For years, the Pokemon franchise has been one of gaming’s most recognizable family-friendly properties, with most of its mainline games carrying PEGI 3 or PEGI 7 ratings. However, Pokemon GO has now made an unexpected leap from PEGI 7 to PEGI 16, putting the mobile game in a very different age category from many of its console counterparts. The change is a significant moment for a series that has traditionally appealed to younger players just as much as longtime fans.
Despite the dramatic increase, the decision has nothing to do with Pokemon GO becoming more violent or the franchise abandoning its family-friendly identity. Instead, the updated rating reflects changing rules around paid random items in video games. The development also affects Pokemon TCG Pocket, another mobile title that has received a PEGI 16 rating. Together, these changes mark a turning point in how Pokemon games are classified, even if the games themselves remain largely familiar.
Why Pokemon GO Has a Pegi 16 Rating
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The reason behind Pokemon GO‘s new rating comes down to PEGI’s updated classification criteria, which began taking effect in June 2026. Under the revised rules, digital games that offer paid random items, including loot boxes and comparable mechanics, receive a minimum PEGI 16 rating. The system is intended to make parents more aware of monetization features that can encourage spending without guaranteeing a particular reward. Existing digital-only games with lower ratings are also being reassessed, explaining why a title that has been available for years can suddenly receive a much higher age classification.
In Pokemon GO‘s case, the change is likely connected to its egg-hatching system. Players can obtain eggs containing Pokemon of different species, while Incubators, including certain paid options, allow them to hatch those eggs by walking. Because the contents of an egg are random, the mechanic appears to fall under the revised rules for paid random items. The game’s updated listing also identifies in-game purchases that include random items. This does not mean that every egg requires real-money spending, or that the game has introduced more mature content. Instead, the rating reflects how players can spend money in pursuit of unpredictable rewards.
Pokemon Has a Long History of Low Age Ratings
For much of its history, Pokemon has been associated with low age classifications. The mainline games typically feature turn-based battles, colorful environments, and creatures that appeal to children, making PEGI 3 and PEGI 7 familiar ratings across the franchise. Even when battles involve powerful attacks, the presentation generally remains far removed from the realistic violence found in games aimed at older audiences.
Digital games that offer paid random items, including loot boxes and comparable mechanics, receive a minimum PEGI 16 rating.
However, the franchise’s rating history has never been quite as straightforward as it might seem. The original Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue were associated with PEGI 3 ratings in earlier listings, but their Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console releases received PEGI 12 ratings because of their simulated gambling content. The games’ Game Corner allowed players to wager in-game currency on slot machines and use their winnings to obtain prizes. This older example shows that Pokemon games can receive higher ratings when particular mechanics fall under stricter classification rules, even when their overall presentation remains suitable for a broad audience.
Pokemon TCG Pocket Has Faced the Same Change
Pokemon TCG Pocket is another clear example of how these rules affect the franchise. The mobile trading card game revolves around collecting digital cards, building decks, and battling other players, with familiar Pokemon artwork helping recreate the appeal of opening physical booster packs. Players can open two booster packs for free each day, while additional packs and other purchases provide further ways to expand a collection. Because the cards inside a pack are randomized, paid pack-opening mechanics fit the same broader category of monetization that has prompted the new PEGI classifications.
The change highlights a distinction between a game’s presentation and the systems used to monetize it. Pokemon TCG Pocket does not need to introduce graphic violence, strong language, or mature storytelling to receive PEGI 16 under the updated rules. Instead, the classification considers the potential implications of paying for randomized digital rewards. That puts it in a similar position to Pokemon GO, despite the two games offering very different experiences. Both remain recognizable Pokemon products, but their new ratings reflect concerns that extend beyond the traditional content categories used to classify video games.
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The PEGI changes do not mean that Pokemon is no longer a family-friendly franchise. Its mainline console games remain a separate case, and the new minimum rating specifically concerns digital games that meet the criteria for paid random items. Nor does the new classification mean that Pokemon GO has suddenly become unsuitable in every respect for younger players. Rather, it signals that age ratings are increasingly concerned with how games encourage spending, not just what players see and experience while playing. Parents may therefore need to consider a game’s monetization systems, alongside its battles, story, and visual content.
Still, the jump from PEGI 7 to PEGI 16 is difficult to overlook for a franchise that has spent decades cultivating an audience of younger players. Pokemon‘s appeal has always extended across generations, and that is unlikely to change because of a revised classification system. However, Pokemon GO and Pokemon TCG Pocket demonstrate that a familiar series can face a very different age rating when its business model comes under greater scrutiny. In that sense, this really is the end of an era for Pokemon, not because the franchise has outgrown its younger fans, but because the rules used to classify its games are changing around it.
- Released
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July 6, 2016
- Developer(s)
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Niantic, Scopely Explore
- Engine
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Unity
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
