Starting on September 9, Epic Games will require players residing in Australia to confirm that they are at least 18 years old before they can download or purchase any games that carry an R18+ rating on the Epic Games Store. This new policy is intended to bring the digital storefront into compliance with Australia’s online safety regulations, which specifically address the accessibility of adult-oriented content on the internet. According to a report from PocketGamer.biz, the company clarified that the age‑check requirement will apply solely to titles classified as R18+; games that a user already owns, as well as any titles that fall under a lower rating category, will remain unaffected by the new verification process.
In other words, the change targets only fresh purchases or downloads of mature‑rated content, leaving existing libraries and lower‑rated games untouched. The verification itself will be conducted through Epic’s pre‑existing Kids Web Services (KWS) infrastructure. To make the process as flexible and user‑friendly as possible, Epic is expanding the KWS system with several third‑party verification partners.
Users will be able to choose from a variety of methods to prove their age: * **Selfie verification via Yoti** – Players can submit a live selfie that is matched against a government‑issued ID using Yoti’s facial‑recognition technology. * **Credit‑card verification through Stripe** – By entering a valid credit‑card number, the system can confirm that the cardholder is of legal age.
* **Government‑issued ID check with Veriff** – This option allows users to upload a scan or photo of an official identification document, which Veriff will then validate. A fourth verification pathway, which will rely on bank‑account confirmation through ConnectID, is slated to become available later in September. This staggered rollout gives Epic time to integrate the new service while providing users with a range of choices that suit their privacy preferences and available resources. Epic emphasized that any personal data collected during the verification process will be used exclusively for age‑validation purposes.
The company also noted that the information will be stored separately from the main Kids Web Services database, ensuring that it is not mixed with other user data or used for unrelated purposes. Epic’s decision mirrors a broader industry trend toward stricter age‑gating for adult content in Australia.
Just a month prior, Microsoft announced that its Xbox and Microsoft Store platforms would begin requiring age verification for Australian users who wish to access R18+ games. The requirement applies to both console and PC purchases, aligning Microsoft’s policy with the same national regulations that Epic is now following. Microsoft’s rollout in Australia follows its earlier implementation of age verification in the United Kingdom, which began in July 2025 after the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) came into force. Similarly, Valve introduced an age‑verification step for Steam users in the UK to ensure that mature‑rated titles are only accessible to players who meet the legal age threshold.
The move toward mandatory age checks reflects growing governmental pressure to protect younger audiences from exposure to explicit material while still preserving the ability of adult gamers to access the content they desire. By integrating multiple verification options, Epic aims to balance regulatory compliance with user convenience and privacy. The inclusion of third‑party services such as Yoti, Stripe, Veriff, and soon ConnectID, provides redundancy and choice, reducing the likelihood that a single point of failure will block legitimate users from purchasing age‑appropriate games. From a technical standpoint, the integration of these verification services will require Epic to handle a variety of data formats and authentication flows.
Each partner brings its own API specifications: Yoti’s facial‑recognition endpoint, Stripe’s card‑tokenization system, Veriff’s document‑validation pipeline, and ConnectID’s bank‑link verification. Epic’s engineering team will need to ensure that these disparate systems communicate securely with the KWS backend, maintain compliance with data‑protection laws such as the Australian Privacy Act, and provide a seamless experience for end‑users. For players, the practical impact of the new policy should be relatively straightforward. When attempting to download or purchase an R18+ title, the store will prompt the user to select a verification method.
After completing the chosen verification step, the system will grant access to the requested content. If a user declines to verify, the transaction will be blocked, and the game will remain unavailable for download. Critics of age‑verification schemes often raise concerns about privacy and the potential for data breaches. Epic’s statement that verification data will be isolated from other user information is intended to mitigate these worries, but it remains essential for the company to implement robust encryption, strict access controls, and regular security audits to protect sensitive personal information.
Overall, Epic Games’ introduction of age verification for R18+ games in Australia represents a significant step toward aligning the platform with national content‑safety standards. By offering multiple verification avenues and committing to data segregation, Epic seeks to fulfill regulatory obligations while preserving a user‑friendly experience for adult gamers.
The policy also signals a wider industry shift, as other major platforms such as Xbox, Microsoft Store, and Steam have already adopted similar measures in various regions. As the digital distribution landscape continues to evolve, age‑verification mechanisms are likely to become a standard feature across gaming marketplaces worldwide.