In Europe, loot boxes now mean a 16-and-up rating, even in games that have been out for years. PEGI, the Pan-European age-rating system, has started updating the ratings of existing digital-only games that sell paid random items. If one of those games is currently rated PEGI 3, 7 or 12, it is moving to PEGI 16 with the “Paid random items” descriptor.
What is changing
PEGI began applying a broader set of rules to newly submitted games in June. This October update brings older digital games in line with those rules. PEGI says the changes will be made across every storefront that uses its ratings and will take some time to finish, and that publishers will need to update product listings and future marketing.
“Online games can remain available and updated for a very long period of time. To avoid that our age ratings over time become inconsistent, we decided to perform this update,” said PEGI director Dirk Bosmans. “This update ensures that when older games remain popular into the future, they reflect PEGI’s current age rating standards.”
Connor Hinde of the Games Rating Authority, which runs PEGI in the UK, said on LinkedIn that the re-rating covers games rated through both PEGI’s long-form Classic process and the International Age Rating Coalition system used by many digital storefronts. He said the changes started last week and will roll out through October, and that publishers with questions should contact the PEGI Helpdesk.
Which games are affected
PEGI has not published a full list. Eurogamer reports that the EA Sports FC series, previously rated PEGI 3, is among the games affected, and that the gacha action game Zenless Zone Zero has moved from 12 to 16.
The re-rating builds on criteria PEGI announced in March. Under those rules, paid random items default to PEGI 16 and can go as high as 18. Games with time-limited or quantity-limited offers get at least a 12, and games with NFTs or blockchain features get an 18. Daily-quest style rewards earn a 7, rising to 12 if the game punishes you for not coming back, and games with completely unrestricted chat get an 18.
The change only applies where PEGI ratings are used, mainly across Europe and the UK. In North America, the ESRB said in March that it would not adopt PEGI’s changes because they “could be confusing” for users. Ratings have been a hot topic lately, too. Earlier this month, a PEGI 18 listing for GTA VI appeared online and then came down.
