Used in many popular free-to-play online games, a battle pass is a business model that gives players rewards for completing in-game milestones. When a player levels up, they have the opportunity to unlock cosmetic items like skins and emotes.
Pictured is an example of the battle pass (called the “Rocket Pass”) from Rocket League, a free-to-play arcade game. The blue items in the bottom row are given to all players as they reach the required level. The green items in the top row, however, are only unlocked if the player buys the Premium option for $9.99.
Types of battle passes
Usually, there are two tiers to a battle pass:
- Free items - given to every player who reaches a certain level.
- Paid items - locked behind a paywall.
Most games with a battle pass also divide their game into “seasons,” with each season bringing a new battle pass that provides new unlockable items.
Popular games featuring a battle pass include the following.
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Clash of Clans
- Destiny 2
- Fortnite Battle Royale
- Halo Infinite
- Overwatch 2
- Rocket League
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Business terms, DLC, Game terms, Live service game, Skinz
