What this game has, and who said so
- In-game purchasesDeclared
The publisher flagged “In-App Purchases” in Steam's own store categories.
- Extra account requiredDeclared
The store page carries the publisher's own notice: “Hi-Rez, Google, or Facebook Account”.
- In-game purchasesEstimated
Estimated: the game is listed free-to-play, so it earns its money somewhere. Not a disclosure of how.
- Limited-time eventsEstimated
Estimated: wording in the publisher's store description suggests limited-time events. Nobody has confirmed it.
Not shown
Nothing in the store listing named these, and nobody has checked by hand. Sifter has not been shown them — which is not the same as showing they are absent.
How the facts are weighted
Estimated- FOMO Events+6
Time-limited content with cosmetic-only stakes.
Why this counts
Przybylski et al. (2013) formalized the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) construct. Games exploit this by attaching scarcity signals to social currency items, creating anxiety that is only relievable through immediate purchase.
- Przybylski et al., Computers in Human Behavior — FoMO construct (2013)
- Scarcity principle (Cialdini) applied to limited-time store offers
- Microtransactions+2
In-game purchases sells cosmetic items only — no gameplay advantage.
Points reflect severity, not just presence — cosmetic-only purchases score far lower than pay-for-power. The weights, and the regulator actions and studies behind each one, are published on the provenance page.
This game was scored from its Steam store listing, so its mechanics are an estimate.
Design Risk
4 of 13 tracked monetisation mechanics disclosedfrom 2 flagged mechanics
Joy Index
66/100
Good
Community score: 66/100
Joy is the share of players who recommend it on Steam, published as-is.
What this adds up to
Light
2 established mechanics, each with a named source.
If you play
- Set a monthly cosmetics budget
- Ignore FOMO event pressure
- Focus on what you genuinely enjoy
What your 2hours won’t show you
Steam’s refund window is 2 hours of playtime within 14 days. Steam's clock runs from launch to exit — menus, loading screens and time minimised all count against it. This is disclosed for this game and arrives on a longer schedule than that:
- Limited-time events — they run on the publisher's calendar, not on yours
Read from the store listing rather than hand-verified, so treat it as an estimate. Sifter can’t tell you whether you’ll enjoy this — only what has been disclosed about how it makes money. Steam’s refund policy →
Where to buy
Price & availability
Real recorded prices & subscription data via IsThereAnyDeal.
Now score every game you own
Connect Steam and Sifter grades your whole library the same way it graded this page — what’s worth your time, what’s built to drain it, and what to play tonight. Free, takes about a minute.
More like this
Similar games, with how each one scores.
Heartopia: your questions, answered
Estimated from store data- Is Heartopia pay to win?
- No. Heartopia's real-money purchases don't sell gameplay power — Sifter found no pay-to-win mechanics.
- Does Heartopia have loot boxes or gacha?
- No. Sifter found no loot boxes or gacha in Heartopia — no paid randomised rewards.
- Does Heartopia have microtransactions?
- Yes. Heartopia has in-game purchases (an in-game store). They buy cosmetic items only — no gameplay advantage.
- How aggressively is Heartopia monetised?
- Heartopia: 4 of 13 tracked monetisation mechanics disclosed. 2 mechanics were flagged. Every mechanic listed carries a named source.
- Does Heartopia respect your time?
- 1 of 5 tracked time-pressure mechanics are disclosed for Heartopia: limited-time (FOMO) events. Those pull you back on the game's schedule rather than yours.
Mods
Upload a mod →Detected Design Patterns
Content is available only during a limited window, then rotates out.
Players report
Community-reported mechanics from players who own Heartopia. Shown separately — this never changes Heartopia’s Design Risk grade.
Own this game? Connect your Steam library to report a mechanic Sifter missed.
Time Respect
Estimated- Limited-Time Events-20
Time-limited content pressures you to play now instead of when you actually want to.
Ownership
This game is yours to keep
- Plays offline — no server dependency, so it can't be switched off remotely.
- Steam lists a third-party account/launcher for this release: "Hi-Rez, Google, or Facebook Account". Part of your access lives outside Steam, so it can be affected if that account is banned or the service is retired.
This describes the Steam release only — editions of the same game sold on other stores come with those stores' own terms.
Whether you keep what you paid for is its own question, separate from the score. How Sifter measures games →
Embed this score
Markdown for a README or Reddit, HTML for a site, BBCode for Steam profiles and forums, or paste the image URL straight into Discord. The badge always reflects the current score.