UK regulators are coming for your favourite video games – and studios face fines of up to £18 million
The UK’s booming video games industry, already one of the world’s largest, is facing a major regulatory shake-up. A sweeping new law designed to make the Internet safer is now squarely targeting multiplayer titles, chat features, and user-generated content.
In an analysis of the changes, legal firm Lewis Silkin noted that the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA) effectively brings most modern video game studios directly into scope.
Studios operating “multiplayer or social games, friends functionalities, online chat forums or any other form of user-to-user services” must now treat their games like social media platforms when it comes to illegal and harmful content.
Single-player offline titles are technically safe, but that’s increasingly rare in today’s market.
What the law actually requires
The OSA places strict duties on game providers to actively protect UK users, with a special focus on children, who research shows are accessing online games at ever-younger ages.
Key obligations include:
- Proactive monitoring and removal of illegal content using human moderators, AI tools, or both.
- Easy, in-game systems for players to report illegal or harmful material.
- Updated Terms of Service (or EULAs) that clearly explain protections, how complaints are handled, and new rights for users if terms are breached.
- Specific rules for child users, including proactive technology to shield them from illegal or harmful content.
Studios must also carry out regular risk assessments to identify how user-generated content in their games could lead to real-world harm.
This includes hateful chat in lobbies, in-game behaviours that encourage terrorism or child sexual offences, or harassment that spills offline.
If children are a “likely audience”, which is the case for the vast majority of popular titles, extra-rigorous child risk assessments are mandatory, following detailed guidance Ofcom issued in 2025.
Age assurance is another area of confirm. Lewis Silkin notes that Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office have recently written to tech platforms urging “highly effective” age verification beyond simple self-declaration tick-boxes.
Fines that could wipe out smaller studios
Enforcement is in the hands of Ofcom, which already has a track record of handing out penalties.
The regulator can impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of a company’s annual global revenue, whichever is higher.
It can also disrupt services in the UK, demand information, and even bring criminal proceedings against senior managers and directors personally.
“With many video game companies now offering products and platforms which support the creation and dissemination of user-generated content (UGC), OSA compliance continues to be a hot topic of discussion,” Lewis Silkin said.
The firm said that affected companies should start with age assurance, implement robust in-game reporting, keep detailed records of risk assessments, and review Terms of Service immediately.
The firm also flags that more regulation is coming. The EU’s forthcoming Digital Fairness Act could add further rules around loot boxes, virtual currencies, and “dark patterns” – but for now, the OSA is the immediate threat.
For players, the changes could mean stricter moderation, more age gates, and potentially fewer toxic lobbies.
This will be welcome news for parents, but possibly frustrating for adult gamers who value unfiltered voice chat.
