Why Marvel Rivals Age Rating Has Gone From 12 To 16+

Marvel Rivals Age Rating Has Gone Up Thanks To Its Increased Use Of Gacha Mechanics Published Oct 16, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT Josh Coulson is an editor at TheGamer covering breaking news on everything from colorful platformers to the latest Lego sets. Primarily a news writer since 2018, Josh has covered just about every major game from the past decade. Now an editor, their focus has shifted to being the leading affiliate expert at the site, building relationships between TheGamer and global brands including Mattel, Funko, and The Pokemon Company. Sign in to your TheGamer account Marvel Rivals has held a T for Teen rating in the US and a 12+ rating in the UK and Europe since it launched in 2024. That has now changed, and PEGI has raised the recommended age rating for Rivals players to 16+. Marvel Rivals Gets An Age Rating Change The change appears to have been quietly rolled out in Europe and the UK this week, with Rivals players noticing that the PEGI badge on the hero shooter’s various store pages is now a 16 rather than a 12. There’s no explanation as to why Rivals’ rating has changed, although considering some of the more recent additions to the game, there’s a pretty solid theory that seems to explain it. Some of you might point to the various, rather revealing, swimsuits and other skins that have been added to the game. That original Captain America swimsuit skin probably deserved a PEGI rating of its own before it was subtly tweaked. It’s not all the extra superhero skin on show that seems to be to blame for the age rating change, though - it’s the gacha mechanics. Like most live service games, Rivals has had ways to earn and buy currency since its inception. However, this year, it has leaned harder on some mild gambling elements. The theory on which of those elements exactly led to Rivals’ reclassification is the balloon system that was added to the game back in June. The Balloons Are To Blame NetEase The balloon event in Rivals presents players with a board of balloons that you pop to receive in-game cosmetics. Some items are rarer than others, and if you want to pop more balloons, you have to part with more of your currency. It sparked a debate among players when it was first rolled out over whether it was a true gacha mechanic, and whether it fit the definition of gambling. What side of that debate you happen to fall on doesn’t matter, as PEGI appears to have definitively decided that it is indeed gambling. Again, although not confirmed, the PEGI rating badge for Rivals now has a note that reads “includes random items” as part of the warning about in-game purchases. Gambling and gacha mechanics in video games that are played by people who aren’t legally old enough to gamble has been a hotly debated topic in the video game world for years. As demonstrated by the increased rating in Europe that remains unchanged in the US, European lawmakers and ratings boards take it more seriously than their US equivalents. It’s why loot boxes have been outright banned in countries like Belgium and Holland. PEGI outlined its intentions to clamp down on the mechanics earlier this year, and it seems Rivals has now fallen foul of those changes. Released December 6, 2024 ESRB T For Teen // Violence Developer(s) NetEase Games Publisher(s) NetEase Games Engine Unreal Engine 5 Genre(s) Third-Person Shooter, Action, Multiplayer