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In-game purchases are real-money transactions made inside a game. They can buy virtual currency, cosmetic outfits, weapons, bonus levels, loot boxes and other digital goods. The safest approach is to review a game before installation, use a separate child account, turn purchases off or require adult approval, and agree on a budget and permission rule with your child.

Controls are not universal. A setting may apply only to one platform account, device store, game or payment route, and menus change with country, age settings and software version. Check the current instructions from the platform and publisher before relying on a control.

What counts as an in-game purchase?

An in-game purchase is a payment made from within a game or through an account linked to it. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lists virtual currency, loot boxes, outfits, weapons, bonus levels and other digital goods as examples in its parent guide. A purchase can be a one-time item, a bundle of currency, a recurring subscription or a paid unlock offered during play.

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The game may show coins, gems or points instead of a dollar price. That extra conversion step can make a small-looking balance feel separate from household money. Write down the real-money price of each bundle and keep the receipt or transaction record; the game’s on-screen currency is not a discount or free credit.

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Why spending can be harder to notice than it looks

Virtual currency hides the immediate price

When a game sells a pack of 500 gems rather than a direct $5 item, a child has to remember the exchange rate while playing. Several small purchases can also consume a previously purchased balance without producing a new card prompt. Explain that every gem or coin ultimately came from real money and review the balance and receipts together.

Randomized rewards are not guaranteed prizes

A loot box, capsule or similar item gives a randomized reward. A limited-time banner or attractive animation does not guarantee the desired character or item. The FTC’s consumer guidance explains why odds and repeated purchases matter: a player may spend again and again while chasing a particular result. Ask what the item can contain, whether odds are disclosed, and whether the game allows a direct purchase instead.

Prompts can appear during ordinary play

The FTC’s April 2025 consumer alert warns that some games advertise paid unlocks during play even when an app or subscription sounded complete or ad-free. Its concise warning is: “Each click is a payment.” Read every confirmation screen, including the final amount and whether the charge is recurring. If repeated prompts conflict with your family’s rules, stop the game and reconsider whether it belongs on the child’s device.

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Ask whether the design creates pressure

The FTC suggests asking: “Does the game manipulate kids into buying in-game purchases to succeed in the game or to prevent something bad from happening in the game?” A purchase that removes a frustrating wait, protects progress or appears necessary to compete deserves a family discussion even if the item is technically optional.

Check a game before your child installs it

Ratings help with age suitability but do not describe every purchase mechanic or every piece of content. Use the store listing, independent reviews and gameplay footage, and watch some of the game with your child. The FTC recommends checking ratings and reviews and observing gameplay (FTC guidance).

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  1. Read the store listing. Look for labels or descriptions of in-app purchases, subscriptions, virtual currency, randomized rewards and advertising.
  2. Search the game’s help pages. Confirm how purchases are authorized, whether a separate game account is used, and how transaction history is displayed.
  3. Watch actual play. Note when purchase prompts appear, what happens after a failed purchase, and whether progress is repeatedly tied to paid items.
  4. Check every device. List consoles, phones, tablets and computers your child can use. A restriction on one device may not cover another device or a publisher account.
  5. Decide before download. Choose whether purchases are blocked, require approval, or are allowed within a defined budget.

How to stop or limit purchases

There are three basic control strengths: block purchases, require a password or adult approval, or permit purchases up to a spending cap. Compare each control by its scope and visibility before choosing it.

Control Where it applies What it can do What to verify
Game-level setting One game or publisher account May disable a store or require a game password Whether the setting follows the account to another device and covers subscriptions
Platform child account A console or platform family account Can block purchases, request approval or impose a budget Which wallet, region and account age rules apply
Phone or tablet app-store control Purchases made through that device’s store Can require an adult approval flow for eligible purchases Child account, age, region and operating-system requirements
Payment-method protection A card, wallet or other payment route Can remove a saved method or add a bank-level alert Whether the game can bill another saved method or a separate account

The FTC recommends checking the device manufacturer or game publisher and points parents to the ESRB parental-controls resource. No single setting documented in these sources is established as blocking every possible purchase across all games and devices, so map each payment route before allowing play.

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Use a child account, not an unrestricted adult profile

Create an individual child account when the platform supports one, then connect it to a parent or family manager account. The FTC recommends separate family profiles with limits tailored to each child. An adult profile can retain saved payment details and broad permissions that a child should not inherit.

Use a unique password that your child does not know, enable purchase notifications where offered, and review transaction history on a schedule. Do not share the adult account merely to let a child access a game; sharing can make it unclear who authorized a charge and can bypass child-specific rules.

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PlayStation: monthly limits and family-wallet rules

For US PlayStation family accounts, Sony’s parental-controls information describes a monthly spending limit for a child account. Purchases are charged to the Family Manager’s wallet. The March 2025 US PlayStation Network Terms of Service state that the default child-account limit is zero. Raising the limit represents the parent’s approval for purchases up to that amount.

  1. Sign in as the Family Manager and open the current family or parental-controls area on the console or account website.
  2. Select the child account and locate the monthly spending-limit control.
  3. Leave the limit at zero to block spending, or set only an amount you are prepared to authorize for that month.
  4. Check the wallet funding method and transaction history, then test that the child account—not the adult profile—is being used.

These details are for the US service. Interface labels, age rules and account terms can differ in other countries, so follow the current local PlayStation instructions.

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Apple devices: Ask to Buy and version requirements

Apple’s child-safety guide describes Ask to Buy approval for eligible App Store purchases, including in-app purchases. Availability and default behavior depend on the child’s age and region, and that guide says the described features require operating-system version 27 or later.

  1. Confirm that the child uses a child Apple Account in your Family Sharing group and that the device is running a supported operating-system version.
  2. Open the current Family Sharing or parental-controls settings and turn on Ask to Buy for the child.
  3. Have the child initiate a test, then approve or decline the request from the adult device so you know notifications arrive.
  4. Review purchase history and any other payment method or game account connected to the device.

Do not assume Ask to Buy covers a purchase made outside the App Store, a game’s separate website or another device. Verify the route used by each game and check Apple’s current regional instructions before relying on the feature.

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Set a spending rule your child can follow

A technical limit works best when the child understands the family’s rule. Decide together:

  • Whether in-game purchases are allowed at all.
  • Whether the budget is monthly, tied to a particular occasion, or zero.
  • Whether every purchase needs a parent’s approval or only purchases above a stated amount.
  • Which items are excluded, such as randomized rewards or subscriptions.
  • What happens when the budget is used: no further purchases, or a new discussion before changing it.

Show the real-money price before approving a bundle. Explain that a virtual balance is still household money, and that a limited-time offer is a sales message rather than a promise of a desired reward. For younger children, require an adult to enter the password or approve every request. For older children, a small fixed limit plus a shared transaction review can teach budgeting without giving access to an adult wallet.

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Review charges and investigate surprises

Turn on purchase notifications where available and inspect the platform or payment-provider history regularly. If a charge is unclear, compare the date, amount, account and game with your child, then check whether another family member or device used the same payment method. Save receipts and screenshots of the confirmation screen.

If a purchase route bypassed the child account—for example, a publisher account or a different app-store login—tighten that account separately. Remove saved payment details from profiles that children can access, change the adult password, and recheck every linked device. Contact the platform or payment provider promptly using its current support process; the sources here do not establish one universal refund rule.

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Loot boxes: questions to ask before allowing them

Randomized rewards deserve a separate decision because the cost of obtaining one specific item is uncertain. Ask:

  • Are the possible rewards and their probabilities disclosed?
  • Can the child buy the desired item directly instead?
  • Does the game sell bundles of virtual currency that make repeated attempts easy?
  • Is there a timer, event or message encouraging another purchase immediately?
  • Can the feature be disabled or excluded by the family rule?

In January 2025, the FTC announced a proposed order involving HoYoverse/Cognosphere and Genshin Impact. The Commission said the case addressed purchases by children under 16 without affirmative parental consent, virtual-currency price disclosures, odds and pricing representations, and COPPA-related practices. The announcement included a proposed $20 million penalty and stated that a federal judge still had to approve the order. Those allegations and proposed terms concern that specific case; they are not a general legal rule for every game or publisher. Read the FTC announcement for the stated scope and status.

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When a game keeps prompting for money

Pause play if purchase messages are frequent, obscure the price, or imply that paying is needed to avoid losing progress. Ask your child what the message promised and whether the game could be played without paying. Recheck the store listing and the game’s settings, then disable purchases or remove the game if its design does not fit your family’s agreement.

The FTC’s 2025 alert specifically notes paid unlock advertising during gameplay. A game that was described as complete or ad-free may still present an offer while running, so review the experience after installation rather than relying only on the initial download description (FTC consumer alert).

A practical family checklist

  • Identify every device, platform account and publisher account the child uses.
  • Use a child account with no access to the adult’s unrestricted wallet.
  • Choose block, approval or cap controls for each payment route.
  • Keep the adult password private and enable notifications.
  • Record the real-money value of virtual-currency bundles.
  • Exclude randomized rewards if the family is not comfortable with uncertain cost.
  • Review receipts and transaction history together.
  • Recheck settings after an operating-system update, account-age change or new device.

Controls reduce accidental spending, but they do not replace supervision. Revisit the agreement when a new game, platform or payment method is introduced.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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