Overview
- Microsoft has started notifying Australian Xbox users and will require age verification to purchase or access games rated R18+ on Xbox consoles and the Microsoft Store for PC from late August 2026.
- Users can verify by email, uploading a selfie for facial age estimation, using a credit card, or submitting a government ID such as a driver’s licence or passport.
- Reports say London-based VerifyMy will handle verification in Australia, and Microsoft says games and apps users already own will not be blocked by the new checks.
- Security researchers and journalists point to past failures at verification firms and a 2025 Discord breach that exposed thousands of government IDs to underline risks of collecting photos and ID data.
- The rollout follows similar moves in the UK and some U.S. states and may push other platforms to act while raising concerns about increased data collection and stricter content control in Australia, where recent classification decisions have also restricted some games.