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Across Europe, including the UK, video games featuring loot boxes will soon be assigned a minimum age rating of 16, following changes introduced by the European video game ratings authority. These updates come from the Pan-European Game Information system (PEGI), which is responsible for guiding consumers and parents on the appropriate age suitability for various games across 38 countries.
Loot boxes are in-game features where players can spend real or virtual money to obtain random items, blurring the line between gaming and gambling according to recent studies. From June onwards, titles containing such “paid random items” will be marked with a PEGI 16 rating by default, with certain cases potentially escalating to a PEGI 18 classification. This marks a significant adjustment aimed at providing clearer guidance regarding the content and risks associated with these gaming mechanics.
PEGI’s rating scale ranges from 3 to 18, designed to indicate game suitability rather than difficulty, and this latest revision also includes new categories. For example, games with timed, paid content like battle passes will now receive a PEGI 12 rating, while titles featuring non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will be labeled PEGI 18. Additionally, games with repetitive “play-by-appointment” elements such as daily quests will be rated PEGI 7 unless these mechanisms penalize players for skipping them, in which case a PEGI 12 rating will apply. Online games that lack user reporting or blocking tools will receive the highest PEGI 18 classification.
Experts in the field have welcomed these changes, seeing them as progress toward safer gaming environments. Dirk Bosmans, PEGI’s director, expressed confidence that the updated ratings will deliver “more useful and transparent advice” to players and parents alike. Emily Tofield, CEO of the Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust, praised the update as a “step in the right direction” but emphasized the need for retroactive application of the PEGI 18 rating to existing games. Without this, she warned, current protections may be insufficient for children already exposed to these features. Meanwhile, scholars such as Dr. Ruijie Wang of Bournemouth University regard the recognition of loot boxes as a risk factor in age ratings as crucial in reflecting today’s gaming landscape and assisting parents in understanding the potential dangers
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