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Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) announced on October 15, 2026, that he will introduce the Power To The Players Act. The proposed bill would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create rules treating purchased video games as owned products rather than revocable licenses, while preserving players’ ability to play and transfer them.
It is only announced legislation, not current law. No enacted text, implementation rules, passage date or effective date has been established.
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Marvel's Wolverine PS5 | $69.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Resident Evil 4 - PS5 | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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FINAL FANTASY I-VI Collection Anniversary Edition - 2024 (NSW) | $47.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Gangs of Sherwood XBX | $13.83 | Buy on Amazon |
What the Power To The Players Act would do
The proposal targets a distinction that is easy to miss at checkout: a digital game may be marketed as something you buy, while the platform’s terms describe your legal interest as a license that can be revoked. Torres’s plan would instruct the FTC to establish consumer-protection regulations around that practice.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteTorres said, “When you pay for a game, you should own it,” and added: “Consumers must have the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy. A game that can be taken away the moment a company pulls the plug is not a purchase. It is a rental disguised as a sale.”
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The announcement does not establish how the FTC would define ownership, which technical measures would be allowed, or how conflicts with existing platform agreements would be handled. Those details would depend on the bill’s final text, congressional action and any later FTC rule.
Would games have to work offline after servers shut down?
Yes, under the proposal’s stated policy. Games that include online functionality would have to provide an offline mode before the supporting servers are retired. The requirement is aimed at preventing a game from becoming unusable solely because its publisher ends online services.
That is a proposed obligation, not a requirement developers currently have to meet. It also does not mean every online feature would continue indefinitely: multiplayer matchmaking, cloud saves, leaderboards and other server-dependent systems could still require separate services unless regulations specified otherwise.
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- Reawaken a Classic – Resident Evil 4 preserves the essence of the original game, now reconstructed using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine to deliver realistic visuals and additional narrative depth to the iconic story that was not possible at the time of the original release.
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- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
NBA 2K25 is the bill’s example
Torres’s office points to NBA 2K25 as an example of the ownership problem. It says the standard edition retailed for $69.99 and the All-Star Edition for $99.99. The game was scheduled for digital delisting on October 30, 2026, with online servers scheduled to shut down on December 31, 2026—about two years after its initial release.
Delisting generally stops new customers from obtaining a game through a storefront. A server shutdown can go further by disabling functions for people who already paid, depending on how the game was designed. The proposed bill is intended to address both the continuing ability to access a purchase and the loss of functionality when a publisher retires infrastructure.
Why digital games are called licenses
Physical media can make ownership feel straightforward, but buying a disc has never guaranteed that every feature will remain available. Digital distribution makes the licensing language more visible because the buyer receives access credentials and encrypted files rather than a transferable object.
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- The games that inspired a generation come to life once more, in the ultimate 2D pixel remaster!
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Publishers and storefronts commonly use license terms to control copying, account access, updates and online services. A license can be limited or revocable even when the transaction page uses words such as “buy” or “purchase.” The bill’s central question is whether consumer law should require those transactions to convey stronger ownership rights.
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| Arrangement | Ownership status | Offline access after server retirement | Transfer or resale | Publisher-server dependence | Backup ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical digital storefront license today | Usually a revocable license under platform terms | Not guaranteed; depends on the game | Generally restricted to the account and not freely resold | May be required for activation or core play | Varies by platform, DRM and file access |
| Rights described in the proposed Act | Purchase would confer ownership | Offline mode required before supporting servers shut down | Consumers would retain a right to transfer or resell | Games could not become wholly unplayable solely because supporting servers retire | Specific technical rules are not yet established |
| DRM-free download practice | Practical control of downloaded files, not a statutory guarantee | Can continue while compatible hardware and software remain available | Depends on the seller’s terms and applicable law | Little or no routine server dependence for the downloaded build | Files can be backed up by the purchaser |
PC Gamer describes DRM-free purchases from GOG as a practical counterexample: buyers can back up the files and use them as long as compatible hardware remains available. That model is different from a federal ownership right. FTC rules would more likely define a softer form of ownership and enforceable access than require every form of copy protection to disappear.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What shutdowns can mean for single-player games
The Crew illustrates the risk. Ubisoft’s racing game went offline in 2024, and purchasers could no longer play even its single-player campaign. The case helped fuel Stop Killing Games, an advocacy effort arguing that basic offline functionality should be expected when online games are retired.
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Whether a shutdown removes only multiplayer or the entire game depends on authentication, cloud services and the software’s design. An offline requirement would address that design choice before the servers are switched off, rather than attempting to restore access afterward.
What happens next
- Introduction: Torres must formally introduce the bill in Congress; the announcement alone does not start an FTC rulemaking.
- Congressional action: Committees would need to consider the text, and both chambers would have to pass it before it could reach the president.
- Rulemaking: If enacted with an FTC mandate, the agency would still need to publish proposed rules, receive public comments and issue final regulations.
- Implementation: The final law or rules would determine covered games, transition periods, enforcement and the meaning of transfer, resale and offline access.
Until those steps occur, a buyer should read the relevant storefront and publisher terms rather than assume that paying means the game can never be withdrawn.
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