Australians must now prove their age to buy R18+ games on the Xbox store

If you use the Xbox store to buy either Xbox or PC games—and yes, the latter is possible—you may be prompted to verify your age the next time you try to buy an R18+ game.

Microsoft confirmed as much via emails sent to users over the weekend, which I received. "Starting August 2026, to comply with Australia regulations, you may need to verify your age before purchasing or accessing apps and games rated 18+ on Microsoft Store and Xbox Store," the email reads.

To verify your age with Microsoft you can use email-based verification, a facial age estimation check via "secure selfie", a credit card or a government issued ID which can include a driver's license or passport. Verification is done via London-based tech company VerifyMy.

Age verification software has come under deserved scrutiny this year. In February, security researchers claim to have found that verification provider Persona is not only lax with information security but also does a lot more than simply verify your age. Persona is among the most widely used verification providers, with Roblox, Twitch and VRChat using the software. Discord trialed it on its UK users.

Separately, a 2025 Discord data breach resulted in 70,000 government photo IDs being compromised. Dovetailing with these obvious info security issues are growing fears that age verification technology, under the guise of protecting children from adult content, is just a trojan horse for more surveillance.

As of early 2026 both Australia and the UK have new age verification requirements, as do 25 states in the US. That said, not all companies are acting fast to abide: Steam, for instance, hasn't implemented more rigorous age verification in Australia, nor has PlayStation.