Is Disney Dreamlight Valley a free or premium game?
Is Disney Dreamlight Valley a free-to-play game or is there a monetary barrier of entry?
Disney Dreamlight Valley is the House of Mouse's attempt to dive into the world of life simulators. With Disney's most recognizable faces as far as the eye can see, fans may be eager to experience what it's life to live in a world populated by the likes of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Wreck-It Ralph. However, let's tap into our inner Scrooge McDuck and ask a fair question: Is Disney Dreamlight Valley free to play?
Is Disney Dreamlight Valley a free or premium game?
Source: Gameloft
Update: Plans have changed after a successful early access year. On October 30, 2023, Gameloft announced that Disney Dreamlight Valley will remain a premium game for the foreseeable future after it leaves Early Access on December 5. The base game will sell for $39.99, a physical Cozy Edition will retail for $49.99, and the digital Gold Edition will be available for $69.99.
While Disney Dreamlight Valley will not go free-to-play anytime soon, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be a premium game forever. Gameloft has not completely ruled out going F2P eventually, but don't count on this happening anytime soon.
Original story: For some readers, this question is laughable on the surface, but for many consumers, it isn't as cut-and-dry as it looks. The straight answer is Yes, Disney Dreamlight Valley is a free-to-play game.
HOWEVER, if you visit Steam, the Nintendo eShop, the PlayStation Store, or any other storefront, you're going to see a $29.99 USD price tag. That could lead to confusion, so here's what the situation is. The price tag is for the Disney Dreamlight Valley Founders Pack, which will include 8,000 Moonstones (DDV's in-game currency), three design motifs, nine decoration items, and two wearable items. Most importantly, it will include the ability to get in during the game's early access phase. That's one other important thing to mention, by the way. Disney Dreamlight Valley is currently in early access.
In the future, Disney Dreamlight Valley will jump to 1.0 and exit the early access phase. At that point, the game will be fully free-to-play. If you want to jump in on early access, it's going to cost you the kind of money that would overjoy your Uncle Scrooge. Otherwise, you'll have to wait this one out until it goes 1.0. The other important thing to note is that Disney Dreamlight Valley supports cross-platform cloud saves, but purchasing on one platform will not carry over to others. To take your save, for example, between PC and Nintendo Switch right now, you'll have to purchase the Founders Pack for both versions, costing you $60 USD.
There is no current estimate for Disney Dreamlight Valley's full release. The early access build is playable now on PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Xbox app for Windows 10), PlayStation, Xbox (free with Xbox Game Pass), and Nintendo Switch.
