Games With Loot Boxes To Get Minimum 16 Age Rating Across Europe
13 March 2026
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Laura CressTechnology reporter
Games which feature loot boxes will soon be given an age score of 16 across Europe, including in the UK, under a host of modifications by the European computer game rankings organisation.
The Pan-European Game Information body (PEGI)'s age scores are shown on games offered in the UK and other nations in Europe to show their viability for children of various ages.
Loot boxes are an in-game function permitting gamers to buy random secret items with real or virtual currency, however current research has actually found they blur the line between gaming and betting.
The new rankings, taking effect from June, could see games containing loot box systems, such as EA Sports FC, receive a much greater age ranking.
The PEGI system is utilized in 38 nations to assist consumers and especially moms and dads make notified choices about the games they buy.
Its scores of 3, 7, 12, 16, 18 are used to show a video game's suitability for specific age, rather than difficulty.
The organisation's changes to this system will see games including "paid random products" branded PEGI 16 by default. It states in many cases this could rise to PEGI 18.
Dirk Bosmans, director of PEGI, stated it was "confident" the updates would offer "better and transparent suggestions" for parents and gamers.
Emily Tofield, president of Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (Ygam), stated they were a "step in the ideal instructions".
But she included a PEGI 18 ranking ought to be used retrospectively to existing titles.
Currently the new ratings will only use to games released after June.
"Without using the rules to current video games the policy will do little to secure the children who are already playing them," Tofield stated.
'Gambling-like mechanics'
Despite concerns about loot boxes, no UK legislation manages how and where they appear in computer game.
The UK federal government decided in 2022 not to amend the Gambling Act 2005 to include loot boxes, stating no proof revealed a "causative link" to damages.
But guidance released by trade body Ukie in 2023 stated video game companies must limit gamers under 18 from buying loot boxes without parental authorization.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says it prohibits and removes advertisements which fail to make the clear whether a video game contains a loot box.
Dr Ruijie Wang, who led a January 2025 research study from Bournemouth University into the damaging threats of betting on young people, told the BBC loot boxes were "one of the most studied examples of gambling-like mechanics in games".
"Recognising loot boxes as a threat consider age ratings is an important action towards showing the realities of modern-day game design, assisting to offer moms and dads with clearer signals about potential harms," she said.
PEGI's new additions will likewise see games with time-limited systems, like a paid fight pass, now get a PEGI 12 rating and video game with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) be ranked PEGI 18.
Fortnite, which uses a series of different paid-for passes, is currently rated PEGI 12.
Games with "play-by-appointment" design systems such as everyday missions will get a PEGI 7 score - but if the systems "punish players for not returning", such by losing content, they will end up being PEGI 12.
Games doing not have any method for users to report or obstruct gamers online will get a PEGI 18 .
Freelance video games reporter Vic Hood stated while the new scores were "positive", it was tough to see what distinction they would make unless parents likewise took them seriously.
"In reality, it will mostly be down to parents to educate themselves on why these changes have actually been brought in and decide on their own if they deem the video games (and their loot box mechanics) suitable for their child," she stated.