Getty ImagesGames which feature loot boxes will soon be given an age rating of 16 across Europe, including in the UK, under a host of changes by the European video game ratings organisation.
The Pan-European Game Information body (PEGI)'s age ratings are displayed on games sold in the UK and other countries in Europe to indicate their suitability for children of different ages.
Loot boxes are an in-game feature allowing players to buy random mystery items with real or virtual currency, but recent research has found they blur the line between gaming and gambling.
The new ratings, taking effect from June, could see games containing loot box systems, such as EA Sports FC, receive a much higher age rating.
The PEGI system is used in 38 countries to help consumers and particularly parents make informed decisions about the games they purchase.
Its ratings of 3, 7, 12, 16, 18 are used to indicate a game's suitability for certain age groups, rather than difficulty.
The organisation's changes to this system will see games containing "paid random items" branded PEGI 16 by default. It says in some cases this could rise to PEGI 18.
Dirk Bosmans, director of PEGI, said it was "confident" the updates would provide "more useful and transparent advice" for parents and players.
Emily Tofield, chief executive of Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (Ygam), said they were a "step in the right direction".
But she added a PEGI 18 rating should be applied retrospectively to existing titles.
Currently the new ratings will only apply to games released after June.
"Without applying the rules to current games the policy will do little to protect the children who are already playing them," Tofield said.
Despite concerns about loot boxes, no UK legislation regulates how and where they appear in video games.
The UK government decided in 2022 not to amend the Gambling Act 2005 to include loot boxes, saying no evidence showed a "causative link" to harms.
But guidance published by trade body Ukie in 2023 said game companies must restrict players under 18 from purchasing loot boxes without parental consent.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says it bans and removes ads which fail to make the clear whether or not a game contains a loot box.
Dr Ruijie Wang, who led a January 2025 study from Bournemouth University into the harmful risks of gambling on young people, told the BBC loot boxes were "one of the most studied examples of gambling-like mechanics in games".
"Recognising loot boxes as a risk factor in age ratings is an important step towards reflecting the realities of modern game design, helping to provide parents with clearer signals about potential harms," she said.
PEGI's new additions will also see games with time-limited systems, like a paid battle pass, now get a PEGI 12 rating and game with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) be rated PEGI 18.
Fortnite, which uses a range of different paid-for passes, is already rated PEGI 12.
Games with "play-by-appointment" style mechanisms such as daily quests will get a PEGI 7 rating - but if the mechanisms "punish players for not returning", such by losing content, they will become PEGI 12.
Games lacking any way for users to report or block players online will receive a PEGI 18 rating.
Freelance video games journalist Vic Hood said while the new ratings were "positive", it was hard to see what difference they would make unless parents also took them seriously.
"In reality, it will largely be down to parents to educate themselves on why these changes have been brought in and decide for themselves if they deem the games (and their loot box mechanics) suitable for their child," she said.
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