News / ONI Games

New PEGI Age Ratings in 2026: Loot Boxes 16+, Limited-Time Offers 12+

ONI Games · Published October 17, 2026

Since June 2026, PEGI rates games by how they sell, not only by what they show: paid random items mean PEGI 16, limited-time offers PEGI 12, login streaks PEGI 7 or 12. What it means for mobile players and parents, from a studio that rates its own games.

Until this year, a PEGI age rating told you what a game shows: violence, fear, bad language. Since June 2026, it also tells you how a game sells and how hard it pulls you back. PEGI, the age rating used across most of Europe, now looks at paid random items, limited-time offers, rewards for coming back every day and chat without moderation, and each of them can raise the age on the box. PEGI itself calls it the biggest update in the history of the system.

What changed in June 2026

Paid random items: PEGI 16, or PEGI 18 for social casino games. This covers loot boxes, card packs and gacha draws you pay for, with real money or with a currency you can buy.
Time-limited offers: PEGI 12, or PEGI 7 if the game has parental controls with spending turned off by default. This covers purchases that are only available for a limited time or in limited quantities.
Pressure to play: PEGI 7 for daily quests, login streaks and event rewards that expire, and PEGI 12 if players lose rewards or status when they do not come back in time.
Unrestricted communication: PEGI 18 when voice or text chat cannot be blocked or muted and is not moderated.
Cryptocurrency: PEGI 18 when NFTs or similar assets are needed to play, can be traded or are central to the game.

The new criteria apply to games submitted to PEGI from June 2026. Games rated before keep their rating until they are rated again, so an older game with loot boxes can still carry a low age.

What it means for mobile games

On Google Play, age ratings come from the IARC questionnaire that every developer fills in. One set of answers produces the PEGI rating for Europe, ESRB for North America and the local ratings of other countries. We have just been through it for our own games. When we answered yes to paid random items for ONI Snakes in September 2026, because its paid pass holds chests with random rewards, the game was rated 18+ in Brazil, M in Australia (Chance-Based In-Game Purchases) and USK 12 in Germany (Increased Incentives to Buy), while its PEGI rating for Europe stayed at 7.

So the number on a store page does not always reflect the new PEGI levels yet. The notes under the rating are more telling: In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items) or Paid random items mean a game sells chances, not items. Our pay-to-win test shows what else to check in ten minutes.

What it means for parents

A higher number is now a spending warning, not only a content warning. A cartoon game rated PEGI 16 may have loot boxes rather than violence, and the notes under the rating tell you which.
Daily rewards are rated too. A game that takes rewards away when a child misses a day is now PEGI 12.
Spending can be switched off. Google Play's purchase authentication and family settings stop unplanned purchases; this guide shows how.

What it means for developers

For studios like ours, design choices are now rating choices. A paid chest with random contents can move a game from PEGI 7 to PEGI 16, which changes who sees it under family settings. Fixed paid rewards instead of random ones keep a lower rating, and so do daily rewards that never punish a missed day.

Our take

We think the change is good for players. An age rating that ignores how a game makes money tells parents only half the story. Fixed prices, published odds and daily rewards without punishment are the fairest design anyway, and now they are also the way to a lower rating.