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 amconclude the Gambling Act 2005, external to include loot boxes, declareing no evidence revealed a “causative link” to harms.
But guidance published by trade body Ukie in 2023, external declared game companies must restrict players under 18 from purchasing loot boxes without parental consent.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) declares it bans and reshifts ads which fail to build 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, informed 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, supporting to provide parents with clearer signals about potential harms,” she declared.
PEGI’s new additions will also see games with time-limited systems, like a paid battle pass, now obtain a PEGI 12 rating and game with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) be rated PEGI 18.
Fortnite, which applys a range of different paid-for passes, is already rated PEGI 12.
Games with “play-by-appointment” style mechanisms such as daily quests will obtain 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 applyrs to report or block players online will receive a PEGI 18 rating.
Freelance video games journalist Vic Hood declared while the new ratings were “positive”, it was hard to see what difference they would build unless parents also took them seriously.
“In reality, it will largely be down to parents to educate themselves on why these modifys have been brought in and decide for themselves if they deem the games (and their loot box mechanics) suitable for their child,” she declared.
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