Do you pay to remove ads up front, or only after a few hours of play?

I mostly play on my iPhone in short bursts between errands or during remote work calls. Lately I've been trying more offline-style mobile games, and I keep running into the same situation: the game is fine, but it has frequent interstitials or a rewarded ad button that's clearly part of the loop.

I don't mind paying for games, but I want to avoid two traps. One, paying too early for a game that turns out shallow or becomes grindy. Two, not paying and quitting a game I would have liked because the ads kill the vibe.

How do you decide? Do you have a rule like "play a few sessions first" or "only pay if there's a real meta or progression layer"? Do you treat ad removal as basically the price of entry, or do you prefer to only buy premium games and skip anything with ads?

Also, what's your tolerance for rewarded ads that are optional but clearly the fastest path? I don't mind watching one now and then, but I hate when it starts to feel like a required chore.

Would love to hear other people's decision process, especially from folks who play quick sessions and want low friction.