The age rating of PEGI games, which is also used for our market, will be changed in the middle of this year and will more strictly (re)evaluate games with additional spending.
The PEGI age rating system, which is used in our market as an age recommendation for playing certain games, will soon receive important changes.
From the sixth month of 2026, PEGI will use in determining the appropriate age for games four additional categories which they did not take into account before. These categories are:
- in-game purchases (microtransactions, NFTs)
- paying for random items (loot box, casino)
- playing according to the scheduled times (event, battle pass, daily quest, etc.)
- online community (potential toxicity)
Depending on the presence of these items in games, PEGI will increase their age rating. For example, a game that has time-limited events and content, such as seasons or battle passes, will no longer be able to receive a mark lower than PEGI 12.
On the other hand, if the game has loot boxes or other forms of payment for a random reward, it will no longer be able to carry a tag lower than PEGI 16.
This would mean, for example, that EA Sports FC gamewhich until now were recommended for players aged 3+, as of this year are rated as games for an audience of 16 years and older.
It would be a significant blow to Electronic Arts, whose FC series is regularly the best seller in the European market. However, it remains to be seen how much the PEGI rating increase will actually hurt them. At the end of the day, the age rating is there as a recommendation to customers – and there is no legal framework to prohibit the sale of games based on age, such as exists for alcohol and tobacco products.