European ratings body PEGI has begun raising the age ratings of games already on sale that contain paid random items, moving them to PEGI 16. Video Games Chronicle reported that EA Sports FC and Pokémon Go are among the first titles to be reclassified.
The change was confirmed in a LinkedIn post by the policy manager of the Games Rating Authority, the UK administrator of PEGI. "Since June, newly submitted games have been assessed against an expanded set of criteria within the PEGI rating framework, including new criteria relating to interactive risks," the post said, adding that the authority had now begun applying those criteria to selected existing digital products.
Existing digital-only games that are currently rated PEGI 3, 7 or 12 and feature paid random items, such as loot boxes, will have their age rating updated to PEGI 16 - Paid random items.
Video Games Chronicle reported that the updated ratings began rolling out this week and will continue through the rest of October. Games already spotted with a higher rating include the EA Sports FC titles, Pokémon Go and Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, Mario Kart Tour, and Hoyoverse's Zenless Zone Zero.
PC Gamer illustrated the size of the jump using EA's football series: EA Sports FC 25 and its predecessors carry a PEGI 3 rating with no listed rating issues, while EA Sports FC 27 is rated PEGI 16 and comes with a breakdown of its purchase options, including FC points, a season pass and player packs. A PEGI 16 rating means a game cannot legally be sold to anyone aged 15 or under in the UK or in other European countries that have written PEGI ratings into law.
What else the expanded criteria cover
The loot box default is one of several interactive-risk rules PEGI set out earlier this year. Video Games Chronicle listed the others:
- Paid random items carry a default PEGI 16 rating, and in some cases a PEGI 18, though PEGI did not specify which conditions trigger the higher rating.
- Time-limited or quantity-limited offers carry a minimum rating of PEGI 12.
- NFTs and blockchain-related mechanisms are rated PEGI 18 outright.
- Features that reward players for returning, such as daily quests, are rated at least PEGI 7; features that punish players for not returning are rated PEGI 12.
- Entirely unrestricted online communication, with no ability to block or report, is rated PEGI 18.
According to PEGI, the changes bring its standards into line with those of USK, the German age rating authority, which made similar changes in 2023 after the German Youth Protection Act was updated. PEGI council chair Beate Våje said the updated criteria are intended to make parents aware that certain features in games should be carefully assessed, and that parental tools can help with that assessment.
North America's ESRB has indicated it will not follow. PC Gamer reported that an ESRB representative said in March that the board's research suggested adding non-content-related features to its rating process could confuse parents. EA Sports FC 27 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB, with notes for user interactions and in-game purchases.
