Microsoft is starting to comply with the UK’s Online Safety Act by asking Xbox players to verify their age. Relevant requests will be shown to Xbox players who indicate that they are 18 years old or older and will appear when they log in to their Xbox account in the UK. Microsoft says it is also exploring the possibility of introducing similar age verification tools in other countries in the future.
To provide age verification in the UK, Microsoft has partnered with Yoti, one of the services that did not fall victim to the Death Stranding photo mode bypass. While age verification is currently optional, it will become mandatory for access to various Xbox services in early 2026 when additional parts of the UK’s SANctuary Act come into effect.
“From the beginning of next year, age verification will be mandatory for these players in the UK to maintain full access to social features on Xbox, such as voice or text messaging and game invitations,” explains Kim Kunes, Xbox’s vice president of trust and safety in gaming. If you don’t verify your age by early next year, social features “will only be available to friends” until the age verification process is complete.
“Whether or not a player verifies their age will not affect any previous purchases, entitlements, game history, achievements, or ability to play and buy games, however, we encourage players to verify their age through this one-time process now to avoid continuous use of social features on Xbox in the future,” says Kunes.
While this currently only applies to Xbox players in the UK, Kunes says: “We hope to expand the age verification process to other regions in the future.” Microsoft does not disclose which other regions will have similar age verification requirements, but Kunes notes that “these methods may look different in different regions and with different experiences.”
If you’re in the UK, you can verify your age for an Xbox account online through Microsoft, where you can use a selfie, a scan of your passport or driver’s license, a credit card verification, or a cell phone number.
