MicrosoftIn line with the UK’s new Cyber Security Act, an optional age verification system has been deployed locally. From early 2026, UK users who have not completed verification will faceXboxSome social features are limited.
According to Xbox’s official announcement, from now on, “all players who are registered over the age of 18, located in the UK and logged in to Xbox with a Microsoft account” will receive age verification reminders one after another. The announcement emphasized:
“From early 2026, adult players in the UK will have to complete age verification to continue using full social features such as voice/text chat, game invites, and more. Players who have not been verified at this stage until early next year will still be able to play normally, but their social features will be limited to friend interactions at that time. Verification will not affect existing game libraries, achievement history, or purchase access, but we encourage players to complete one-time verification as soon as possible to ensure that future social features are not restricted. ”
Ironically, game purchases are completely exempt from this limit. Underage users can still purchase 18+ games like GTA5 through gift cards and other means – but they can’t communicate with strangers online (but social networking between friends is still allowed). Obviously, the system still needs to retain the channels for minors to make friends through chat and invitations.
The verification methods include “government-issued certificates, AI age estimation, mobile operator verification and credit card verification”. Microsoft promises that “verification data will be encrypted using industry standards and will not be stored or used for any other purpose.” Among them, facial age recognition is provided by Yoti, and even successfully recognized Norman Reedus’ game-modeled face in Death Stranding in the test.
The UK Cyber Security Bill was passed in 2023 during the Conservative Party’s rule, and the original entry date of July 2025 made it finally implemented by the current Labor government. Although the bill still has obvious loopholes in its main regulatory objectives, it could become a precursor to similar legislation in the EU, the United States and other regions – after all, the UK has always “led the way” in terms of “forward-looking regulation”.
“We will continue to evaluate global player protection solutions and learn from the UK experience,” Microsoft said. In the future, age verification will be implemented in more regions, but due to differences in local conditions, specific measures will be adapted to local conditions. ”
