American players will need to confirm their ages before playing Genshin Impact.
Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse has released an announcement directed at its American playerbase regarding age verification. By 20 May, all players within the region will need to undergo the age verification process to continue playing the game, as required by American law.
This decision comes after the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and HoYoverse reached a settlement agreement last January over the game’s gacha mechanics, where the gaming company was fined US$20 million for allegedly violating U.S. children’s privacy laws.
American law requires players to confirm they are at least 16 years of age
According to HoYoverse, the age verification process for all American players will start on 20 May, 2025, through either login or account registration. The verification period will end on 18 July, 2025, and failure to comply may net the following results:
- Account suspension.
- In-game friend and chat records deleted.
- No further notifications post-suspension, as any personal information will be permanently deleted.
Besides the required age verification process, Genshin Impact will also implement the following changes as per their settlement with FTC:
- Purchases of loot boxes for players under the age of 16 is prohibited unless with parental consent.
- The use of virtual currency to purchase loot boxes without providing an option for consumers to purchase directly with real money is prohibited.
- Loot box odds, prices, and features are prohibited from being misrepresented.
- Loot box odds and exchange rates for multitiered virtual currency is required to be disclosed.
- Any personal information previously collected from children under 13 years old will be deleted unless parental consent is obtained.
- Required to comply with COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, including its notice and consent requirements.
