EA Sports FC 27 is rated PEGI 16 in Europe, a big jump for a series whose earlier entries carried a PEGI 3. The cause is loot boxes. PEGI has started treating paid random items as grounds for a 16 rating, and it is now applying that rule to older digital games as well as new releases.
According to PC Gamer, EA Sports FC 25 and the games before it were rated PEGI 3 with no rating issues listed. FC 27, which Gamebonk's release tracker shows launched on September 25, 2026, has a detailed breakdown of its purchase options on PEGI's listing instead, including FC points, a season pass and player packs.
PEGI's new rules reach existing digital games
The change comes from PEGI's new interactive risk categories, which were announced in March. Per PC Gamer, those categories cover purchases of in-game content, paid random items, communication features, and features designed to keep people playing. Newly submitted games have been judged against the expanded criteria since June, which is how FC 27 ended up at 16.
The new step is a re-rating of games already on sale. A policy manager at the UK's Games Rating Authority, which administers PEGI in the UK, announced the rollout in a LinkedIn post. "As the UK administrator of PEGI, the Games Rating Authority has now begun applying these updated criteria to selected existing digital products," the post reads.
Under the policy, digital-only games currently rated PEGI 3, 7 or 12 that contain paid random items such as loot boxes will move to PEGI 16, with the rating labelled "Paid random items." GamesIndustry.biz reports that this applies whether a game was first rated through PEGI's Classic procedure or through the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) system. The re-ratings will continue progressively through October, and the GRA has acknowledged that a large number of ratings will change in a short space of time. Publishers and developers with questions are being pointed to the PEGI Helpdesk.
Eurogamer reports that Zenless Zone Zero, HoYoverse's gacha action game, has already gone from PEGI 12 to PEGI 16. The outlet also noted that Monopoly Go still appeared as 9+ on Apple's store, though its randomised sticker packs and boxes could see it re-rated.
ESRB is not following PEGI's lead
North America is taking a different path. The ESRB said in March that it would not adopt PEGI's changes, arguing that the approach "could be confusing" for users. PC Gamer reports that an ESRB representative said its research suggested folding non-content features into ratings could confuse parents.
As a result, EA Sports FC 27 holds an E (Everyone) rating from the ESRB, with notes flagging in-game purchases and user interactions, while the same game sits at 16 under PEGI.
