How to Use Add-ons to Maximize Sales for Your Video Game
Published: October 13, 2025
To increase the lifespan and profitability of your video games, an effective strategy with add-ons can help. These supplementary digital products, often referred to as a DLC game, provide a pathway to continued revenue beyond the initial release. This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step process for planning, developing, and selling these valuable content extensions to enhance your sales figures.
Define Your Add-on Strategy
Before development begins, define a clear strategy for your add-ons. The type of content you create should line up with player demand as well as your business model.
Self-Assessment Questions:
- What do our players prefer? Expansions, customization or new gameplay mechanics?
- What is the target revenue for this add-on?
- Is the goal a large-scale expansion or a handful of smaller content packs?
Understand your base game by looking at all relevant analytics. Pinpoint player behavior data to identify which game modes are the most used, which items are most popular, and where players spend the majority of their time. Community forums, social media and in-game surveys will give you qualitative data about what players want.
A 2024 report from Newzoo says that players who purchase cosmetic add-ons will spend an average of 40% more time playing the game.
Free Video Game Add-ons Checklist
Use a strategic approach to video game add-ons and DLC to increase your game's revenue, player engagement, and longevity.
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Pre-production planning
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Development and production
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Sales and platform integration
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Marketing and launch
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Post-launch analysis
Map Development and Production
Once you have planned your strategy, build your product development plan in order to have a high-quality release.
- Develop a detailed design document for each add-on. These documents should define new content, mechanics, and asset requirements.
- Create a specific group of specialists, whether internal or external, for the DLC game (downloadable game content) development. Outline clear roles for artists, programmers, designers and QA testers.
- Establish a strict QA process. The quality of an add-on influences the perception of a brand and the overall tone of customer reviews; a poorly executed add-on could cause negative results. The first week of a DLC launch is critical, with over 60% of sales typically occurring in this period.
To maintain quality and focus, consider a small dedicated team for post-launch add-ons, without diverting resources from your next major project. Content flows consistently with this method, which may have a slight effect on your development pipeline.
Free Video Game Add-ons Checklist
Use a strategic approach to video game add-ons and DLC to increase your game's revenue, player engagement, and longevity.
-
Pre-production planning
-
Development and production
-
Sales and platform integration
-
Marketing and launch
-
Post-launch analysis
Choose and Integrate Your Sales Platform
Choosing the right platforms is an important decision for your business. While game storefronts such as Steam or console marketplaces manage distribution, SaaS companies and developers need a strong e-commerce platform that handles the complete sales process, from checkout to license delivery. A key question is: what are the best platforms for SaaS companies to handle add-ons and upgrades?
- The Role of a Merchant of Record (MoR): A platform acting as a Merchant of Record (MoR) removes the complications in global sales by handling financial and legal issues. This includes tax compliance in over 13,000 tax jurisdictions worldwide and deters payment fraud, which accounts for approximately 3% of digital commerce losses.
- Checkout and Conversion Optimization:
- Checkout Types: A flexible platform should offer a variety of checkout types that match your brand and player experience.
- Standard Web Checkout: Offers a specific branded page for processing transactions.
- iFrame & Pop-up Checkouts: You can embed the checkout directly on your website or within the game to provide an integrated experience for your customers.
- In-Game/In-App Checkouts: Players can purchase video game add-ons without leaving the game. A 2024 report by Statista found that seamless in-game purchases influence the average order value with data showing a potential increase of up to 15%.
- Local Payment Methods: The number of local payment methods made available to shoppers affects conversion rates. A platform should support a large range of payment options beyond standard credit cards. For instance, in China, WeChat Pay and Alipay are typical; in Brazil, Pix is popular; and in the Netherlands, iDEAL is the most used online payment method. Offering these local methods can affect trust and cart abandonment rates with international buyers.
- Dunning Management: For recurring payments and subscriptions (such as a season pass), a platform’s dunning management system is key. Using an automated process to manage failed transactions due to expired cards or insufficient funds will send appropriately timed email or in-app reminders and then retry the payment at various intervals. This helps diminish involuntary churn and increase revenue recovery.
- Complete Sales Tax Management: A platform that works for you, should automate the entire sales tax process, from real-time calculation to collection as well as remittance. This is crucial for compliance due to the complex and ever-changing digital tax regulations (e.g., VAT, GST, and sales tax) in different countries.
- Checkout Types: A flexible platform should offer a variety of checkout types that match your brand and player experience.
PayPro Global is an all-in-one platform that manages all the headaches of selling digital products globally.
PayPro Global works as a Merchant of Record, taking care of tax compliance, fraud prevention, and payment processing. It comes with customizable checkout types, geo-adaptive pricing, and many local payment methods, which creates better conversion rates in the affected regions. The dunning management system automates revenue recovery for subscription upgrades. And the platform comes equipped with features that assist with license delivery, automated upgrades, and upselling and cross-selling campaigns. This allows you to focus on developing content since the platform manages the financial and logistical needs of selling your software add ons.
Free Video Game Add-ons Checklist
Use a strategic approach to video game add-ons and DLC to increase your game's revenue, player engagement, and longevity.
-
Pre-production planning
-
Development and production
-
Sales and platform integration
-
Marketing and launch
-
Post-launch analysis
Implement Effective Marketing
Marketing campaigns affect player engagement and influence sales of add-ons.
- Prioritize asset production by planning your defined quality level, including a cinematic announcement trailer, a detailed gameplay trailer, and high-resolution key art.
- Market the DLC game on community forums, social media, and with a dedicated developer blog. Share ‘behind-the-scenes’ content to increase interest and enthusiasm.
- Collaborate with influencers and content creators that have a large following in your game’s genre. Offering early access to the add-on can also increase pre-launch anticipation.
Announce your launch date well in advance and use a countdown to build user adoption. A report by GamesIndustry.biz showed that strong pre-launch marketing for major expansions can increase first-week sales by up to 40%
For more tips, check out our guide on how to sell more software during the holidays.
Free Video Game Add-ons Checklist
Use a strategic approach to video game add-ons and DLC to increase your game's revenue, player engagement, and longevity.
-
Pre-production planning
-
Development and production
-
Sales and platform integration
-
Marketing and launch
-
Post-launch analysis
Utilize Bundling and Pricing Strategies
Strategic pricing and bundling affect average order value and customer lifetime value.
- Tiered Pricing: This model is frequently used for software add-ons. It involves creating multiple pricing tiers (e.g., “Standard,” “Deluxe,” “Ultimate”) with increasing value and features.
Benefit: This approach addresses various player segments, ranging from those looking for minor content packs to those needing comprehensive content. It defines potential upgrade paths and increases customer spending as their engagement evolves.
Offer a “Deluxe Edition” bundle that includes the base game and a few cosmetic packs, and an “Ultimate Edition” that includes the game, a season pass, and an exclusive in-game item.
- Value-Based Pricing: Rather than setting the price based on development costs, this strategy prices the add-on based on the perceived value to the customer.
Benefit: This allows for a higher price point for content that is considered highly desirable. For example, a new character class that significantly changes gameplay may be priced higher than a simple cosmetic item.
Use A/B testing on your checkout page to identify the optimal price point. Give a small segment of your audience one price and another segment a different price to see which generates higher revenue. Platforms like PayPro Global offer tools to run these controlled experiments to test your hypothesis.
- Dynamic Pricing: This strategy adjusts prices in real-time based on demand, market conditions, or sales events.
Benefit: It addresses periods of high demand, for example during seasonal sales, and the management of existing add-on inventories. Pricing can be modified for different geographic regions, possibly in relation to local purchasing power.
- Bundling: Offering multiple add-ons or the base game with a DLC pack at a reduced price may affect the average transaction value.
Benefit: Players may perceive considerable value, possibly influencing purchase decisions beyond initial intentions.
A “Complete Edition” bundle that includes all previously released content is a common practice for games with a long post-launch support cycle.
|
Pricing Strategy |
Description |
Potential Benefit |
|
Expansion Pack |
A large, one-time purchase that adds substantial new content (e.g., story, game modes, maps). |
High revenue per sale; attracts core players. |
|
Cosmetic Packs |
Small, purchasable item bundles (e.g., skins, emotes). |
Low friction, high-volume sales; appeals to a wide audience. |
|
Season Pass |
A one-time purchase that grants access to all future add-ons within a specific period. |
Guarantees future revenue; builds a loyal customer base. |
|
Bundles |
Package the base game and one or more add-ons at a discounted price. |
Attracts new players; increases the initial purchase amount. |
Free Video Game Add-ons Checklist
Use a strategic approach to video game add-ons and DLC to increase your game's revenue, player engagement, and longevity.
-
Pre-production planning
-
Development and production
-
Sales and platform integration
-
Marketing and launch
-
Post-launch analysis
Maintain Quality and Analyze Performance
Ongoing success with add-ons is an iterative process. It requires a commitment to quality and a scheduled analysis of performance data.
- Data Analysis: Use the analytics dashboard to track sales, revenue, and player engagement. Determine the content that sells best and is most utilized.
- Player Feedback: Keep up with reviews and forum discussions to get feedback on what actually works and what needs improvement.
- Iterate: This data may be helpful in the development of upcoming DLC games and software add-ons. The popularity of a cosmetic item might suggest exploring the creation of similar products. If a new game mode has low engagement, refine it or re-evaluate your strategy for the next update.
Conclusion
The strategic use of game DLC and video game add-ons can affect the revenue and lifespan of video games. Thoughtful planning, development, and strategic marketing of these extensions, in parallel with an understanding of digital enhancement management principles, can affect sales and player engagement. Consistent attention to player feedback is important for long-term success.
FAQ
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An add-on is a wide term used for any additional content, while DLC (Downloadable Content) refers to digital content downloaded after a game’s initial release. DLC is a sort of add-on that includes anything from cosmetic items to large-scale expansions.
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Look at your player data and community feedback to understand the content your audience would like to see. Your strategy should fit with player’s behavior and your monetization goals, whether you are creating story expansions or small cosmetic packs.
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Use tiered pricing strategies for different levels of content, value-based pricing showing an add-on’s perceived worth, and bundling. And offering a season pass for all future content will help to secure recurring revenue.
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A Merchant of Record (MoR) is a third-party entity that sells your products. This is useful in managing complex global sales taxes, handling payment fraud, and achieving compliance in many jurisdictions.
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Optimize your purchase path by offering several local payment methods and using geo-adaptive pricing. A simple checkout experience, whether in-game or through a pop-up, decreases cart abandonment and increases sales.
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