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Review a game promotion in four separate passes: verify what the game ad claims, confirm the creator’s experience and relationships, test whether disclosures are unmistakable, and check child-audience, purchase-mechanic, jurisdiction and platform issues. The checklist below gives editors, agencies and creators a repeatable approval process for social posts, videos, livestreams, gameplay integrations and app-store listings. It is an editorial compliance framework, not legal advice for a specific campaign.
Start with a campaign record
Do not review a cropped post or isolated clip. Create one record for the complete placement and its destination.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Video Game Marketing | $65.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Trapped in a Video Game (Volume 1) | $5.93 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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The Comic Book Story of Video Games: The Incredible History of the Electronic Gaming Revolution | $12.67 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Replay: The History of Video Games | $13.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
The History of SEGA | $18.82 | Buy on Amazon |
Capture the basic facts
- Advertiser, game title, creator, agency and any intermediary.
- Format: static post, short video, long-form video, livestream, gameplay integration, app-store listing, landing page or a combination.
- Planned publication date, actual publication date and target market.
- Platform, app store and any links or purchase path shown to the audience.
- Whether the relationship involves cash, commission, gifts, early access, discounts, equipment, travel, employment or another benefit.
- Intended audience and whether children or teenagers are likely to encounter the material.
Preserve the final creative, captions, spoken script, on-screen text, comments supplied by the advertiser, thumbnail, description, links and any version history. A disclosure or claim can be clear in one asset and absent in another.
Map the governing context
Separate the rules that may apply in each market. U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) endorsement guidance can apply to a post made outside the United States when effects on U.S. consumers are reasonably foreseeable; laws in the creator’s or audience’s country may apply as well. Record the audience geography instead of assuming that one approval covers every territory.
#1 Best Overall
1. Verify the game’s advertising claims
Build a claim list
Highlight every objective statement or implication about features, compatibility, performance, price, availability, rewards, progression, odds, outcomes or required spending. Include text, voiceover, screenshots, gameplay footage, captions, hashtags and the destination page. A product image or a creator using the game can communicate endorsement even without an explicit sentence saying “I recommend this.”
Match each claim to evidence
Ask the advertiser to identify the evidence supporting each material claim under the conditions in which consumers will experience it. Check whether a feature is available on the advertised device and edition, whether a price is current for the stated market, and whether shown rewards or performance depend on unusual settings, limited-time events or exceptional skill.
- Feature and compatibility claims: confirm the exact platform, operating-system version, edition and release state.
- Performance claims: identify the test conditions, hardware, connection and settings; do not present a measured result as universal.
- Price and availability: show the relevant currency, market, date and whether the amount is recurring, introductory or conditional.
- Rewards, odds and outcomes: explain requirements, randomization, eligibility and any purchase needed to obtain them.
Check the creator’s actual experience
The FTC states that an endorsement must reflect the endorser’s honest opinion and cannot be used to make a claim the marketer could not legally make. Compare the script and edit with what the creator actually played, tested or received. Do not let a creator imply extensive play, a personal result or first-hand approval when the creator only saw a demonstration or used a preview build.
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Handle exceptional results
If a creator shows an unusually high score, rapid progression, rare reward or other exceptional result, ask whether the advertiser can substantiate that the result is generally achievable. If it cannot, the presentation must not leave viewers with the impression that the shown result is typical. A disclaimer that is too small, too brief or detached from the result will not repair a misleading overall impression.
Do not waive disclosure because the review is negative
A paid review remains an endorsement even when it contains criticism or mixed opinions. Review the relationship and disclosure independently from the sentiment of the review.
2. Inventory every material connection
A material connection is any relationship that could affect how an audience evaluates the recommendation and is not reasonably expected from the context. It is broader than a cash fee.
Rank #3
| Connection | What to verify | Review action |
|---|---|---|
| Cash fee or salary | Contract, amount or compensation category | Require a conspicuous sponsorship disclosure with the endorsement. |
| Affiliate commission or tracked link | Commission trigger and link destination | Disclose both the commercial relationship and, where needed, the purchase incentive. |
| Free, discounted or early access | Game, expansion, subscription, beta access or other supplied service | Treat the benefit as a material connection even if no money changed hands. |
| In-game currency, items or contest entries | Value, restrictions and whether the benefit was supplied for coverage | Disclose the incentive near the endorsement. |
| Travel, equipment or production support | Who paid and what the creator kept or used | Include the benefit in the disclosure when it could influence judgment. |
| Employment, family or personal tie | Current or prior work and close relationships | Do not assume the audience knows; disclose when it is relevant. |
| Ongoing brand relationship | Ambassador, retainer or repeated campaign arrangement | Review each new endorsement; an old disclosure does not automatically cover it. |
FTC staff places responsibility for making disclosures on the influencer. A creator should not rely on the advertiser, agency or a previous post to disclose the relationship.
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Use plain, same-language wording
Use words the audience immediately understands, such as “ad,” “advertisement” or “sponsored,” in the same language as the endorsement. Avoid unexplained abbreviations, vague labels such as “collab,” or wording that makes the commercial relationship sound like a personal aside.
Put it with the endorsement
The disclosure should appear where the audience sees, hears or reads the endorsement. Do not rely only on a profile or about page, text hidden after a “more” break, the final line of a long caption, or a cluster of hashtags and links. A platform’s paid-partnership label can supplement the disclosure but should not be treated as an automatic substitute for clear language in the content.
Apply format-specific checks
| Format | Minimum review test | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Static or carousel post | Disclosure is visible in the caption or image area without expanding the post; it is close to the endorsement. | “Ad” appears only after many hashtags or in a profile biography. |
| Short video | Disclosure appears in the video itself, early enough to inform viewers before the recommendation; text remains readable. | Disclosure exists only in the description or flashes too quickly to read. |
| Long-form video | Use both spoken and visual disclosure so viewers watching with sound off or missing audio still receive it; keep it near the endorsement. | A description-only notice or disclosure that appears only at the end. |
| Livestream | State the relationship at the start and repeat it periodically so people joining later are informed. | One disclosure at the opening is treated as sufficient for the entire stream. |
| Gameplay integration | Make the sponsorship clear while the creator is recommending or demonstrating the game, not only in channel-level information. | Viewers must infer a paid relationship from the production quality or game footage. |
| App-store listing or landing page | Separate advertising claims, purchase information and random-item disclosures so a consumer can understand them before downloading or buying. | Important information is placed only in expandable text or a linked page. |
Review the final rendered version on a phone and desktop, with sound on and off, and from the point at which a viewer joins. Visibility is part of compliance, not a cosmetic detail.
Rank #4
4. Screen for children and vulnerable audiences
Separate advertising from entertainment
Younger children and some neurodivergent children may have difficulty distinguishing an advertisement from ordinary gameplay or a creator’s entertainment. Check whether branding, calls to action, sponsored segments and ordinary commentary are visually and verbally distinct. Avoid edits that make a paid message appear to be an unprompted game moment.
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Do not treat parental controls as an ad solution
FTC consumer guidance says most parental controls focus on content or time restrictions and generally do not provide a dedicated way to limit advertisements children encounter while searching for, downloading or playing games. Record ad visibility as its own risk item.
Keep three controls separate
- Age ratings: whether the game is suitable for the child’s age.
- Ad exposure: whether promotional material can appear in discovery, gameplay, streams or linked pages.
- Spending controls: whether purchases, virtual currency or loot boxes can be restricted.
Do not claim that an age rating or purchase PIN also prevents advertising exposure unless the relevant platform actually provides that function.
5. Review loot-box and random-item representations in the UK
Determine whether the 2026 notice applies
The ASA/CAP enforcement notice dated 26 February 2026 covers Apple App Store and Google Play listings within CAP’s remit that advertise mobile games containing loot boxes purchasable with real money or with virtual currency obtainable only by purchase. ASA/CAP said active monitoring began on 26 May 2026. Confirm the store, country, game type, purchase route and CAP remit before applying this specific test.
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Make the mechanic explicit before download or purchase
Consumers must know before purchasing or downloading whether the game contains loot boxes. The notice gives wording such as “contains loot boxes” or “includes random-item purchases.” Place the statement prominently near the top of the game description. Do not hide it in expandable text or rely on a generic “offers in-app purchases” label, which does not explain that a purchase may deliver a random item.
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ASA/CAP states in this guidance that loot boxes are not recognised as gambling under UK law. Do not label a game’s loot boxes as legally gambling in the UK based on this notice alone. The notice still supports firm action against advertising that fails to disclose the random-purchase mechanic.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.6. Compare campaigns using the same axes
When approving several creators or versions, use one review sheet so a strong disclosure in one format does not hide a weakness in another.
| Axis | Questions to answer | Pass condition |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction and platform | Which audience, store, service and law are implicated? | Territory-specific requirements are identified and assigned. |
| Audience | Are children or other groups likely to see it? | Age, ad-exposure and spending risks are assessed separately. |
| Relationship | What money, goods, access, commission or personal tie exists? | Every material connection is documented and disclosed. |
| Claims | What does the game or creator promise or imply? | Each objective claim has evidence under stated conditions. |
| Experience | Did the creator actually play, test or obtain the shown result? | Words, visuals and conduct match the creator’s honest experience. |
| Disclosure | What wording, location, timing and size will viewers encounter? | It is clear, prominent, in-content and understandable without extra research. |
| Purchase mechanics | Are random items, virtual currency and spending requirements explained? | Descriptions match the actual purchase path and any applicable store notice. |
The FTC describes endorsement guidance as context-dependent and does not provide a universal safe harbor. The ASA/CAP loot-box notice is likewise limited to its stated app-store context; do not generalize it to every country, store or platform.
7. Use this sign-off procedure
- Collect the complete asset set. Obtain the final post, video, stream plan, captions, thumbnail, description, links and landing or store page.
- Write the audience and geography. Note intended and likely viewers, child exposure, publication markets and platform locations.
- Mark every claim. Include visual implications, gameplay results, prices, rewards, compatibility, availability and purchase mechanics.
- Request substantiation. Match each objective statement to evidence and record conditions, dates, editions and limitations.
- Verify creator experience. Confirm what the creator played or received and remove implications that exceed that experience.
- Inventory connections. Check contracts, affiliate terms, gifts, access, equipment, employment and personal relationships.
- Inspect disclosure rendering. View the content as a new audience member, with sound off and after joining a livestream late.
- Run the child and spending screen. Separate ad visibility, ratings and purchase controls; inspect random-item mechanics.
- Apply territory-specific checks. For a covered UK app-store listing, verify the prominent loot-box statement before approval.
- Record the decision. Approve, return for edits or escalate with the exact failed claim, missing disclosure, audience risk or jurisdiction issue.
Common failures and precise fixes
- “The audience already knows it is sponsored.” Fix: add a plain, in-content “ad,” “advertisement” or “sponsored” disclosure.
- Disclosure appears only after “more.” Fix: move it beside the endorsement in the visible portion of the post.
- Video description contains the only notice. Fix: place the disclosure in the video, using visual and spoken treatment where practical.
- Livestream notice is given once. Fix: repeat it periodically for viewers who arrive later.
- Free access is treated as harmless. Fix: classify free, discounted or early access as a material connection.
- Negative review is treated as exempt. Fix: disclose the paid or gifted relationship regardless of sentiment.
- Generic in-app-purchases wording is used for loot boxes. Fix: identify the random-item mechanic prominently where the 2026 UK notice applies.
- Parental controls are presented as ad blocking. Fix: state separately what they restrict and inspect the child’s actual discovery and gameplay surfaces.
- One country’s approval is reused everywhere. Fix: document each market and platform and escalate unresolved conflicts.
Final approval standard
Approve only when a reasonable viewer can tell that the content is advertising, understand the creator’s relevant relationship, evaluate claims against the creator’s real experience, and see material purchase or random-item information before acting. If any of those facts is hidden, unsupported or jurisdictionally mismatched, return the asset for revision rather than relying on implication or a platform label.
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