prices can look higher than a third-party seller’s, but the trade is the one the publisher built the economy around. That is a different question from whether third-party sales are allowed, and several games below prohibit both.
Details such as prices, rates and holding periods change, so we describe how each route works and leave the numbers to the game. Each entry links to our sourced buying guide, and to the publisher’s own page where we found one.
Games With an Official Route
Old School RuneScape
Bonds are bought from Jagex for real money and either sold on the Grand Exchange for in-game gold or redeemed for membership.
Worth knowing: The gold value floats with the Grand Exchange, so check the current bond price first.
RuneScape 3
Bonds are bought from Jagex and traded for gold, or redeemed for membership.
Worth knowing: Check the current bond price on the Grand Exchange first.
World of Warcraft
Buy the Token in the shop and sell it on the Auction House for gold, or buy one with gold and redeem it for game time or Battle.net balance.
Worth knowing: Check the Token price in game first so you know the sanctioned rate.
EverQuest and EverQuest II
Daybreak sells Krono for real money. Players can trade or sell a Krono to another player for in-game currency, or redeem one for 30 days of membership.
Worth knowing: Daybreak says Krono is not a payment method and that its use may be restricted on Time-Locked Progression and other special-rules servers.
Star Trek Online
Arc Games describes an in-game exchange where players offer Refined Dilithium to buy Zen, and the reverse, with offers held in escrow until they fill or are cancelled.
Worth knowing: Zen bought through the exchange is bound to Star Trek Online.
Neverwinter
A lead designer wrote that Astral Diamonds represent time and Zen represents money, and that the exchange lets players trade one for the other.
Worth knowing: The rate is set by players and can differ between PC and Xbox, so check it on your platform.
Dofus
Ankama sells Ogrines for real money, and they can be exchanged for Kamas on the Kamas Exchange in game or on the website at a market rate.
Worth knowing: The rate follows supply and demand. Community guides say Ogrines obtained with Kamas are bound, so check the current rules in game.
Entropia Universe
MindArk describes a real cash economy in which the PED has a fixed rate of 10 PED to 1 US dollar, for deposits and for withdrawals.
Worth knowing: Community guides note identity verification, waiting periods, minimums and fees, so read MindArk’s terms. Treat spending as entertainment, not investment.
Second Life
The Terms and Conditions say Linden dollars may not be bought or sold outside the LindeX, which is the only authorized exchange.
Worth knowing: Linden Lab may reverse LindeX transactions in cases of suspected fraud.
Lost Ark
Players can buy gold with Royal Crystals through the in-game Currency Exchange.
Worth knowing: Purchased gold is withheld for three days, according to our guide’s research.
Throne and Liberty
Lucent bought from the official store can be used in the Auction House, or earned by selling items.
Worth knowing: There is a three-day holding period before purchased Lucent can be used in the Auction House.
Tibia
Buy Tibia Coins and sell them on the Coin Market. For an established character, the Character Bazaar is the official route.
Worth knowing: Tibia’s rules forbid advertising trades that involve real money.
Albion Online
Buy Gold and use the in-game Gold Market as the sanctioned route.
Worth knowing: Sandbox Interactive prohibits buying or selling virtual currency outside in-game systems.
EVE Online
CCP sells PLEX, the sanctioned route for turning money into in-game value.
Worth knowing: CCP says stolen cards are used to buy PLEX that is distributed to RMT buyers, so buy it from CCP.
GTA Online
Shark Cards are the only sanctioned way to buy GTA$.
Worth knowing: Rockstar says money bought through Shark Cards stays on the account, while illegitimately gained GTA$ has been removed.
Habbo
Habbo’s help pages say the only legitimate way to buy credits is through the official shop.
Worth knowing: Buying or selling accounts or furni for cash is listed as prohibited.
Games With No Official Way to Buy
Some popular games do not sell currency at all. Our research found no official way to buy gil in Final Fantasy XIV (guide) or gold in Diablo IV (guide). In those games, earning currency in play is the only route with no rules risk.
How to Use This Page
Start with the official route, then compare any third-party offer against it. If a third-party price is far below the official rate, ask where the currency came from, because publishers such as ArenaNet, Arc Games and CCP say stolen cards and hacked accounts are common sources. Our publisher policy summary shows what each publisher has said about third-party sales.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are official routes safer than third-party sellers?
They are the routes the publisher supports, so the transaction itself is what the game expects. They do not remove every risk, such as account security, so keep your account protected either way.
Does an official route mean third-party sales are allowed?
No. Several publishers that sell currency or host an exchange also prohibit third-party sales. See our publisher policy summary.
Why does a game not appear here?
Either the publisher does not sell currency, or we have not found enough official material to describe the route accurately.
