- Primary Subject: Gacha Gaming
- Key Update: The late April 2026 launch of Neverness to Everness and the 3rd Anniversary of Honkai: Star Rail have sparked a massive industry-wide debate on F2P sustainability versus "Whale" progression.
- Status: Confirmed (Current Industry State)
- Last Verified: May 5, 2026
- Quick Answer:
There are many popular gacha games available for you to play, from popular ones like Genshin Impact or Zenless Zone Zero to the more recently released titles that are gaining attention, such as Neverness to Everness. Regardless of what you end up picking, you will end up as one of two types of players.
The first would be classified as whales, and they are willing to use real-world currency to purchase advantages such as extra pulls, essentially raising their chances of acquiring higher rarities of items or characters. The other type would be the free-to-play player who, as its name suggests, chooses to go about the game without ever spending on anything unless it's in-game money.
You can be either one from the moment you start playing any gacha, but as someone who has tried both, I can confidently say that being a free-to-play player is much better and much more rewarding than being a whale. One reason why is that you're incentivized to play the game and spend time on it.
For the whales, all they have to do for the most part is play to a certain extent, and when they reach a point where they can actually spend money, they can get what they want. However, once they manage to obtain what they're after, regardless of whether it's a cosmetic or a new character, they don't really have a reason to keep playing anymore.
So, what happens is that they log off, wait for an update that provides new stuff available for them to try and obtain, spend money until they get it, try it out until they're bored, then repeat the cycle. While it's an effective and quickest way to acquire whatever is desired, such a way of playing doesn't exactly sound appealing, despite the flashy animations from a rare pull that tries to say otherwise.
Although they aren't able to get what they want via an easy method, free-to-play players actually have the benefit of enjoying what the game has to offer while trying. Having to do daily missions or events to acquire basic or premium in-game currency allows them to enjoy parts of a gacha game that whales usually miss out on, and even lets them appreciate the details of the world others would normally miss if they didn't properly play the game. That, and they actually have something to look forward to every day rather than just standing idly by.
Another reason why it's better to be a free-to-play player is that there's more satisfaction from getting rare pulls. Not saying that there's no joy from receiving high-class items, cosmetics, or characters when using real-world currency to get them, considering that they're still not guaranteed and can only be acquired by chance, but getting them doesn't feel as good.
That's because there was barely any effort into obtaining them, and while that's supposed to be the point with the option of paying with cash, it doesn't change the fact that it somewhat trivializes the overall impact of receiving something that's supposed to be hard to obtain. However, that's not the case if you actually worked to get them.
Logging in to do daily tasks and missions can be a time-consuming task, and the rewards for doing so offer little compared to what whales can get via in-game purchases. However, saving up what you've worked on and getting something rare from that feels so much more satisfying, as it essentially tells you that your persistence and hard work paid off, which is an experience that the majority of whales won't be able to go through.
Now, the final reason why it's better to be a free-to-play player is that it's basically much easier on your wallet. Regardless of whether it's Zenless Zone Zero, Genshin Impact, Honkai: Stair Rail, or whatever gacha game, it's a fact that spending money on them for extra pulls is not cheap.
Even with the pity system, where you're guaranteed a high-rarity pull after numerous failed attempts, there's still a good chance you won't get what you want, even after spending. This means you could put in hundreds or perhaps even thousands of dollars, and there's a good chance you lose it all and gain nothing from it.
Free-to-play players don't have to worry about this, given that they only have to use whatever in-game currency they've accumulated to try their luck. Yes, it stings when they can't get what they want and will have to grind again for more chances, but that's better than the alternative of spending tons of cash that may or may not offer any return value.
So, if you're planning to pick up a gacha game, consider doing so as a free-to-play player, as I think it's much better and more fun. If you're already playing and consider yourself a whale, try playing another game and do the free-to-play route; you might find it more appealing.
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