Epic Games Store to introduce age checks for R18+ games in Australia

GamesIndustry.biz reports that Epic Games Store is adding age checks for Australian users accessing R18+ games, with the requirement set to begin on September 9. Players will need to confirm they’re 18 or older before buying or downloading those titles, while games they already own and anything rated below R18+ remain unaffected.

Epic is routing the process through its Kids Web Services system, which is gaining several third-party verification options. Players will be able to verify with a selfie via Yoti, a credit card through Stripe, or a government-issued ID check via Veriff, with bank-based verification through ConnectID planned for later in September.

For developers and publishers, the practical effect is another regional gate on mature content distribution, similar to what Xbox has already started rolling out in Australia. It’s part of a broader shift toward platform-level compliance with local online safety rules, which means mature releases now need to account for age-gated storefront flows as a normal part of launch planning.

Epic says the data collected through these methods will be used only for age verification and gathered independently of KWS. The move follows comparable verification requirements already appearing in the UK, where Microsoft and Valve have also introduced age checks for access to adult content.