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PEGI ratings explained: what 12, 16 and 18 mean, and what "paid random items" means

What each PEGI age rating and content descriptor means, what the "paid random items" notice tells you, the rules PEGI added in June 2026, and every game we track listed by its rating.

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PEGI is the age-rating system used for video games across most of Europe, including the UK. Every rated game gets one age label (3, 7, 12, 16 or 18) and a set of descriptors that say why. The number tells you the youngest age the content suits. It says nothing about how hard the game is.

The age labels

  • PEGI 3: suitable for all ages. Nothing likely to frighten young children, at most very mild violence in a comic or childlike setting, and no bad language.
  • PEGI 7: may include scenes or sounds that could frighten younger children, and very mild violence that is implied, non-detailed or unrealistic.
  • PEGI 12: violence that is a little more graphic but aimed at fantasy characters, or unrealistic violence towards human-like characters. Sexual innuendo or posturing and mild bad language can appear.
  • PEGI 16: violence or sexual activity that looks the way it would in real life, stronger bad language, and the use of tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs.
  • PEGI 18: the adult rating. Gross violence, apparently motiveless killing, violence towards defenceless characters, explicit sexual activity, the glamorisation of illegal drugs and simulated games of chance played for stakes.

PEGI also has a "Parental Guidance Recommended" label (shown as PEGI !) for some apps that aren't games, such as social media apps, where the content comes from users.

What the content descriptors mean

The descriptors sit next to the age label and explain it:

  • Violence: from non-realistic, non-detailed violence at PEGI 7 up to increasingly realistic violence at 16 and 18.
  • Bad language: mild swearing at PEGI 12, strong language at 16.
  • Fear / Horror: "Fear" at PEGI 7 for scary images or sounds, "Horror" on higher ratings for moderate (12) or intense, sustained (16) horror.
  • Games of chance: a game whose themes prominently reference games of chance played for money is PEGI 12; a game that simulates them is PEGI 18.
  • Sex: innuendo or posturing (12), erotic nudity or intercourse without visible genitals (16), explicit sexual activity (18). Non-sexual nudity doesn't need a rating of its own.
  • Drugs: the game refers to or shows illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco. Always PEGI 16 or 18.
  • Discrimination: stereotypes likely to encourage hatred. Always PEGI 18.

In-game purchases and "paid random items"

The In-Game Purchases descriptor appears whenever a game sells anything for real money: extra content, outfits, upgrades, subscriptions or a virtual currency. It doesn't change the age rating on its own.

Paid random items is a line of text added under it when some of those purchases are random: you pay, directly or with an in-game currency, without knowing exactly what you'll get. Loot boxes, card packs and gacha pulls all count, whether the items are cosmetic or affect play. Since June 2026 the line also affects the rating, for newly submitted games and, as PEGI updates them, for games already out: see what PEGI's paid random items label means. Our guide to what a rare drop costs on average shows how to put a price on one from the published odds.

What changed in June 2026

PEGI announced on 12 March 2026 that, starting in June 2026, newly submitted games are classified against a broader set of criteria. Some purchase, play and chat features now change the age rating itself rather than only adding a notice. Each has its own text descriptor on PEGI's labels page:

  • Paid random items: games submitted to PEGI since June 2026 with paid random items are PEGI 16 by default. PEGI says some can be PEGI 18, and its labels page gives PEGI 18 for games that simulate games of chance. Our article on what PEGI's paid random items label means covers it in full.
  • Time-limited offers: purchases only on sale for a limited time or in limited numbers mean PEGI 12, or PEGI 7 if the game's built-in parental controls switch spending off by default.
  • Cryptocurrency: NFTs or other crypto assets that are needed to play, can be traded or are central to the game mean PEGI 18.
  • Pressure to play: rewards for coming back at set times, such as daily quests, mean PEGI 7, or PEGI 12 if players are punished for not returning.
  • Unrestricted communication: chat with no way to block or mute others and no moderation means PEGI 18.

PEGI developed the criteria with USK, Germany's rating body, and publishers now have to give PEGI extra information when a game has these features. PEGI also says every platform that uses its ratings has parental tools that can limit spending, online interaction and playtime.

The criteria started with newly submitted games, and PEGI has since been updating the ratings of existing titles. Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves and League of Legends have gone from PEGI 12 to PEGI 16, with a note on pegi.info that the rating "has been updated to PEGI 16 because it includes loot boxes or other paid random items". Naraka: Bladepoint and the free-to-play version of Overwatch are PEGI 16 too, as are Guild Wars 2's last three expansions. Not every title has been updated yet: SYNDUALITY: Echo of Ada has the paid random items descriptor but still shows PEGI 12. So a game with loot boxes can still carry a PEGI 12 label, and a rating in the list below may since have changed: pegi.info has the current one. For the UK rules on loot boxes themselves, see loot boxes and UK law.

Every game we track, by PEGI rating

145 games, with the rating recorded on each game's page. Games with no PEGI rating are listed at the end with the rating another board gave them.

PEGI 18 (51)

PEGI 16 (42)

PEGI 12 (26)

PEGI 7 (11)

No PEGI rating (rated by another board) (15)

How we checked

The meaning of each label and descriptor comes from PEGI's "What do the labels mean?" page. pegi.info was down for maintenance when we wrote this guide on 21 October 2026, so we first read the Internet Archive's copy of that page from 3 October 2026. On 7 November 2026 we read the live page and PEGI's 12 March 2026 announcement of the new criteria in a browser (pegi.info blocks automated requests) and updated the June 2026 section from them. The re-rated games come from pegi.info's rating search, read the same day; pegi.info doesn't say when the updates to existing titles began. Each game's rating comes from its page on GamesChart, where we record the rating and where we checked it.

Questions

What does PEGI 12 mean?

PEGI 12 games can show violence of a slightly more graphic kind towards fantasy characters, or non-realistic violence towards human-like characters. Mild bad language and sexual innuendo can appear.

What does PEGI 16 mean?

PEGI 16 is used once violence or sexual activity looks the way it would in real life. Bad language can be stronger, and the game can show tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs being used.

What does PEGI 18 mean?

PEGI 18 is the adult rating. It covers gross violence, apparently motiveless killing, violence towards defenceless characters, explicit sexual activity and the glamorisation of illegal drugs.

What does "paid random items" mean on a PEGI label?

It means the game sells items where you don't know exactly what you'll get before you pay, such as loot boxes or card packs, whether you pay with real money or with an in-game currency bought with real money. Games submitted to PEGI since June 2026 with paid random items are PEGI 16 by default.

Is a PEGI rating a legal age limit in the UK?

PEGI labels are age recommendations based on a game's content. This guide doesn't cover the law on selling games to children; ask the retailer or platform if you need that.

About the author

Aashish Khakhar · Editor

Aashish edits GamesChart and checks every drop rate, price and player count against the publisher's own source before it goes live.

More about Aashish

Games and data

Sources

  1. PEGI – What do the labels mean? (live page, read 7 Nov 2026), published by pegi.info
  2. PEGI – PEGI expands age rating criteria with interactive risk categories (12 March 2026), published by pegi.info
  3. PEGI rating search – Genshin Impact (PEGI 16, re-rated; read 7 Nov 2026), published by pegi.info
  4. PEGI rating search – SYNDUALITY: Echo of Ada (still PEGI 12; read 7 Nov 2026), published by pegi.info
  5. PEGI – What do the labels mean? (Internet Archive copy, 3 Oct 2026, read 21 Oct 2026), published by web.archive.org

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