Games with loot boxes now automatically rated PEGI 16 in Europe

What you need to know

PEGI now rates games with paid randomized in-game purchases PEGI 16 by default, or PEGI 18 for social casino games. The rule applies to games submitted since June 2026 and covers purchases made with real money or virtual currency.

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The PEGI ratings board is taking more strict measures to classify games with paid random items like loot boxes, pushing these games to be rated PEGI-16 by default.

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Europe’s Games Rating Authority is enacting new rules for games that allow users to buy randomized items with real money. In a LinkedIn post, GRA policy manager Connor Hinde reminds publishers and developers that these titles will now be rated PEGI-16.

This development is noteworthy as ratings boards have pushed back against lootboxes for years now, and reclassifications add extra pressure to publishers like Electronic Arts, who made a record-breaking $8 billion in net bookings in FY26 thanks to lootbox-driven games like its FC and Madden series.

• Read more: EA will be considering ‘mass layoffs’ soon after going private

PEGI’s own website likewise mentions the changes and explains what paid random items are:

“This text descriptor appears if the in-game purchases include random items (like loot boxes or card packs). Paid random items comprise all in-game offers where players don’t know exactly what they are getting prior to the purchase. They can be purchased directly with real money and/or exchanged for an in-game virtual currency.

“Depending on the game, these items may be purely cosmetic, or they may have functional value.

“Video games with paid random items that are submitted to PEGI since June 2026, will be PEGI 16 or PEGI 18 (for social casino games).”

Will PEGI’s June 2026 rule trigger re-ratings for games with paid loot boxes that are already released?

Can publishers avoid a PEGI 16 rating by removing paid random items before submitting a game?

How could PEGI 16 ratings affect the release or storefront availability of EA Sports FC and Madden games in Europe?

How do PEGI 16 and PEGI 18 ratings differ for games featuring paid random items?

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Despite those record net bookings, which reflect microtransaction earnings, EA is slashing jobs and shutting down studios, potentially as a response to the debt structure involved after the company was taken private for $55 billion.