Revised age-rating classifications, put in place under Pan European Game Information (PEGI) rules that took effect last June, now place two of the planet's most-played video game series at the PEGI 16 level. EA Sports FC 27 and Pokémon GO are among the titles positioned early in the regulatory pipeline, where a proposed framework centred on real-money transactions and randomised in-game reward systems would require them to be reviewed under a new classification category.
Under updated PEGI guidelines, any title incorporating loot box mechanics is placed into the 16-and-above bracket, putting those products out of reach for younger players. A rating jump from PEGI 3 to PEGI 16 has been applied to EA Sports FC 27, a change driven by the presence of purchasable in-game content and chance-based reward systems embedded within online features such as Ultimate Team and The Grounds — mechanics that fell outside the criteria governing the title's earlier classification under sports-game guidelines.
Egg incubators sold within Pokémon GO — along with the game's chance-based hatching system — led age-rating body PEGI to lift the title's classification from 7 to 16.
Speaking to the changes, PEGI Policy Lead Connor Hinde explained that games submitted from June onward are being evaluated under a broader set of criteria within the PEGI rating framework, with newly added provisions covering interactive risks. In its capacity as the UK administrator of PEGI, the Games Rating Authority has started applying revised criteria to certain digital products already on the market, with a spokesperson noting that digital-only titles currently carrying a PEGI 3, 7, or 12 classification and incorporating paid random items — loot boxes among them — will have their age rating moved up to PEGI 16 under the Paid Random Items designation.
Titles involving card packs, loot boxes, or gacha mechanics tied to real-money purchases will be placed into a PEGI 16 floor category under the revised rules, provided publishers have not restructured how their monetisation systems operate. Games carrying a higher content risk can attract a PEGI 18 classification.
Under updated PEGI guidelines, any title incorporating flash-sale offers, ticking countdown displays, or purchase-nudging features built into gameplay mechanics will be assigned an age rating of 12. Titles in the PEGI 7 category become available to games whose design incorporates built-in options for parents to cap or turn off in-game purchases.
Under new classification rules, any title that locks gameplay or progression behind blockchain assets or NFTs will carry a PEGI 18 rating. Under a PEGI 7 classification, titles that reward players for returning on consecutive days fall into a defined age-rating bracket.
Under PEGI 12 classification rules, a title that strips away accumulated progress or locks out content whenever a player skips a scheduled login falls into a higher age-rating band. Under the updated guidelines, any title offering voice or text chat functionality will carry a PEGI 18 label unless it includes tools allowing players to block contacts, flag harmful behaviour, and escalate issues to moderation.
