Overview
- The Games Rating Authority announced Tuesday that it has begun a phased October rollout to reclassify existing digital-only games that contain paid random items, such as loot boxes and gacha mechanics, to a minimum PEGI 16.
- Policy manager Connor Hinde said the change follows a June update to PEGI’s rating framework that added interactive-risk criteria covering purchases of in-game content and paid random items.
- Several high-profile mobile and digital titles have already been affected, with outlets reporting rating increases for the EA Sports FC series, Zenless Zone Zero, Pokémon TCG Pocket, and Fire Emblem Heroes.
- PEGI limited the reclassification to digital-only releases and urged publishers to contact the PEGI Helpdesk because a large volume of rating updates will occur quickly.
- The move reflects growing legal and regulator scrutiny of loot boxes in recent years, including Belgium’s 2018 stance that treats paid loot boxes as gambling and a 2026 New York attorney-general lawsuit seeking to classify them as gambling.