Platform rules for selling direct
What Apple, Google, Steam, Epic and the console makers let you sell outside their billing, region by region.
Snapshot
Reviewed 8 October 2026. Each platform page has the full rule, the source text and the history.
| Platform | Region | Link to a web shop? | Fee on linked purchases | Alternative in-app billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store | United States | Yes. Buttons, links and logged-in deep links, with only a neutral exit notice | 0% until a court approves a fee. Apple has proposed 15% (10% programs, 5% Small Business Program); no ruling yet | No |
| Apple App Store | European Union | Yes | 15% (10% reduced) on sales within 7 days of the link tap, since 1 Oct 2026 | Yes, alongside Apple’s: 20% (10% reduced) |
| Apple App Store | Japan and Brazil | Yes | 15% (10% reduced) on sales within 7 days of the link tap | Yes, alongside Apple’s: 21% (10% reduced) |
| Apple App Store | South Korea | No | n/a | Yes, in a separate Korea-only build: 26% |
| Apple App Store | UK and rest of world | No. You may market web offers outside the app, by email for example | n/a | No |
| Google Play | United States | Yes, through Google’s External Content Links program | 20% (15% Games Level Up, 10% on first $1M) on purchases within 24h of a link click, due since 1 Oct 2026; $3.65 per game install from 1 Dec 2026 | Yes: 20% new installs, 25% existing; fees due since 1 Oct 2026 |
| Google Play | EEA, UK, Australia and Japan | Yes, alongside Play Billing | 20% (10% on first $1M) on purchases within 24h | Yes: 20% new installs, 25% existing |
| Google Play | Japan (external payments program) | Closed to new apps since 30 Sep 2026; ends after 31 Mar 2027. Enrolled games move to billing choice | 20% (10% on first $1M) on purchases within 24h, for enrolled games | Through billing choice: 20% new installs, 25% existing |
| Google Play | South Korea and India | No link-out program | n/a | Yes: standard fee minus 4 points |
| Steam | Worldwide | No. Store pages may not link to other websites | n/a | No. In-game purchases use Steam’s microtransaction API |
| Epic Games Store | Worldwide | Yes | 0% | Yes. Epic takes 0% on your own payment system |
| Microsoft Store and Xbox | Worldwide | No. Games “must not direct users to a purchase mechanism other than” Microsoft’s | n/a | No |
| Meta Quest | Worldwide | No. Cross-app linking cannot be monetised without Meta’s permission | n/a | No |
| PlayStation and Nintendo | Worldwide | No public policy. Terms sit in confidential developer agreements | Not public | Not public |
- Apple’s US rules for linking players to your web shopUS iOS games can link players to a web shop, and Apple takes nothing on those sales for now. What is allowed, what Apple wants to charge, and what could change.Reviewed 5 October 2026 · 9 min
- Apple’s EU fees for games since 1 October 2026Since 1 October 2026 Apple charges EU games 26% on in-app purchase, 20% on other in-app payments and 15% on web sales within 7 days of a link tap. What else changed.Reviewed 2 October 2026 · 9 min
- Google Play fees for games in 2026What Google Play charges games in 2026 on Play Billing, alternative billing and web links, region by region, including the US link fees due since 1 October 2026.Reviewed 8 October 2026 · 11 min
- Steam’s rules for in-game purchases and selling directSteam requires in-game purchases to go through the Steam Wallet and takes 30%, 25% or 20%. What Valve’s public rules allow, what they leave out, and what is in court.Reviewed 6 October 2026 · 7 min
- Selling PC games outside Steam, from Epic to your own websiteEpic takes 0% of a game’s first $1M a year, then 12%, and nothing on your own in-app payments. Microsoft Store games pay 12% on its billing. Own sites pay no store fee.Reviewed 7 October 2026 · 7 min
- App store payment rules in Japan, Korea, Brazil and other marketsWhere Apple and Google let games take their own payments or link to a web shop outside the US and EU, with fees: Japan, Brazil, Korea, UK, China, Australia and India.Reviewed 8 October 2026 · 10 min
- Console and VR store rules for cross-platform purchasesXbox and Meta Quest require their own billing and take 30%. PlayStation and Nintendo terms are confidential. What that means for a cross-platform currency wallet.Reviewed 3 October 2026 · 7 min