One in 10 Japanese gamers admit financial struggles due to in-game purchases

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A recent survey in Japan revealed that about 10% of gamers have experienced financial difficulties because of how much they spend on games.

Let’s be real, microtransactions are everywhere in gaming now. We see it a lot with free-to-play games and those gacha ones, but it’s getting annoying that even if you buy a full game, they’re trying to get you to spend more on things that are supposed to make it more fun. It feels like a cash grab sometimes.

The approach seems to be working well. Last year, a study showed that over half of American children wanted a video game for Christmas, and most of them specifically wished for virtual currencies.

It’s clear why so many players spend money within games. Unfortunately, this spending can sometimes cause real problems. A recent yearly study in Japan revealed that a significant number of gamers are facing difficulties because of in-game purchases.

Survey finds 10.5% of Japanese gamers spend too much on in-game purchases

The yearly survey was conducted by Japanese financial firm SMBC and translated by Automaton. It aimed to understand how young adults spend their money, surveying 1,000 Japanese men and women between the ages of 20 and 29.

Nearly 19% of people surveyed said they spent money on in-game items in 2025 and later wished they hadn’t. On average, these regretted purchases cost about 5,080 Yen, which is around $32 US dollars.

It’s a bit worrying to hear that over 10% of players admitted they spent so much on in-game stuff that it actually caused them financial problems. That’s a significant number and definitely something to think about.

Okay, so “financial hardship” can mean a lot of things – from just not saving enough to actually struggling to afford food. But the numbers show that about 1 in 10 gamers here in Japan have run into money troubles because of how much they spend in games. It’s a bit worrying, honestly.

As Automaton pointed out, the current results show a decrease from last year’s survey, where 18.8% of respondents reported experiencing financial difficulties.

It’s not surprising that many young adults are facing financial difficulties when some are quickly spending through their parents’ savings.

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2026-01-22 07:18