{"id":31253,"date":"2026-09-14T01:34:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T23:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/14\/epic-games-store-to-introduce-age-checks-for-r18-games-in-australia\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T01:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T23:35:24","slug":"epic-games-store-to-implement-mandatory-age-verification-for-r18-titles-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/14\/epic-games-store-to-implement-mandatory-age-verification-for-r18-titles-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Epic Games Store to Implement Mandatory Age Verification for R18+ Titles in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>New Age Verification Protocols for Australian Epic Games Store Users<\/h2>\n<p>Starting September 9, Epic Games is implementing a mandatory age verification process for Australian users. This update specifically targets those looking to purchase or download titles classified as R18+ on the Epic Games Store, ensuring that access to mature content is restricted to adults.<\/p>\n<figure>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"placeholder_image_url\" alt=\"Epic Games Store interface\"><figcaption>Image credit: Epic Games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Compliance with Australian Digital Safety Standards<\/h3>\n<p>This strategic shift is designed to align the platform with Australia\u2019s rigorous online safety regulations regarding the distribution of adult-rated media. It is important to note that this policy is forward-looking; any R18+ games already present in a user&#8217;s library, as well as titles with lower age ratings, remain fully accessible without additional verification steps.<\/p>\n<h3>How the Verification Process Works<\/h3>\n<p>To facilitate these checks, Epic is leveraging its established Kids Web Services (KWS) infrastructure. While the framework is familiar, the company is expanding its verification capabilities by integrating several third-party services to provide users with flexible authentication options:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Biometric Verification:<\/strong> Utilizing Yoti for selfie-based age estimation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Financial Validation:<\/strong> Confirming age via Stripe credit card processing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Document Authentication:<\/strong> Using Veriff to verify government-issued identification.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Banking Integration:<\/strong> A forthcoming option via ConnectID, expected to launch later in September.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Epic Games has emphasized that privacy remains a priority. Any personal data submitted during these verification procedures is handled independently of the KWS platform and is strictly utilized for the sole purpose of confirming the user&#8217;s age.<\/p>\n<h3>A Growing Trend in Regional Compliance<\/h3>\n<p>Epic Games is not acting in isolation; this move reflects a broader industry trend toward stricter age-gating in the Australian market. For instance, Microsoft recently initiated a similar verification rollout for its Xbox and PC storefronts, requiring Australian players to confirm their age before accessing R18+ content. As digital storefronts face increasing pressure from global regulators to protect minors, these verification layers are becoming the new standard for major gaming platforms.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"echo_read_more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamesindustry.biz\/epic-games-store-to-introduce-age-checks-for-r18-games-in-australia\" target=\"_blank\"> \u00bb More Info >>><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting September 9, Epic Games is tightening the reins on its Australian storefront. To snag any R18+ rated titles, players will need to verify they\u2019re of age before hitting that download button. The process, which leverages Epic\u2019s existing Kids Web Services system, offers a variety of verification methods to keep things seamless. As reported by PocketGamer.biz, this move marks a significant shift in how the platform manages age-restricted content down under<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":31254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpai_generated_summary":"","wpai_meta_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[5009,5010,5011,36],"class_list":["post-31253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-gaming","tag-age-ratings","tag-epic-games","tag-epic-games-store","tag-mixtv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}