Loot Boxes

Loot Boxes (aka "Loot Crates", "Prize Crates", and many other names) are consumable items that contains virtual prizes, like skins, in-game currency, weapons, and armor. Also, an annoying factor concerning them is if the gamer already has those cosmetic(s),some of the virtual prizes are "rare" to obtained and are color coded to separate them from the frequents prizes that regularly drops. The loot boxes' Asian counterparts are similar to the gashapon vending machines' appearance or a combo of both a vending machine and loot boxes. Though the differences that these gashapon loot boxes has: are the player spins to get randomize items, One of these types of gachapon loot boxes are the "complete gacha" (aka konpu gacha) where players need to collect items akin to puzzle pieces to form one huge yet rare item. All types of loot boxes, whether they're Asian or Western, can be bought by using real money to buy microtransactions, grinding for virtual money, buying keys from the virtual store, using inventory items or the in-game metals to make them, using real money or in-game money to redeem them, wait for them to be drop during or after gameplay, reaching the next level, special occasions, events, play and complete rounds without quitting during in a multiplayer match(es), MMNO, and co-op games. Some of the loot boxes' contents can be tradeable after redeeming or converting them into in-game currency, which can be used to buy the items that they want. All of these versions of loot boxes can be found in the smallest mobile games and up to the huge video games that can be found in PC and consoles, especially ones that uses the free to play models.

One of the earliest and major influential form of loot boxes originated from some of EA's earlier FIFA games, like FIFA Soccer, and this was a bit long before the loot systems that are found in MMORPGs and the mobile games' popularity boom, where these loot systems are also the loot boxes' prehistoric family. Since they all paved the way to the loot boxes' modern form. Andrew Wilson, one of EA's CEOs, evolved FIFA's systems since he saw that they can merge microtransactions with their card pack system, which is already like the modern loot crates. The reasons why some game companies uses and continues to put these controversial mechanics was so they can get ongoing revenue while not dealing with DLC or tediousness game subscriptions, but also to keep gamers engaged and keep the game(s) in question updated and in good conditions.

However, these game mechanics are not without controversy: gamers hate loot boxes since they deem them to be predatory in nature and equates them to gambling, mainly due to the chance mechanic where people will be made to spend more money just to get the skins, weapons, or armor that they want if they do not get it earlier. Also, the nature of rewarding those that spend more money on loot boxes to get more perks, minimizing actual gameplay, and organic leveling up. As well as the fact that a game which has loot boxes are already heavily priced, like 30 or 60 US dollars for the main game alone, and offer so little content or worst, having to buy content or features that should have been in the game in the first place. The prize crates also came under fire by international countries, like Belgium, that ruled them as gambling, placing them alongside casinos, and Japan, where the kompu gacha loot boxes are banned by the Consumer Affairs Agency (It's only complete gacha loot boxes that are forbidden, the rest of the gacha loot boxes still remains being used). Some of the reasons why non-gamers, like politicians, took noticed was because of fearing of an underground market involving cosmetics and virtual weapons, besides the usual dreading that young kids and teens' developing minds will become akin to the gambling addicts.

Compare Gacha Game. Not be confused with a type of mail order subscription program where the mystery boxes are physical and take up space in your closet.

Examples of Loot Boxes include:

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena

League of Legends has the Hextech Chests that drop when one gets the High Champion Mastery scores or buying them straight from the store. Keys are earn during in matchmade games where they drop, some more frequently, like when a gamer plays with a team of friends.
Paladins has the Treasure Chests can be earned by doing certain quests. To open them the gamer needs Crystals, the in-game currency, which can be obtained by microtransactions, buying the Battle or Season Passes, buying them straight from the store, redeeming codes, doing special quests, daily logins, and Refer-A-Friend.
Dota 2‍'‍s Treasures can be purchased through the DOTA 2 store, using charms, or waiting for item drops.

First Person Shooter

Counter-Strike‍'‍s Weapon Cases drops right after a gamer completes a game round, buying a key from the tie-in game store, or buying from some guy selling it in the Steam Markets. Since keys are needed to unlock the cases.
Team Fortress 2‍'‍s loot box system is similar to CSGO, they randomly drop and needs keys to open them (Which can be bought from the Mann.Co store, using the Steam Market to buy it from a seller, or a fan trusted site, like Scrap.TF).
Some of the important goods for Star Wars: Battlefront 2, like better Star Cards, crafting materials, and extra Credits can only be obtain by loot boxes, which can only be bought by paying real money. Note: The early system was so abusive and predatory that Disney had to step in and tell EA to cool it, this made the game company to disable the microtransactions temporarily.
Battlefield 1 and Battlefield Hardline‍'‍s Battlepacks are obtained by finishing specific objects, just buying in-game currency to buy the loot boxes, or reward progression.
Some of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3‍'‍s loot boxes, that are called Mystery Boxes, can spawn in various locations.
- Though to be fair, Activision began putting in loot boxes starting with Call of Duty: Advance Warfare and continue to do so with COD games that came after it.

Fighting Games

Injustice 2: To receive Mother Boxes, the gamer needs to link to the game's mobile counterpart, win all of the endings, completing all of the tutorials, doing the story mode, engaging the daily challenges, or leveling up both of your player card and individual characters.

MMORPG

RuneScape‍'‍s daily mini-game, Treasure Hunter, which offers five crates where the gamer has to choose one but they need a key to unlock, which can be obtain by drops or can be bought in groups with real money.
City of Heroes/City of Villains never had anything along the order of in-universe Loot Boxes, but toward the end of their original run a "Booster Pack" mechanism was added to the game. Players could buy booster packs with real-world cash or merits, and each would give five random drops ranging from common salvage to ultra-rare enhancements and recipes. With the revival of COH in a non-profit form in 2019, boosters became available for in-game currencies only.
Neverwinter 's loot boxes can either be found after defeating foes or bought with Astral Diamonds. But they need Enchanted Keys to be unlocked, these keys can be bought with real money.

Hybrids

Paragon‍'‍s loot crates are dropped randomly after completing matches and they need Keys to open. To get Keys it's to open chests, buy them from the in-game store with real money, and being rewarded from rank 13+.
With Overwatch, some of the ways to get a loot box is to buy them straight from the store via microtransactions, grind to the next level, waiting for drops, and special holidays/ events.
Fortnite got three types:
- The Loot Llama are dropped in an area.
- Supply Drops are loot crates that randomly drops, they contain supplies and one legendary weapon.
- In Fornite's "Save the World" 's story mode, Llama Pinatas can spawn in certain areas of maps and contain gear and supplies, they can either be bought straight from the Event Store or earned via gameplay.
In Phantasy Star Online 2, the scratch cards are kinda like loot boxes with its randomness and its selections of three choices. Even dropping during certain events.
- Subverted, that most of the cosmetics can be bought with real money.

Action-adventure

Rise of the Tomb Raider has the cards that can only be unlocked by loot boxes in the Expeditions mode, either using in-game dough, Credits, or purchasing them from the virtual store of console or PC. This system only benefits the extra gameplay modes for the gamer's final score. - Which doesn't affect the story.

Action RPG

Assassin's Creed: Origins has Reda, a nomadic vendor, where he sells Heka Chests for 3,000 drachma. The latter are in-game currency.
The in-game store of Middle Earth: Shadow of War is called the Market where gamers can purchase loot boxes, they can use the in-game currency, Mirian, with real money, or actual microtransactions. But special chests requires gold, that are the rarest of the in-game currency or buying gold with real money.
Mass Effect: Andromeda‍'‍s loot boxes are rewarded for completing strike team missions and can be claimed in the Strike Team Console or in the Militia Office.

Sports Games

Need for Speed: Payback uses the Shipments that are containers that can be earned by gameplay or premium currency, which can be bought with Speed Points, some of which are special types that are costly microtransaction. What's worst is that basic essential stuff, like Boost, Speed, and general car parts have been divided up in a card and loot box system which ties with the Shipments. Later on, EA tone the predatory system down and made it "fair".
Many of EA's Sports titles.
Before it was replaced with a more ethical system, Rocket League has crates that can be unlocked by using keys, which can be obtained either by buying from the marketplace or by trade.

Strategy Games

War Planet Online: Global Conquest^[context?]
In a "Breaking the Fourth Wall" way, Halo Wars 2 's loot crates are actual loot crates, since 343 Industries team up with "Loot Crate", a subscription company. Also, the subscribers will be put in the game as "members" of the "Fireteam Apollo" and will get exclusive in-game content.

Card Games

In the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online gamers can use microtransactions to buy virtual card packs, which functions as loot boxes, use in-game coins to use to buy these same virtual card packets, and even scan a special code or QR code from the actual real life Pokemon trading cards and its gear to get them.
The Elder Scrolls: Legends - Crown Crates can be bought from the Crown Store using Crown Gems, the in-game currency, which can be obtain from extracting unwanted items or automatically from already owned items.
Gwent‍'‍s Card Kegs can be drop randomly during multiplayer, crafted using Ore, or straight up buying them.
For gamers that play Hearthstone, the packs give out randomize cards, though the packs themselves can be obtain by various ways, like competing, doing certain quests, Recruit A Friend, or buying them straight from the in-game shop for either real money or using in-game money.
- Special cards, like the Wild card packs, can only be bought with real money, since in-game money can't be used to buy them and they aren't rewarded.

Turn-Based Strategy

Girls Frontline has a form of this when it comes to purchases of furniture for game dorms and character costumes, involving spending ingame tokens (acquired for ingame tasks or with real money) for randomized rewards based on certain rotating drop pools depending on special events. Some events will provide a higher ratio of certain items, mixed with some generic items, and there is a generic catchall drop list all prior special drop events gets added to eventually after some time.