Single player games require age verification if they use Steam under EU KIDS Act

The European Commission’s current draft of the EU Kids Act creates a broad definition of “online games” that would bring many titles under mandatory age-verification rules for users under 15. Under the wording released, any game that is played on a computer, mobile device, or console and has an online component - whether that is distribution, updates, or even a one-time authentication through a storefront like Steam - falls within scope; the lone explicit exception covers games that are exclusively sold or accessed via physical media with no online element. Campaigners and a senior policy adviser to an MEP have pointed out that this language would therefore sweep in single-player games that rely on digital platforms for patches or purchases.

The draft is still at the proposal stage and will be revised during the EU’s lawmaking process, so definitions could be tightened to target services that resemble social media and user-generated-content platforms rather than every digitally distributed title. If the current text stood as law, however, developers and storefronts would face new age-verification obligations for a wide range of games, prompting industry scrutiny and advocacy aimed at clarifying or narrowing which games must comply.