microtransaction

noun

mi·​cro·​trans·​ac·​tion ˌmī-krō-tran-ˈzak-shən 

-tran(t)-ˈsak-

plural microtransactions

: an online transaction involving a small amount of currency

And each time a song is streamed on one of those platforms, a microtransaction occurs, ranging from around .001 to .005 cents per play.

—John Klyce

especially : such a transaction made within a video game (as to purchase exclusive content or competitive advantage)

The microtransactions that most mobile games are built on—$1 here, $5 there—can add up quickly.

—Seth Schiesel

Is it entirely legal for companies with business models based mainly on microtransactions to target young gamers who may not fully understand that they are incurring a charge when they purchase things with in-game currency?

—Eric Neigher

Blizzard [Entertainment] famously touted last week that "Diablo Immortal" made $24 million in its first two weeks purely from microtransaction purchases.

—Josh Rouse

Examples of microtransaction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Granted, there are a couple of caveats to consider here, such as the fact that video game revenue includes in-game microtransactions (in-app purchases) and not just the initial sale of the game, whereas a movie release relies on a one-time ticket purchase. —Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 7 May 2026

Retailers, for their part, argue that the administrative burden and reverse logistics of identifying and refunding millions of individual microtransactions make consumer rebates an impossible challenge. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 16 Apr. 2026

Even before the Server Slam started, Marathon crept up to #3 on the Steam revenue chart, which is not unit sales but total dollars brought in, including microtransactions in free-to-play games. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 3 Mar. 2026

This isn’t only an insult to every artist and developer involved in the making of each Call of Duty, but also to anyone paying for a premium release that’s chock-full of microtransactions to boot. —Fran J. Ruiz, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

micro- + transaction

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for microtransaction

• dissatisfaction
• overreaction
• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction
• contraction
• detraction
• diffraction
• distraction
• exaction
• extraction
• impaction