Marvel Rivals has held a T for Teen rating in the US and a 12+ rating in the UK and Europe since it launched in 2024. That has now changed, and PEGI has raised the recommended age rating for Rivals players to 16+.

The change appears to have been quietly rolled out in Europe and the UK this week, with Rivals players noticing that the PEGI badge on the hero shooter’s various store pages is now a 16 rather than a 12. There’s no explanation as to why Rivals’ rating has changed, although considering some of the more recent additions to the game, there’s a pretty solid theory that seems to explain it.

Some of you might point to the various, rather revealing, swimsuits and other skins that have been added to the game. That original Captain America swimsuit skin probably deserved a PEGI rating of its own before it was subtly tweaked. It’s not all the extra superhero skin on show that seems to be to blame for the age rating change, though - it’s the gacha mechanics.

Like most live service games, Rivals has had ways to earn and buy currency since its inception. However, this year, it has leaned harder on some mild gambling elements. The theory on which of those elements exactly led to Rivals’ reclassification is the balloon system that was added to the game back in June.

The balloon event in Rivals presents players with a board of balloons that you pop to receive in-game cosmetics.

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