The Australian Government this week announced changes to video game classification laws in Australia.
As of September 22nd, any game that is classified and has in-game purchases with an element of chance will need to be rated M (which is not recommended for children under 15 years of age).
This includes games such as FC25, NBA 2K25 and Madden 25, with the latter two games already being printed in Australia and given a PG/G rating, forcing stores to change the box art for games before the law change next week. We’re not super clear why this is the case given it’s supposed to be for any game that was rated after September 22nd, but maybe it’s just publishers acting on the cautious side as it very much targets these specific franchises.
For any games that simulate gambling in any form, even if they don’t involve money, these will need to be rated R18+. This counts for any game that allows you to perform acts associated with gambling like slot machines or card games for money. If a game features a casino setup for example, but doesn’t let you participate this would not be affected.
There’s a lot of Nintendo games that feature gambling mechanics such as Clubhouse Games, so it’ll be interesting to see where they land with this, as it’s not uncommon for games to include such mechanics even in ways that aren’t necessarily linked to money.
You can find a bit more about the changes below:
In-game purchases linked to elements of chance:
- Video games where players can directly purchase loot boxes or other randomised rewards from the in-game shop using real world currency.
- Video games where players can purchase loot boxes or other randomised rewards using in-game currency that has been purchased using real world currency.
- Video games where players can purchase keys or other objects used to open loot boxes or other randomised rewards with either real world currency or in-game currency that can be purchased using real world currency.
Simulated gambling:
- Social casino games that solely consist of simulated gambling activities such as slot machine simulators, roulette wheels or other age-restricted gambling or betting services.
- Video games that have interactive activities such as slot machine simulators, roulette wheels or other age-restricted gambling or betting services as part of a broader game (e.g. a role-playing game (RPG) which features a slot machine that players can interact and play with).
- Simulated gambling activities in video games must not provide rewards that can be redeemed for real world currency or traded to other players in-game for real world currency.
Examples of games that are not likely to be captured by the new changes:
In-game purchases linked to elements of chance:
- Video games with chance-based mechanics or rewards but no way to directly or indirectly use real world currency to obtain rewards are not intended to be captured.
Simulated gambling:
- Video games which feature casino settings, imagery or themes but do not allow players to engage or interact with gambling activities are not intended to be captured.
