Epic Games Store Requires Age Verification for R18+ Games in Australia

Epic Games Store has announced a new policy effective September 9th that requires players in Australia to verify their age before accessing R18+ content. The initiative aligns with Australia's online safety regulations and aims to protect minors from exposure to mature themes. Multiple verification methods are available to meet this requirement. Users may submit a selfie for analysis by Yoti, where the image is encrypted and deleted immediately after age estimation. Alternatively, players can authorize a small $0.05 charge to Stripe to confirm their credit card validity—KWS receives no card details. A government-issued ID can be verified through Veriff, with all personal information encrypted before processing. Later this month, ConnectID will enable bank-based age confirmation without sharing sensitive financial data. Importantly, existing games and titles rated below R18+ remain unaffected by this change. The verification process prioritizes privacy, ensuring that third-party partners like Kids Web Services (KWS), Yoti, Stripe, Veriff, and ConnectID handle age validation without storing raw images or payment information. This approach balances regulatory compliance with user privacy. The rollout represents Epic Games Store's commitment to responsible digital distribution within regulated markets.