The European Union is preparing new rules that would change how many games make money. A draft of the Digital Fairness Act, first published by the outlet Contexte and reported by mobilegamer.biz on November 10, 2026, targets loot boxes, virtual currencies and pay-to-win. The European Commission was expected to present the proposal officially on November 11, and the final version may differ from the leaked text.
What the draft would require
- Loot boxes: banned for minors; for everyone else, games must show the odds of each item and offer a way to turn loot boxes off completely
- Pay-to-win: pay-to-progress and pay-to-win mechanics banned for minors
- Virtual currencies: games must show the real-money value of what you buy with them; in games aimed at minors, paid currency would be off by default and could only be enabled with a parent’s approval
- Dark patterns: interfaces likely to deceive or manipulate consumers would be banned
- Compulsive design: players must be able to switch off features that encourage excessive use
Who counts as a minor’s game
The rules for minors apply when a company knows, with reasonable certainty, that a player is under 18. A game can be treated as aimed at minors if its age rating is suitable for under-18s, and a PEGI rating can serve as evidence. Minors count as a significant part of an audience if they make up at least 25% of it.
The industry’s concerns
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen warned last year that tighter rules on in-game currencies could seriously harm the European games business without properly protecting players, and the European Games Developer Federation said in-game currencies play a central role in free-to-play mobile games. To understand the systems involved, see our guides to loot boxes and free-to-play.
This article was written with AI assistance from the sources linked above.
