Games With Loot Boxes To Get Minimum 16 Age Rating Throughout Europe
13 March 2026
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Laura CressTechnology press reporter
Games which feature loot boxes will soon be provided an age ranking of 16 across Europe, including in the UK, under a host of modifications by the European computer game scores organisation.
The Pan-European Game Information body (PEGI)'s age scores are shown on video games sold in the UK and other countries in Europe to suggest their suitability for children of different ages.
Loot boxes are an in-game function gamers to buy random secret items with genuine or virtual currency, but recent research has actually found they blur the line between video gaming and gaming.
The brand-new scores, working from June, might see games consisting of loot box systems, such as EA Sports FC, get a much greater age rating.
The PEGI system is used in 38 countries to help customers and especially moms and dads make notified choices about the video games they purchase.
Its ratings of 3, 7, 12, 16, 18 are utilized to suggest a game's viability for specific age groups, instead of trouble.
The organisation's modifications to this system will see games including "paid random items" branded PEGI 16 by default. It states in many cases this could increase to PEGI 18.
Dirk Bosmans, director of PEGI, said it was "positive" the updates would supply "more useful and transparent advice" for moms and dads and players.
Emily Tofield, chief executive of Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (Ygam), said they were a "action in the best direction".
But she added a PEGI 18 ranking need to be applied retrospectively to existing titles.
Currently the brand-new rankings will only apply to games released after June.
"Without using the rules to current games the policy will do little to safeguard the kids who are currently playing them," Tofield stated.
'Gambling-like mechanics'
Despite concerns about loot boxes, no UK legislation controls how and where they appear in computer game.
The UK government chose in 2022 not to modify the Gambling Act 2005 to include loot boxes, saying no evidence revealed a "causative link" to damages.
But assistance published by trade body Ukie in 2023 stated game companies need to restrict gamers under 18 from purchasing loot boxes without adult consent.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says it bans and gets rid of ads which stop working to make the clear whether or not a video game includes a loot box.
Dr Ruijie Wang, who led a January 2025 research study from Bournemouth University into the harmful threats of betting on young people, told the BBC loot boxes were "among the most studied examples of gambling-like mechanics in games".
"Recognising loot boxes as a danger consider age rankings is an important action towards showing the truths of contemporary game style, helping to provide 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 ranking and video game with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) be rated 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 daily missions will get a PEGI 7 rating - however if the systems "penalize gamers for not returning", such by losing content, they will end up being PEGI 12.
Games doing not have any way for users to report or block players online will receive a PEGI 18 ranking.
Freelance computer game journalist Vic Hood said while the brand-new scores were "positive", it was tough to see what distinction they would make unless moms and dads likewise took them seriously.
"In truth, it will mainly be down to parents to inform themselves on why these modifications have actually been brought in and decide on their own if they deem the games (and their loot box mechanics) ideal for their child," she stated.