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Description

A daily prize wheel gives players one spin per day in exchange for a Spin Ticket. Each spin awards a random prize drawn from a weighted drop table. Because Spin Tickets are backed by PlayFab’s regenerating Virtual Currency, the rate of ticket accrual is fully server-controlled—players earn one ticket every 24 hours and can bank up to five at a time. From the player’s perspective, they tap a button, watch the wheel spin, and receive a prize. The server handles the ticket deduction and prize selection atomically, so the outcome cannot be manipulated client-side.

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How it works

1

Authenticate

The client calls one of the PlayFab authentication methods (for example, LoginWithCustomID) to obtain a valid session ticket. A session ticket is required for all subsequent Client API calls.
2

Trigger a spin

The client presents a spin button. When pressed, it calls PurchaseItem with ItemId: "PrizeWheel1", VirtualCurrency: "ST", and Price: 1.
3

PlayFab processes the purchase

PlayFab atomically:
  1. Deducts one Spin Ticket (ST) from the player’s Virtual Currency balance.
  2. Awards the PrizeWheel1 bundle to the player’s inventory.
  3. Evaluates the bundle’s drop table (PrizeWheel1) and grants the resulting item.
  4. Returns the updated inventory and prize details to the client.
4

Display the result

The client reads the Items array in the PurchaseItem response and displays the awarded prize to the player.
If the player has zero Spin Tickets, PurchaseItem returns an error. The client should display the time until the next ticket regenerates using the VirtualCurrencyRechargeTimes field returned by GetUserInventory.

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PlayFab building blocks

  • Accounts — player authentication and session management
  • Virtual Currency — Spin Ticket (ST) with built-in recharge rate and cap
  • Catalog — the PrizeWheel catalog containing prize items and the bundle
  • Drop Table — weighted random prize selection (PrizeWheel1)
  • Player Inventory — item storage for awarded prizes

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Setup

1

Create the Spin Ticket virtual currency

In Game Manager, go to Economy > Currencies and select New Currency. Enter the following values:
PropertyValueDetail
CodeSTAbbreviation for the Spin Ticket currency
NameSpin TicketDisplay name of the currency
Initial Deposit1Ensures every new player can spin immediately
Recharge Rate1Regenerates 1 ticket per day
Recharge Max5Players can bank up to 5 tickets at a time
Select Save Currency.
2

Create the PrizeWheel catalog

In Game Manager, go to Economy > Catalogs and create a new catalog named PrizeWheel.
3

Upload the drop table

Inside the PrizeWheel catalog, navigate to the Drop Tables tab and upload DropTable.json. The drop table defines the weighted odds for each prize on the wheel.
[{
  "TableId": "PrizeWheel1",
  "Nodes": [
    { "ResultItemType": "ItemId", "ResultItem": "Card1",     "Weight": 10000 },
    { "ResultItemType": "ItemId", "ResultItem": "Card2",     "Weight": 10000 },
    { "ResultItemType": "ItemId", "ResultItem": "Card3",     "Weight": 10000 },
    { "ResultItemType": "ItemId", "ResultItem": "SpinAgain", "Weight": 303   }
  ]
}]
Adjust the Weight values to tune the probability of each outcome. A higher weight means a more common drop.
4

Upload the catalog items

Return to the top-level catalogs view. Click the arrow on the PrizeWheel catalog card, choose Upload JSON, and provide Catalog.json. The catalog includes:
  • Card1, Card2, Card3 — the prize cards
  • SpinAgain — a bundle that awards one free Spin Ticket (ST)
  • PrizeWheel1 — the purchasable bundle (costs 1 ST) that references the drop table

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The CloudScript

The prize wheel mechanic requires no CloudScript—the entire flow is driven by the Client API’s PurchaseItem call. PlayFab handles the Virtual Currency deduction and bundle/drop-table evaluation server-side automatically. The JavaScript example calls PurchaseItem directly: 
function TryToSpin() {
  console.log("Attempting to spin...");
  var PurchaseItemRequest = {
    "ItemId": "PrizeWheel1",
    "VirtualCurrency": "ST",
    "Price": 1
  };
  PlayFabClientSDK.PurchaseItem(PurchaseItemRequest, TryToSpinCallback);
}

function TryToSpinCallback(request, error) {
  if (error) {
    OutputError(error);
  } else {
    var result = request.data;
    console.log("Ticket Accepted! SPINNING...");
    console.log("SPIN RESULT: " + result.Items[1].DisplayName);
    GetInventory(); // refresh displayed inventory and ticket count
  }
}

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Running the example

1

Install the PlayFab Unity SDK

Download and import the latest PlayFab Unity SDK into a new or existing Unity project.
2

Import the recipe package

Download and import PrizeWheelRecipe.unitypackage.
3

Open the scene

In the Project window, open the PrizeWheel scene.
4

Set your title ID

Select the PrizeWheel GameObject and set the Title ID field in the Inspector to your PlayFab title ID.
5

Run the scene

Press Play. Watch the console for call-by-call status updates.

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