Microtransaction real value calculator
Work out the real-money cost of an in-game item, from the price of a currency bundle you'd buy.
Games almost never publish a clean "1 gem = X pence" rate — they only sell currency in fixed bundles. This calculator works from a bundle you can actually buy, so the rate it derives is exactly what you'd be paying, not an approximation.
Adding up a whole wishlist instead? Try the wishlist cost calculator.
Report an issue with this calculationWorked example
A 1000-gem bundle costs £7.99 — that's £7.99 ÷ 1000 ≈ £0.008 per gem. An item costing 500 gems would then cost about 500 × £0.008 ≈ £4.00 in real money.
Now compare a bigger bundle: 2500 gems for £17.99, which works out to about £0.0072 per gem — a better rate. The same 500-gem item from that bundle would cost about £3.60 instead of £4.00, purely because the larger bundle offers more gems per pound.
FAQ
How is the real value worked out?
From the exchange rate implied by a currency bundle you already know the real price of: real price divided by the amount of in-game currency in that bundle, multiplied by the item's cost.
Why do I need to enter a bundle instead of just an exchange rate?
Games rarely publish a direct "1 gem = X pence" rate — they sell currency in fixed bundles instead. Using a bundle you can actually buy gives an accurate rate without needing to look one up separately.
Does this work for any game with in-game currency?
Yes — it's a generic calculator based only on the numbers you enter, not tied to a specific game's pricing data.
What currency do I enter the bundle price in?
The bundle price is real money (£), and the bundle amount and item cost are both in the game's own in-game currency (e.g. gems or coins) — there's no separate currency choice to make.
Can the bundle price include pence, like £7.99?
Yes — the price field accepts decimals. The in-game currency amounts (bundle size and item cost) are typically whole numbers, since that's how games display them.
What if my game only sells currency at variable rates, with no fixed bundle?
This calculator needs a specific bundle price and amount to work from — if your game doesn't sell currency in fixed bundles, there's no rate to base the calculation on.
What if my game has more than one type of virtual currency?
Run the calculator separately for each currency, using that currency's own bundle price and amount.
Does this account for sales or promotional bundle pricing?
No — it uses whatever bundle price you enter. If that bundle happened to be on sale, the result reflects that sale price, not a "normal" price.
Can you show a worked example?
If a 1000-gem bundle costs £7.99, that's about £0.008 per gem. An item costing 500 gems would then be roughly £4.00.