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To stop in-game spending, change the control for the account and payment system that actually processes the purchase. A game played on a console might charge through the console account, a mobile app store, a PC storefront, or the game developer’s own billing system. A setting in one place may not cover purchases made through another.
For a child, use an account-level restriction or approval where one is available. For your own account, check the payment route before relying on a device setting. Screen-time limits can reduce play, but they do not necessarily block spending.
PlayStation: set a child’s monthly spending limit
Sony documents a Monthly Spending Limit as a parental control for a child in a PlayStation family. Set up the family and add the child as a family member before configuring the control. It is not a universal spending switch for every account or payment route.
Where to find family controls
- Web: Account Management > Family Management.
- PS5: Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management.
- PS4: Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management.
- Mobile: PlayStation Family app.
Choose the child’s account and configure the monthly limit in the available parental controls. Because the control is tied to the child’s account, it can apply across that child’s devices. If you change parental controls while the child is playing, have them sign out and back in so the change takes effect.
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Xbox and Windows: separate play-time limits from purchase controls
Microsoft Family Safety documents app and game time limits for connected Windows, Xbox, and Android devices. It does not establish a purchase block, so setting a time limit should not be treated as a way to prevent in-game spending.
Set an app or game time limit
- In the Microsoft Family Safety app, select the family member.
- Choose the relevant platform.
- Open Set time limits > Apps and games. Wording can vary by interface.
- Enable limits, select a game, and set a schedule or daily amount.
Exact current Xbox purchase-restriction steps are not established here. Do not assume that a Family Safety time limit blocks a purchase; check the current Xbox account or billing controls for the account and payment route being used.
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Nintendo Switch: distinguish eShop purchases from app purchases
Nintendo purchase restrictions depend on the linked account and the type of purchase. A parent or guardian can set restrictions on eShop and off-device Nintendo Store purchases for a child or supervised account through Nintendo Account settings. Switch system or app parental controls address matters such as age ratings, communication, and playtime; they are not a substitute for those account-level purchase restrictions.
For purchases through a smart-device app
If the purchase happens inside a Nintendo smart-device app, use the smart device’s settings. A Switch PIN alone should not be assumed to block a purchase made through a phone or another linked account. Nintendo also notes that app controls take effect when the console connects online.
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iPhone and iPad: block in-app purchases with Screen Time
Apple Screen Time has a direct control for blocking in-app purchases. First enable Screen Time, then follow this path:
- Open Settings > Screen Time.
- Tap Apps & Websites > App Store.
- Tap In-app Purchases and choose Blocked.
Apple also provides options to require a password for future App Store purchases and to use Ask to Buy for children in Family Sharing. These controls concern Apple services; they should not be assumed to govern a payment processed outside Apple’s billing system.
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Android: require approval for Google Play purchases
A family manager or parent can set Google Play purchase approvals for a family member, including an Only in-app purchases option.
Set approvals in the Play Store
- Open the Play Store and tap Profile > Settings > Family.
- Tap Manage family members and select the family member.
- Open Purchase approvals and choose the applicable approval setting.
In Family Link, the corresponding controls are under the child profile’s Controls > Google Play. Google Play approvals and authentication settings apply only to purchases made through Google Play billing. If a game offers an alternative developer billing system, these Google Play controls do not control that payment.
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- Chat online through the built-in microphone and connect a headset directly through the 3.5mm jack
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- Play on more devices using the USB Type-C cable or Bluetooth to connect easily to Windows PC and Mac computers, Android and iOS mobile phones as well as your PlayStation 5
PC: use the storefront or payment route, not a Windows-wide switch
There is no established universal Windows setting that disables every PC game purchase. The control depends on where the game is sold and how its purchases are billed.
Epic Games and other PC storefronts
Epic’s guidance recommends considering removal of stored payment methods to control Epic Games purchases on PC. Epic’s parental-control guidance also distinguishes purchases processed by platforms from controls Epic provides for its own services. Check the storefront and billing route for the game rather than assuming one storefront setting covers purchases elsewhere.
Specific Steam purchase-blocking steps are not established here, so no Steam setting or menu path is provided. For any PC storefront, review its current saved-payment and family or purchase-control options; treat those as storefront-specific, not as a Windows-wide lock.
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Quick Recap
Before you finish: check every way the game can charge you
- Identify the account and billing provider shown for the purchase, not just the device the game runs on.
- Check whether the control blocks purchases, requires approval, limits a child’s spending, or only limits play time.
- Look for another route the game may offer, such as a mobile app store or developer billing, and set a separate control if needed.
- After changing a child account’s settings, confirm the change has taken effect before relying on it.
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