Overview
- PEGI’s revised criteria take effect for new submissions in June 2026 and introduce four flags that can raise age outcomes for paid random items, time- or quantity-limited offers, play-by-appointment mechanics, and unrestricted communication.
- The ESRB says it will not let non-content features influence a game’s age category and will continue using adjoining labels for elements like in-game purchases and online interactions.
- PEGI plans targeted reappraisals of some ongoing live-service games but says it cannot continuously recheck its full back catalogue.
- PEGI will draw on seven years of data tracking in-game purchases and paid random items, yet acknowledges gaps such as limited information on daily-quest systems that hinder retroactive enforcement.
- The split means some titles could carry higher ratings in Europe than in the US, with examples like future EA Sports FC entries cited as potential beneficiaries of PEGI’s stricter approach.