Soft Currency Inflation Calculator
This calculator projects your average soft currency balance over time from a daily faucet (earn) rate and sink (spend) rate, so you can spot inflation or deflation before it shows up as a player complaint. For the underlying framework, see the game economy design guide.
Limitations of This Model
This is a simplified linear projection (starting balance plus net rate times days), not a full economic simulation â it assumes faucet and sink rates stay constant, which real economies rarely do as players progress or new content ships. Treat the output as a directional early-warning signal, not a precise forecast, and re-run it with updated numbers as your game evolves.
FAQ: Soft Currency Inflation
What counts as a "faucet" and a "sink"?
A faucet is any way currency enters the economy â quest rewards, daily logins, drops. A sink is any way it leaves â crafting costs, repairs, upgrades, cosmetics. The full framework is in the game economy design guide, linked below.
Why is this a linear model instead of something more realistic?
Real economies aren't perfectly linear â earn and spend rates change as players progress â but a linear projection is enough to show the direction and rough magnitude of a problem using numbers you can pull from your own analytics, without needing a full simulation.
What counts as a healthy net rate?
There's no universal healthy number â it depends on your game's economy design intent. A small, controlled positive rate is normal (players should feel occasional abundance); a large or accelerating positive rate over months is the pattern worth investigating.
How do I get real faucet and sink numbers for my game?
Start with the game economy audit worksheet (linked below) to map every faucet and sink by hand, then pull average daily totals from your analytics for the numbers that matter most.