Ironically, many Onmyoji private servers are than the official game. The pitch of "free unlimited summons" is often a bait-and-switch. Once you are invested, admins sell "GM commands" (god powers) for hundreds of dollars. You aren't competing with whales; you are competing with the friends of the server owner who have admin gear.

Unlike official servers with robust infrastructure, private servers are often run by small teams or individuals on limited budgets.

Have you encountered an Onmyoji private server? Share your warning stories in the comments below.

—run by independent administrators rather than the official developer, NetEase .

The primary driver pushing players toward private servers is frustration with the core monetization loop of the official game.