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October 12, 2026

Newsletter

The European Post

Policy • Diplomacy • strategic insight

LATEST
Social Security Coordination Reform Clears The Council After A DecadeCreative Europe 2027 Budget Sets €402 Million For Final YearNature Restoration Plans Reach Brussels As Review Clock StartsBerlin Sudan Aid Pledges Now Face A Delivery TestLebanon Tranche Ties EU Support For Lebanon To Reform GoalsLeaving The Parental Home Now Takes Until 26.3 Across The EUDigital Fairness Act Targets Dark Patterns Before Q4 DraftSatellite Operators Await The EU Space Act TriloguesCeuta Crisis Hangs Over Leaders Debate On Irregular Border CrossingsTen Warships Needed For Operation Aspides As Foreign Ministers MeetAmbassadors Weigh Digital Omnibus Cookie Rules On Sunday VoteHousing Exclusion Recommendation Heads To MinistersCapital Markets Supervision Package Wins A Council PositionPanama And Viet Nam Exit The EU Tax Blacklist In ReviewSixteen Capitals Run Late On The Consumer Credit Directive DeadlineBuilding Renovation Plans Leave Nine Capitals Facing EU Legal ActionEU-China Hybrid Car Deal Leaves Leaders To Judge Beijing’s OfferSwitzerland-EU Treaty Package Faces A Cantonal Majority Test In 2027Hybrid Threats Draw The EU Partnership Mission In ArmeniaFarm Quotas Hinge On The EU-Mercosur Interim Trade AgreementSocial Security Coordination Reform Clears The Council After A DecadeCreative Europe 2027 Budget Sets €402 Million For Final YearNature Restoration Plans Reach Brussels As Review Clock StartsBerlin Sudan Aid Pledges Now Face A Delivery TestLebanon Tranche Ties EU Support For Lebanon To Reform GoalsLeaving The Parental Home Now Takes Until 26.3 Across The EUDigital Fairness Act Targets Dark Patterns Before Q4 DraftSatellite Operators Await The EU Space Act TriloguesCeuta Crisis Hangs Over Leaders Debate On Irregular Border CrossingsTen Warships Needed For Operation Aspides As Foreign Ministers MeetAmbassadors Weigh Digital Omnibus Cookie Rules On Sunday VoteHousing Exclusion Recommendation Heads To MinistersCapital Markets Supervision Package Wins A Council PositionPanama And Viet Nam Exit The EU Tax Blacklist In ReviewSixteen Capitals Run Late On The Consumer Credit Directive DeadlineBuilding Renovation Plans Leave Nine Capitals Facing EU Legal ActionEU-China Hybrid Car Deal Leaves Leaders To Judge Beijing’s OfferSwitzerland-EU Treaty Package Faces A Cantonal Majority Test In 2027Hybrid Threats Draw The EU Partnership Mission In ArmeniaFarm Quotas Hinge On The EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement

Gamers Gain Weight As Regulators Back Video Game Consumer Protection

Arber Zeneli
Regulatory Affairs Reporter, Consumer Protection

Helsinki: Video game consumer protection moved up the EU agenda on 30 September 2026, when the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network adopted a joint statement on stronger consumer protection in video games across the Single Market. The statement applies to video game companies operating across the Union. The CPC Network brings together the national consumer authorities of the member states with the European Commission, so the text carries the weight of the Union’s enforcers.

The statement builds on earlier work. In March 2025 the network published key principles on in-game virtual currencies, which tell traders to show prices clearly in real money when players buy coins, gems or other tokens. The network has also launched coordinated actions against nine companies over their use of in-game currencies. The new joint statement widens the focus from currencies to video game consumer protection as a whole.

Existing law already gives enforcers tools. The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive bans misleading and aggressive practices, and the Consumer Rights Directive requires clear information on price before purchase. The CPC Regulation lets authorities act together against widespread infringements, which is how a single game sold in 27 markets can face one coordinated response instead of 27 separate cases. These rules, and not a new law, form the basis for video game consumer protection today.

Regulators have a clear reason to look at games. Many titles are free to download and earn money through in-game purchases, and young players make up a large share of the audience. Consumer groups have long argued that virtual currencies hide real prices, because players think in coins and not in euros. The joint statement signals that national authorities intend to apply one shared reading of the rules.

The text is only a start, and public summaries of the statement give few details. They name no companies and set no deadlines, so businesses must read the full statement from the Commission to learn what the authorities expect. Game publishers should treat video game consumer protection as a compliance priority and check pricing displays, purchase flows and any features aimed at minors against the key principles and the existing directives.

A wider reform sits in the background. The Commission has been preparing a Digital Fairness Act that would tackle manipulative design, addictive features and unfair personalisation online, and games are an obvious target. Until a new law arrives, the CPC Network will rely on current rules. Whatever happens next, video game consumer protection now has a joint political statement behind it, and publishers that sell to European players should treat it as their working guide.

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