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Mobile games are increasingly selling through publisher-run web shops and other payment routes alongside app-store billing. The shift is real, but it is not one universal way to avoid store fees: what a publisher may offer, what it pays, and what support players receive depend on the platform, country, distribution route, and transaction.
What does “beyond the app stores” mean?
It describes several distinct ways to sell a game’s digital goods, not a single replacement for app-store payments. A game can continue to sell through Apple In-App Purchase or Google Play Billing while also using other permitted routes in eligible markets.
| Route | What happens | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| App-store billing | The player buys digital goods through the platform’s payment system inside the game. | Which store terms and fees apply to the app and transaction. |
| Alternative in-app billing | The game offers a payment processor other than the platform’s billing system within the app, where allowed. | Program eligibility, disclosures, reporting, and applicable platform and processor charges. |
| Publisher web shop | The player visits a website controlled by the publisher to buy items for the game. | Whether the app may link or direct players there, whether a platform charge still applies, and how the publisher handles payment, tax, refunds, and support. |
| Alternative app distribution | The game is installed through a marketplace other than the main app store or, where permitted, directly from a website. | Which distribution options are available in that region and which terms apply to that route. |
These routes change how a purchase is processed; they do not change the underlying game business model. Apple’s developer guide describes freemium games selling optional digital goods such as lives or gems, alongside models such as paid apps, subscriptions, and paymium. A publisher can use more than one sales route for those products.
How do mobile games make money outside the App Store?
A publisher can offer eligible players a store on its own website, or another payment method inside the game where platform rules allow it. The website can become another place to sell the same game goods, but the transaction still has to be associated with the player’s game account if the purchased item is to appear in the game. Account linking and entitlement handling are therefore part of the implementation, not just checkout design.
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A web shop may give a publisher more control over merchandising and the customer relationship. That does not establish that every web shop is cheaper for players or more profitable for the publisher. Checkout friction can affect whether players complete a purchase, and the publisher must account for payment processing, currency conversion, refunds or chargebacks, taxes, reporting, fraud controls, and customer service as well as any platform charges.
What are the current Apple and Google rules?
The rules are not interchangeable across companies or markets. The examples below reflect platform information current as of October 8, 2026; eligibility and terms can change, so a developer needs to check the rules for the app’s actual storefront, distribution route, install cohort, and transaction type.
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Google Play in the United States
Google’s US policy says it will not require Google Play Billing or prohibit other in-app payment methods for apps distributed on Google Play, and says developers may communicate the availability of payment methods. Alternative billing and external-content-link programs remain subject to their respective rules.
Google’s June 24, 2026 fee announcement describes changes beginning June 30 in the US, European Economic Area (EEA), and United Kingdom (UK). It separates service fees from billing fees: the announced service fee starts at 10% on the first US$1 million of annual earnings and also applies to auto-renewing subscriptions. In the US, UK, and EEA, a 5% billing fee applies to transactions using Google Play Billing; Google says that billing fee does not apply to transactions processed through alternative billing or external links. Those figures do not mean an external sale has no other costs, and the applicable terms depend on region, install cohort, and program.
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Google’s US policy page said enrolled developers were to report transactions and pay relevant service fees starting October 1, 2026. A September 17 notice extended the deadline for reporting successful external-link downloads and making the associated payment to December 1, 2026. That reporting extension is specific to external-link downloads; it should not be read as a general waiver of other reporting or fees.
Apple in the European Union
Apple’s updated EU business terms took effect October 1, 2026. For apps distributed in EU storefronts, they allow alternative payment methods and offers alongside Apple In-App Purchase, with developers required to maintain their choice of payment options for 12 months. The terms also specify a 5% Core Technology Commission for certain digital transactions for iOS and iPadOS apps distributed outside the App Store, including covered purchases following actionable links. Reporting and applicable tax responsibilities remain relevant.
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Apple’s developer agreement contains different terms for alternative payment processing, in-app purchases, and out-of-app offers, with regional and route-specific conditions. Some specified linked-website purchases have attribution conditions that include a seven-day period. The EU terms are one particular route, not a global Apple fee schedule; developers need to use the applicable terms for their jurisdiction and distribution method.
Is it cheaper to buy game currency from a web shop?
Not necessarily. A web shop can change which platform billing charge applies, but the amount a player pays also depends on the publisher’s offer and the checkout’s other costs. The cited platform terms do not establish a universal web-shop discount or a single total cost for external purchases. A lower or absent billing fee in one route is not the same as zero platform, processor, tax, currency-conversion, refund, or operating costs.
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Players should compare the final price and the item or bonus actually received, and confirm that the shop is an official publisher channel before entering payment details. A lower displayed price is useful only if the purchase is legitimate, reaches the intended game account, and comes with support the player can use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What changes for players who pay outside platform billing?
Apple’s consumer support page, published June 18, 2026, says purchases outside Apple billing are not supported by Apple in the same way. It notes that purchase history, refund assistance, subscription management, Ask to Buy and Family Sharing features, and some privacy or fraud support may differ, and warns about payment-information and security risks when paying outside Apple’s ecosystem. Apple advises: “If you paid for an app, a purchase within an app, or a subscription outside of Apple’s ecosystem, contact the developer for billing support or a refund.” The practical point is that the publisher, rather than Apple, may be the first contact for a billing problem; support arrangements vary by purchase route.
What does the growth evidence show?
Publisher-run commerce has become a meaningful strategy for some game companies, but the figures available here come from vendors active in game commerce, not an independent census of all mobile-game sales. They should be read as attributed examples with limited scope, not as a global market estimate.
| Reported figure | Source and scope |
|---|---|
| 26% US direct-to-consumer (D2C) revenue growth | Xsolla, in its July 15, 2026 release describing its industry report; a vendor-reported figure, not a universal mobile-games growth rate. |
| 38% year-over-year increase in D2C earnings for top titles | Xsolla, 2026; applies to the top-title sample described in its release, not to all publishers or game sales. |
| US$814.5 million in D2C revenue for Playtika; a 40% long-term D2C-share target | Both the revenue figure and target are reported by Xsolla; they are not independently verified company guidance here. |
| 25% D2C mix for SciPlay | A publisher example reported by Xsolla, not a sector-wide average. |
| Roughly 75% of US web-store revenue from credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay | Appcharge’s 2026 report excerpt, for its own dataset. The excerpt describes more fragmented payment-method shares in Europe; neither pattern should be assumed for every publisher or market. |
Taken together, these vendor-reported examples indicate that D2C commerce is important for some publishers and a growing strategic focus. They do not establish a neutral, independently measured total for all mobile-game sales beyond app stores.
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How should a publisher evaluate an alternative sales route?
A route that looks attractive on its headline fee may be a poor fit if it reaches few eligible players, adds checkout friction, or creates operating costs the business cannot support. Evaluate the full route against these questions:
Quick Recap
- Eligibility and reach: Which countries, storefronts, app distributions, install cohorts, and transaction types qualify under the current rules?
- Total cost: What platform service or commission charges, billing fees, processor fees, currency conversion, refunds, chargebacks, tax administration, and operating expenses apply together?
- Conversion and offer experience: Does the path from the game to checkout make it easy to understand the offer and finish the purchase? Measure whether any incremental value offsets the friction rather than assuming it will.
- Payment coverage: Which methods do the game’s actual players prefer in each market? Appcharge’s US figures and its description of Europe show why a single payment mix should not be assumed worldwide.
- Operations and player support: Can the publisher manage reporting, taxes, refunds, customer service, privacy and security processes, fraud, and matching purchases to game accounts?
- Repeat business: Can the publisher attract players to the store again through useful merchandising and reliable service? A direct sales surface alone does not guarantee a lasting customer relationship.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
