The popularity of video games (RPGs, MOBAs, shooters, etc.) feeds the dopamine players get alongside various rewards. Games involve character levelling, unlocking new plot twists, obtaining equipment, and completing quests. These and other encouragements are so effective in amassing a fan base that top UK slot sites and software developers are actively borrowing reward mechanics. But it took decades to come to what video games offer now. Let’s recap how in-game rewards have evolved through the years.
In-Game Rewards – How Do They Affect Players?
Video games are no longer those plain, pixelated paddles. They have levelled up to sprawling online worlds and complex interactive experiences. One of the hooks that has lured thousands of people is the use of in-game rewards. These have also seen an evolution from experience points, extra lives, collectibles and rare gear to loot boxes and battle passes.
Any achievement in a video game serves as powerful positive reinforcement, accompanied by a release of dopamine. It creates a sense of progress, and since the difficulty varies each time, the effect of unpredictability also comes into play. Designers create games based on this biological response. The loop of anticipation keeps the human brain engaged in the process – it remembers the feeling and demands a new slice of pleasure. So the user comes back for more.
Different Eras of Reward Systems in Video Games
Extra lives and experience points are early versions of in-game rewards. The first title that comes to mind is Space Invaders (1978) – a huge arcade hit from Japanese provider Taito. Players had three lives and could typically earn an extra life after they acquired a certain number of points. Simple, but super addicting. The point-scoring system is the simplest way to track one's own progress. It is an especially effective tool in endless formats, where a record score is already perceived as a success.
RPG Loot Era: Colour-Coded Rarity Tiers
Avid RPG players definitely know Blizzard Entertainment’s titles such as Diablo and World of Warcraft (WoW). These were among the first video games to introduce loot rarity systems with items hidden behind specific colours. They popularised the idea, at least. Сolour marking allows gamers to momentarily filter which bundles of items are worthwhile and which are trash and should be sold. Just one glance is enough – this saves time during a battle, for example.
The item rarity colour system is not dead, not at all. We keep seeing white items (common) and gold items (specials) across decades of video games. Loot rules transform and bring new, enhanced experiences. With the release of Diablo IV in 2023, for instance, the gaming world saw a complete overhaul of the loot system. A gamer has a lot of rarities to sift through on their journey across Sanctuary, grouped as follows:
White items – Common
Purple items – Magic
Yellow items – Rare
Orange items – Legendary
Tan/Bronze items – Unique
In recent games, rarity tiers provide increased stats and scale closer to one’s level. This, however, isn’t always a good thing. A bunch of gamers say looting becomes tedious. Some titles offer so many choices that players simply face decision fatigue and give up. Cyberpunk 2077 has too much gear (weapons, clothes, etc.), if you need an example. Different colours still easily communicate an item's value to the user, but excessiveness breaks immersion a bit.
The colour-coded loot system has also spread to other genres: shooters, battle royals, co-op action.
Multiplayer Gaming: Skins and Achievements
Multiplayer games started with two participants and grew into massive online arenas with thousands involved at once. Social interactions replaced one-sided play, forming the backbone of one’s gaming experience.
Titles such as Counter Strike, World of Warcraft and League of Legends amassed massive player bases from the beginning. Why? They hit the market and offered new ways for users to connect, collaborate toward a common goal and compete with each other. Such mainstream preferences were not without motivational drivers camouflaged as in-game rewards:
Virtual currencies – earned through specific actions to unlock new content.
Character skins – enhance personalisation and offer virtual status.
Achievements – milestones to reward skill and/or perseverance.
Single-player titles lost their flair with the rise of multiplayer gaming. Particularly, when things were scaled to competitive esports.
Monetisation Era: Random Drops and Loot Boxes
Years passed before American developers took notice of microtransaction games that flooded Asian MMOs – their true origin. A blend of monetisation and randomness culminated in loot boxes. A virtual something that, when opened in video games, provides users with random rewards seeped into AAA titles. It was Team Fortress 2 (TF2) that popularised this reward system globally, however.
Then, loot boxes spread like wildfire and are still in the sector. Gacha, shooters, sports and other genres have virtual containers. They can be earned through gameplay (free) or purchased. We will jump to modern days to give you some of the best games with loot boxes to play in 2026:
Overwatch 2
EA FC 26
Honkai: Star Rail
Fortnite
Genshin Impact
Paid loot boxes have a pitfall: the excitement they generate is similar to that of gambling. So, some countries prohibit these rewards in video games or require providers reveal the probability of dropping items before the purchase.
Modern Era: Battle Passes
There are titles where unlocking a new quest is the reward, and completing it is the other. Reaching a new challenge means you’ve managed special tasks. Then, you can do something else and get more. Generally, rewards include rare tools, equipment, character boosts, and more.
Battle passes (special arenas or tasks) are often seasonal events. Say, in Fortnite, progress in seasonal level resets when a new one begins. Want rare, cool characters or items? Get them now or never, because next time you’ll face new quests, new items and heroes to gather. Old ones go to your personal collection. Here, progression goes over paywalls. Personalised perks take the stage.
Forms of Alternative In-Game Rewards in Online Slots
Clearly, online slots differ drastically from video games, but gamers often switch to the iGaming world, which is why we cover the ecosystem in this article. Virtual slots do not have direct analogues to in-game rewards, and still, certain mechanics suggest a sort of random drops, player progression and boosts.
Cascades (tumbling reels). When one gets a winning cluster in Gonzo’s Quest and similar slot games, it disappears, and new icons drop into the free spaces, potentially forming new victory sets. These reactions are called avalanches, and there may be multiple of them during one round.
Multipliers. A feature that literally multiplies user wins by 1x, 10x, 50x, 100x and even more.
Scatter & free games. A bonus round where, when specific conditions are met, the player receives a set of free spins and can play several rounds at no risk to their balance. Usually, the requirement is to land three or more Scatter symbols.
Pick-and-click. It has much in common with loot boxes; the same nature hides inside. Here, a few items appear on the screen, and the player clicks them. Some are empty, others have free spins, multipliers, or other perks. Like in the Vikings: Go Berzerk slot.
Charge meter. Winning combinations or clusters of matching symbols help reach meter thresholds. The meter, when filled, triggers and can award multipliers or something else. In Honey Rush 100 from Play’n Go, a fully charged meter unlocks other bonus features.
iGaming software providers often borrow from video games and use them directly, or adapt to the environment, such as with in-game rewards and online slots.
Final Thoughts
From humble starters to complex setups, internal rewards in video games have continually evolved. Each stage reflects cultural shifts and technological advancements of its time, but rewards have always been around.
Boundaries blur, and elements of gambling appear in RPGs, while attention-retention hooks travel into the slots’ world. Therefore, slots are becoming more interactive; in some, you can track progress (as in "9 Masks"), in others, catch fish or hunt vampires. In both cases, reward systems continue to emerge as game makers must provide the audience with increasingly stronger incentives and even more concentrated emotions.
As we look to the future, it’s clear that reward systems will continue to innovate, offering new ways for how we play and interact.
This article includes information provided by iGaming expert Oksana Kumetska.
