Once Human is the new benchmark for live-service games — what other studios can learn

Once Human is the new

benchmark for live-service games

When Once Human launched on August 25, 2026 with its console launch (PS5 + Xbox + Xbox on PC, all with full cross-progression with the existing 30M PC and mobile player base), it became the new benchmark for live-service games in 2026.

This essay explains why Once Human is the new benchmark, the 5 design decisions that got it there, and the 3 trade-offs other studios should be aware of before copying the model.

Why Once Human is the

benchmark

Once Human is the first live-service game in history to ship with all 5 of the modern F2P standards at once:

1. **Cosmetic-only premium

currency** (no pay-to-win)

1. No battle pass (no

FOMO grind)

1. No daily login (no

manipulative streak)

1. No energy system (no

pay-to-progress)

1. Full cross-prog (5+

platforms, character + items + currency)

...at 30M+ player scale, on 5 platforms, with 200+ hours of content, and free-to-play.

No other live-service game in 2026 has shipped with all 5 standards at this scale. Fortnite has cross-prog but has a battle pass. Genshin has cosmetic-only but has gacha. Apex has all 5 but only 2 platforms.

Once Human is the first game to ship the full package.

The 5 design decisions

1. 6 scenarios, not 1

Once Human has 6 scenarios on launch:

• **Scenario 1: First

Contact** — the tutorial scenario, 5-10 hours

• **Scenario 2: The

Outpost** — the main scenario, 30-50 hours

• **Scenario 3: The

Crossroads** — the mid-game scenario, 30-50 hours

• **Scenario 4: The

Monolith** — the late- game scenario, 30-50 hours

• **Scenario 5: The

Eternaland** — the PvP Territory phase endgame, 50+ hours

• Scenario 6: Prismverse

— the seasonal scenario, 20-30 hours per season

The 6-scenario model is 3-5x more content than the average live-service launch. The closest competitor is Fortnite (7+ years of seasons), but Fortnite's seasons are 10- week rotations, not 30-50 hour campaigns.

2. 200+ hours of content

at launch

The 6 scenarios = 200+ hours of content at launch. This is the most- content-rich live-service launch in 2026.

Compare:

• Once Human: 200+ hours

at launch

• Genshin Impact: ~100

hours at launch

• Fortnite: ~100 hours

(cumulative)

• Apex Legends: ~50

hours (cumulative)

• Warframe: ~50 hours

(cumulative)

• Marvel Rivals: ~30

hours (cumulative)

Once Human has 2x the launch content of the next closest competitor (Genshin Impact). The 200+ hour count is the result of the 6- scenario model.

3. Full cross-prog from

day 1

Once Human shipped with full cross-prog between PC, mobile, PS5, Xbox, and Xbox on PC from the August 25 console launch.

The cross-prog was integrated with the existing 30M PC and mobile player base. Console players can join their friends on PC. PC players can switch to console. The same character, the same items, the same currency.

This is the first live- service console launch with cross-prog at this scale. Fortnite has cross-prog but it was added later, not at launch. Apex has cross-prog but only PC + console (no mobile). Genshin has cross- prog but only PC + mobile + PS5 (no Xbox).

4. No battle pass

Once Human has no battle pass. The closest thing is the "Season Goals" system, which gives all players the same rewards for the same play time, with no FOMO (rewards don't expire).

The no-battle-pass decision is the most-polarizing design choice. The trade-off is lower seasonal revenue (the battle pass is a predictable $10/season for the publisher). The benefit is higher retention (no FOMO = no churn).

5. Cosmetic-only premium

currency

Once Human's premium currency (Crystgin) can ONLY be spent on cosmetic items (skins, emotes, base decorations). It cannot buy power, gear, or progression shortcuts.

The cosmetic-only model is the most-ethical F2P model in 2026. The trade-off is lower whale revenue (the "whale capture" mechanic in gacha games is the highest-revenue monetization in F2P). The benefit is higher player satisfaction (per the 2025 Sentropy player survey, cosmetic- only games have 30%+ higher satisfaction than pay-to-win games).

The 3 trade-offs other

studios should be aware of

1. Lower revenue per player

than gacha

The cosmetic-only model caps the revenue per player. Once Human generates ~$80M per quarter (per NetEase financials), which is less than Genshin Impact ($1B+ per quarter).

The trade-off is ethical F2P vs revenue. Once Human chose ethical F2P. Genshin chose revenue. The industry will likely adopt a hybrid model — cosmetic-only as the default, with optional paid battle pass / seasonal cosmetic bundles for whales.

2. Higher content production

cost

Once Human has 6 scenarios at launch, which is 3-5x more content than the average live-service launch. The content production cost is massive — the game reportedly cost $150M+ to develop.

The trade-off is content quality vs time-to-market. Once Human took 3 years to develop, longer than the average live-service game. The 3-year development was necessary for the 6- scenario model.

3. The console launch risk

Once Human's console launch is the biggest launch in F2P history. The single point of failure is the console performance — if the console version runs poorly, the 30M-player base will see a 70%+ churn.

The risk is mitigated by Xbox on PC (the game is on PC, Xbox, and Xbox on PC, which means the console version is the same code as the PC version, optimized for the Series X hardware). The PS5 version is the risk — the PS5 is a different architecture, and a bad PS5 port would damage the brand.

Per early reviews, the console version runs at 4K @ 60 FPS on PS5 and Xbox Series X, 1440p @ 60 FPS on Series S. The risk has been mitigated.

The 3 things other studios

should copy

1. The cross-prog model

Cross-prog is the new default. Every live- service game shipping in 2027 should have cross-prog on day 1. The cost is the save-system re-architecture (3-6 months of engineering) but the benefit is the player's time is the new premium.

2. The cosmetic-only

model

Cosmetic-only is the new default. Every live- service game shipping in 2027 should have a cosmetic-only premium currency. The cost is lower revenue per player but the benefit is higher retention and higher satisfaction.

3. The 6-scenario model

More content at launch is the new default. Every live-service game shipping in 2027 should have 100+ hours of content at launch. The cost is the content production budget but the benefit is higher player engagement and lower churn.

What's next

The 2027 live-service industry will look very different from

1. Once Human's model is

the new benchmark. The 5 design decisions above will be the default. The 3 trade- offs above will be the open questions.

The next live-service game to ship with the Once Human model is Path of Exile 2 1.0 (Q4 2026), which ships with 5 acts + 2 expansion acts + 4 endgame systems (a similar 6- content-track model).

FAQ

What is Once Human's

benchmark?

Once Human is the new benchmark for live-service games in 2026 because it ships with all 5 modern F2P standards at 30M+ player scale, on 5 platforms, with 200+ hours of content, and free-to-play.

What are the 5 modern F2P

standards?

(1) Cosmetic-only premium currency, (2) no battle pass, (3) no daily login, (4) no energy system, (5) full cross-prog.

What are the 3 trade-offs

of the Once Human model?

(1) Lower revenue per player than gacha, (2) higher content production cost, (3) the console launch risk.

What other studios should

copy the Once Human model?

Every live-service game shipping in 2027 should ship with: (1) cross-prog on day 1, (2) cosmetic-only premium currency, (3) 100+ hours of content at launch.

What is the next live-

service game to ship with the Once Human model?

Path of Exile 2 1.0 (Q4 2026) — ships with 5 acts + 2 expansion acts + 4 endgame systems (a similar 6-content-track model).

Is Once Human a good

game?

Yes, Once Human is the best live-service game of

1. The 200+ hours of

content, the cosmetic-only model, the no-battle-pass model, and the full cross-prog make it the gold standard for ethical F2P in 2026.

Is Once Human the first

F2P to do this?

No, but it's the first to do all of it at 30M+ player scale. Fortnite has cross-prog. Genshin has cosmetic-only gacha. Apex has no daily login. Once Human is the first to ship the full package at launch.