iOS (Swift / SwiftUI)
How you integrate
Native SDK via CocoaPods or Swift Package Manager
What it covers
Apple Pay, 3DS authentication, card tokenization, subscription management
Payment solution for video game publishers
A Payment Gateway Built for Video Games & Game Publishers
Sell direct to players through web shops and top-up centers, accept 150+ local payment methods, and pay out to studios and creators in 50+ markets — on one compliant platform.
150+
Local payment methods
50+
Payout markets
85.5%+
Order success rate
What Is a Game Payment Gateway?
A game payment gateway is the payment infrastructure that lets video game publishers and studios accept player payments — in-game purchases, web shop top-ups, and subscriptions — outside or alongside app store billing. A gaming-ready gateway combines local payment methods, fraud and chargeback controls, and payouts to developers and creators in one integration.
App store billing (IAP)
Generic online PSP
Game payment gateway
Where players pay
Inside the store’s checkout only
Your website, with generic e-commerce flows
In-game, web shop, top-up center, and social channels
Local methods in emerging markets
Limited to what the store supports
Patchy; wallets negotiated one by one
Built in — regional wallets, bank transfers, and QR schemes through one integration
Risk posture for virtual goods
Handled by the platform
Games often flagged or restricted as high risk
Built for games, with fraud and chargeback controls designed for virtual goods
Who is the merchant of record
The store sells to the player and pays you a net share
You — with your own tax and compliance stack
You stay the merchant of record; the gateway supplies acceptance, risk controls, payouts, and market-by-market tax guidance
In short: for publishers selling across app stores, web shops, and social channels at once, a game payment gateway is the single layer that unifies acceptance, risk, and payouts.
Definition and comparison by HaiPay. Store-billing rules follow the Apple App Review Guidelines (3.1.1, 3.1.3) and the Google Play Payments policy. Reviewed September 2026.
The Hidden Costs of Publishing Games Globally
Every claim below is backed by a verbatim quote from game developers on Reddit — linked and dated.
Store commissions eat your margin
Major app stores take up to 30% of every in‑app purchase before your revenue reaches you.
“It's outrageous that Valve takes a 30% cut from every game sale on Steam without providing much in return.”
Payouts run on the platform’s calendar, not yours
Store payout cycles are slow and opaque — and when settlement finally lands, forced currency conversion at bank rates quietly takes another cut.
“I’ve had two apps on the Apple Store since January of this year, but I’ve never received a payment from Apple.”
Emerging‑market players can’t pay you
In Asia-Pacific, digital wallets carried 77% of online spend in 2025 (Worldpay Global Payments Report 2026). Across Latin America and Africa, wallets, bank transfers, and cash vouchers play the same role. Every method you don't support is revenue you never see.
“If the user’s device has NO UPI apps installed … This creates a dead‑end payment flow.”
Games get treated like gambling
Mainstream processors class virtual goods as high risk. Studios get flagged, frozen, or rejected outright — before a single fraudulent transaction occurs.
How chargebacks work“Stripe flagged my subscriptions as fraudulent, even my own personal bank card… I really need a way to process payments soon or this project will die.”
3 Compliant Ways to Accept Payments Beyond Store Billing
Most gateway pages describe the outcome. This section explains the route — and where each route is allowed.
Native SDK direct integration
Players pay inside the app through an embedded SDK, in markets where platform policy allows an alternative to in‑app billing.
Best for:
- Best conversion — no context switch
- Full control of the purchase UI
- Physical goods and real-world services — allowed on every storefront
Key constraints:
- Availability depends on market policy
- Requires an app release to update flows
In‑app WebView checkout
The app loads a HaiPay‑hosted payment page inside a WebView and returns to the app over a JS bridge or deep link.
Best for:
- Hot‑update payment pages without a new build
- Add local wallets and BNPL without shipping a new build
- Smallest PCI footprint (hosted page)
Key constraints:
- UX slightly behind a native SDK
- iOS WebView keeps its own cookie store (WKWebsiteDataStore), so sign-in state must be passed explicitly
External browser checkout with deep‑link return
The purchase opens in the system browser and returns to the app through a Universal Link or App Link with the session preserved.
Best for:
- The most portable route across markets
- Web‑first onboarding and re‑engagement
- Works where external purchase links are permitted
Key constraints:
- Extra hop out of the app
- Return flow must restore session and entitlements
Storefront rules differ by market and change year to year. Confirm the current Apple and Google policy for each market before you launch a route.
Policy sources
- Apple App Review Guidelines — 3.1.1(a) Link to Other Purchase Methods; 3.1.3(e) Goods and Services Outside of the App
- Google Play Payments policy — alternative billing (India, South Korea, EEA) and exempt purchases
- Apple Developer Documentation — WKWebsiteDataStore
Checked September 2026.
See hosted checkoutOne integration, whatever your team ships on
Native SDKs for iOS and Android, plugins for Flutter and React Native, and a Unity package — plus hosted checkout that runs inside a WebView or the system browser, so every engine your team ships on integrates without a custom payment layer.
Android (Kotlin)
How you integrate
Native SDK via Gradle
What it covers
Google Pay, local wallets, subscription management
Flutter
How you integrate
Flutter plugin
What it covers
One cross-platform API that adapts to the native SDK underneath
React Native
How you integrate
npm package
What it covers
Bridges to the native SDKs; Expo supported
Unity
How you integrate
Unity package
What it covers
Built for games: one-time purchases and subscriptions
Every channel your players already buy in
App store distribution
Keep in‑app billing where it is required, and route everything else through your own rails.
Official web shop & top‑up center
Sell currency, items, and passes direct from your own site — the D2C channel publishers are moving to.
Start with payment links
Cross‑channel unified management
One dashboard and one reconciliation flow across stores, web shop, and social channels.
The methods your players already have on their phone
Market-specific required options
Southeast Asia
Middle East
Europe
Africa
Latin America
Market-specific required options
Southeast Asia
GCash, GrabPay, DANA, OVO, QRIS, Touch 'n Go, PromptPay, TrueMoney, MoMo
Middle East
mada, KNET, stc pay, Apple Pay
Europe
Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Africa
M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, Tigo Pesa, OPay, Fawry
Latin America
Pix, OXXO, SPEI
Selling direct vs. selling through the store
Route
In‑app store billing
Generic online PSP
Barrier to start
None — but the store sets the terms
Onboarding varies; games often refused
Built for games as a core vertical
Settlement path
Store collects, then pays you on its cycle
Direct to your account, market by market
Direct to your HaiPay balance, with payouts to studios and creators from the same account
Local method coverage
Whatever the store supports in that region
Patchy; each wallet negotiated separately
150+ local methods through one integration
Compliance responsibility
Handled by the platform
Mostly yours
Shared — PCI DSS, local tax support, fraud controls
Pricing model
Commission of up to 30% on in-app purchases, set by the store
Published card rates; game merchants may face high-risk terms
Card processing from 2.5% + $0.30 per transaction, no setup or monthly fees; your quote confirms the rate — see Pricing
Why publishers pick HaiPay
Avoid app store takedown risks
A compliant third-party payment route lets you sell direct without putting store listings at risk.
150+ local payment methods
One integration covers wallets, bank transfers, and QR schemes across live markets.
Deep coverage across emerging markets
Where cards are the minority, HaiPay connects the payment rails players actually use.
Local tax compliance support
Provides guidance on local tax obligations market by market, preventing growth from creating exposure.
Not just collecting — paying your studios and creators
Revenue shares, contractor fees, and creator earnings run through one payout flow: upload a batch or submit by API, and funds land in local bank accounts and wallets.
50+
payout markets
Including the US and the EU‑27 on local rails.
USDT / USDC
stablecoin settlement
For teams that would rather settle on‑chain.
One flow
revenue share · fees · creator earnings
Batch upload or API — same rails, same reconciliation.
Integrate the way your team works
Full API suite
REST endpoints, SDKs, and webhooks covering pay‑ins and payouts.
Fast merchant onboarding
A guided KYC flow with a named contact from application to live.
Published FX reference rates
FX based on published per‑market reference rates, not a black box.
Batch payouts
Pay hundreds of studios, contractors, and creators in one submission.
Unified reconciliation
One ledger across stores, web shop, and social channels.
Low‑code integration
Hosted checkout and payment links for teams without a payments squad.
Secure & Fast Payment Flow
Powered by HaiPay's global acquiring engine, with 3DS authentication and risk controls on every top-up.
The top-up flow runs on HaiPay's PCI DSS compliant infrastructure.
Player Initiates Top-up
Select character & top-up amount
Submit top-up request
Select Payment Method
Supports local e-wallets & major bank cards
Payment Security Verification
3DS authentication & AI risk control
Full-spectrum account protection
Payment Confirmation
Real-time confirmation from the acquiring network
Recorded in one reconciliation ledger
In-game Notification
Automatic delivery of in-game diamonds
Success pop-up notification
FAQ
How do game developers accept local payment methods in emerging markets?
Game developers accept local payment methods in emerging markets by integrating a gateway that already connects to regional wallets, bank transfers, and QR schemes. Examples include GCash, GrabPay, Dana, OVO, QRIS, PIX, UPI, and M-Pesa. HaiPay covers 150+ local payment methods through one integration, so studios can localize checkout for each market without negotiating with every wallet individually.
See local payment methods by market.Can I sell to players outside the app stores?
Yes — game publishers can sell to players outside app store billing through an official web shop, a website top-up center, or hosted payment links, in markets where platform policies permit external purchases. HaiPay provides the acceptance layer for these direct-to-consumer channels: hosted checkout, local payment methods, and fraud controls, so your web shop takes payments from day one.
Start with payment links.Why are game payments treated as high risk?
Game payments are treated as high risk because virtual goods attract card fraud and chargebacks: stolen cards buy keys or in-game currency, then the real cardholder disputes the charge. Mainstream processors often restrict or freeze game merchants for this reason. HaiPay supports game publishers as a core vertical, pairing acceptance with fraud and chargeback controls designed for virtual goods, not as an exception to be filtered out.
Read the chargeback process step by step.How do I pay out to game developers, studios, and creators globally?
Paying out to game developers, studios, and creators globally works through a payout service: you upload or API-submit beneficiaries, and funds are delivered to local bank accounts and wallets. HaiPay supports payouts to 50+ markets, including the US and EU, alongside USDT and USDC settlement for teams that prefer stablecoins — one flow for revenue shares, contractor fees, and creator earnings.
Learn more about mass payouts.Does HaiPay support regional pricing and local currencies for games?
Regional pricing and local currencies are supported: game publishers can display prices in each player's local currency and accept the payment methods that market actually uses. That means international cards, wallets like Toss Pay and TrueMoney, and instant payment schemes like PIX. Localized pricing plus familiar payment options is how HaiPay sustains an 85.5%+ order success rate across markets.
What is iGaming — and is it the same as video game payments?
iGaming refers to online gambling — betting, casino, and lottery products — and is regulated very differently from video games. Video game payments cover in-game purchases, web shop top-ups, and subscriptions for games of skill and entertainment. This page is about payments for video game publishers and studios; HaiPay's game publishing solution is built for that audience, not for gambling operators.
Ready to sell where your buyers already pay?
Tell us your markets, methods and volume. We map the payment stack and come back with a written quote.
Or compare our payment gateway pricing.