RMT in games: what it is, why so many games forbid it and the risks

What RMT is

RMT is short for real money trading. It is when an item, a currency, a character or a whole game account changes hands for real money — paid via Pix, card or cryptocurrency. It shows up in three ways:

• Official market. The game itself has an area to list items in Brazilian reais, dollars or crypto, with a fee and, sometimes, escrow until the payment clears.
• Between players, as the rules allow. The game lets you trade on your own, but it does not mediate or guarantee anything.
• On the side, against the rules. The most common kind in older MMOs: a deal arranged in a group or forum, which the game forbids and punishes.

Why so many games forbid it

Real money changes the game. It attracts bots and accounts that farm only to sell, unbalances the economy, encourages scams and account theft, and creates disputes the team cannot settle. That is why most games forbid selling items, currency or accounts for money and punish it with a ban — and, when there is a balance, with the loss of it.

Some Brazilian idle games took the opposite path and brought RMT inside the game, with their own rules: who can sell, what can be sold, the fee and how long the money takes.

The risks, even where it is allowed

• It is not income. The price depends on someone wanting to buy. The game's economy cools off, and an item that was worth a lot may be worth nothing the next month.
• Deals on the side have no guarantee. You paid and got nothing, you delivered and got nothing: without the game's official system, nobody can undo it.
• Scams hide in shortcuts. A fake "market" link, a request for your login or a code, an edited payment receipt. Trade only through the channels the game points you to.
• A sold account can come back. Sellers sometimes take the account back later through its email — and many games forbid selling the account even when they allow selling items.
• Crypto has no chargebacks, and Pix scams are common. Check everything before you hand anything over.
• Taxes. Money you make may have to be declared. If the amounts are significant, talk to an accountant.

How to check before you trade

1. Read the game's terms and rules, and the announcements channel on its Discord: that is where rules change first.
2. See what can be sold: many games allow items and forbid selling the account.
3. Prefer the official market, when there is one: the fee costs less than a scam.
4. Check the rules on multiple accounts: moving items between your own accounts to sell them is usually forbidden.

Where IdleDeck comes in

IdleDeck does not buy, does not sell and does not touch any wallet or balance: it keeps your accounts open, organized and awake, and alerts you when one goes down. It also does not play for you — no bot, no macro, no VPN — so each game's rules apply just the same. Some games ban even tools that only keep the session active: check your game's rules first.