Best Practices For Growing Your Video Game In Brazil
October 11, 2021
The fifth-largest country in the world, nearly ¾ of Brazil’s population is online—that’s 150 million internet users. And, because that population skews young, are active on social media and mobile-friendly, they represent a sweet spot for your video game sales.
To effectively sell your video game in this massive market, though, you need to get a handle on local best practices. That means understanding the nuances of Brazil’s popular game payment types and demystifying local game regulations and taxes. In this blog, we’ll cover key best practices around video game payments in Brazil.
Source: Statista, eMarketer, BoaCompra, ABComm, NewZoo, World Population Review
Source: Xsolla 2019 Data
Source: Statista, eMarketer, BoaCompra, ABComm, NewZoo, World Population Review
Best Practice: Support local and international credit cards.
According to Xsolla’s video game payment analysis, 52% of Brazil game transactions are made with credit cards. But it’s not enough to support the popular international credit card types to reach video game players here. Brazilians rely heavily on domestic credit cards. That means, to grow your game sales in Brazil, you’ll want to support local cards like Elo, Hipercard, and Aura, in addition to the popular international credit cards.Best Practice: Support installment payments for video games.
If you’re not familiar with installment payments, they make it possible for players to pay the merchant via credit card over time, rather than putting the entire payment on a credit card at once. It’s a long-standing practice in this country, popular because it gives consumers more purchasing power and reduces credit card interest. Installments can make a big difference in your game sales. Xsolla data shows that video games that added support for installment payments saw a 60% increase in paying players in Brazil, making it a must-support payment type for your video game business.
Source: Xsolla 2019 Data
Best Practice: Support online bank transfers.
Online bank transfers allow video game players to transfer funds directly from their account to the merchant, or make transfers in person at local Brazilian bank branches. According to Xsolla’s video game payment analysis, this payment method represents only a small share of transactions. But, if you work with a payment solution that makes them easy to implement, you can increase sales through bank transfers with very little effort.Best Practice: Support cash payments and digital wallets.
Cash payments and digital wallets together represent almost half of video game transactions in Brazil, according to Xsolla data. For cash payments, you’ll want to support Boleto Bancário, the popular voucher-based payment method, and Boleto Fresh, its updated version. For digital wallets in Brazil, PayPal is a must, as well as the local PagSeguro. These payment best practices will give you a running start as you launch or grow your video game in the Brazilian market, but there is more to know. To dig deeper into the massive Brazilian opportunity for your video game—including more practical details on payment types, the market share of payment types, Brazilian cultural nuances, and how to save time when it comes to taxes and regulations—download Xsolla’s free ebook, How to Grow Your Video Game in Brazil. 
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