The Diversification of Gaming Payments – 6 Major Payment Options in 2025
Gaming as a form of entertainment has come a long way in the last couple of decades. With its rise in popularity came the increased need for fast and seamless payment options for players. The days of cash-based transactions in game stores are long gone, and digital payments are the new norm.
When it comes to choosing the right one, you will always be limited by the platform’s implemented options. Reputable marketplaces like Steam and Epic, as well as progressive iGaming venues like Golden Panda, will accept most payment methods available at the moment. However, sometimes you will find yourself in situations where the options are not as diverse, and you have to choose the best one. In that light, here we will explore the most popular payment methods in online gaming in 2025.
Credit and Debit Cards
The most widely used options are, of course, credit and debit cards. These well-known companions to any online shopping session have been around for decades and have, thus, become somewhat of a standard. The majority of people are so accustomed to them that they already know how to use them, and they are readily available with any bank account. Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted, but other international options like Maestro, American Express, or Diners Club International are passable as well.
Payment with cards is easy enough—all it takes is entering your card number, expiry date, and the CVV from the back of the card. Nowadays, most cards include a 3D Secure password as well for a bit of extra protection, which is usually a short numerical code delivered to your phone. Cards are easy to use, and the transactions are almost instantaneous. However, if you are withdrawing money, it might take a bit of time to get the transaction processed. Still, the encryption standards implemented in this method make it a perfect balance of ease and safety.
e-Wallets
While they are not new, e-wallets have become increasingly popular lately. These apps are basically handlers of your financial info that make the whole process safe and quick. PayPal and Skrill are still very popular, and many platforms on the web will accept them. Seeing that they serve as a screen for your private and financial info during transactions, it is easy to see why they are growing their user base in times when internet fraud is becoming more subtle than ever.
The downside comes with the fees that the payment processors take for the transactions. However, seeing that it is the only big negative, many gamers online will sacrifice a few pennies extra in order to have a secure and quick way to pay.
Cryptocurrencies
One of the biggest upsides of paying with cryptocurrencies is anonymity. For that reason, this payment method has become a huge hit in the iGaming world, but the eSports scene is quickly catching up with it as well. Additionally, a lot of gaming marketplaces on the web are now accepting BTC or ETH as payment methods, and there are various stores in which you can buy cosmetics for your games using crypto.
The speed of transactions is a huge benefit of crypto, especially for venues like online casinos where players like to both deposit and withdraw their money fast. Seeing that the transaction is basically being verified through a network of blockchain nodes, it can sometimes lead to a slight delay, but that is a small price to pay when you know that crypto payments are almost completely safe from fraud.
Bank Transfers
Depositing and withdrawing money through a traditional bank transfer might seem a bit outdated, but it is still a very popular and, additionally, very safe option to use. Options like SEPA or SWIFT payments are almost 100% secure, and all it takes is just opening your banking app and entering the payment details.
What makes bank transfers stand out the most is their capability to handle big payments. Depending on the bank, limits might be higher or lower, but they are always bigger than on almost any other platform. The downside comes with the slowness of the whole process, as banks sometimes take up to several days to process them.
Mobile Payments
We definitely live in the era of smartphones. It’s strange that our phones haven’t yet completely taken the role of our wallet as well, but with the rise of innovative payment solutions, we are nearing that point. In that regard, there are many storefronts, marketplaces, and casino venues on the web that have included mobile payments in their list of options. In this way, players can easily and seamlessly use Google Pay and/or Apple Pay to get access to the items they are looking for or to add some in-game currencies to their accounts.
This option is very convenient and probably the most seamless, especially if you are playing on your phone. However, the downside comes for iGaming fans, as there are still no withdrawal options for these processors, so you can only deposit money. Still, ease of use paired with good MFA methods is great for most other games.
Prepaid Cards and Vouchers
If you don’t want to overspend on your gaming hobby, the best way is to go with prepaid cards. These convenient top-up methods use fixed amounts, so you can plan your gaming budget and keep it clear of your bank account or credit card details. Paysafecard vouchers are the most popular, but Neosurf variants can be found on the web as well.
