Genshin Impact, Brawl Stars, and Clash of Clans are built around 'gacha' and loot mechanics — random paid rewards that work like gambling. Where the money goes and how to lock it down.
Gacha Games is free-to-download games such as Genshin Impact, Brawl Stars and Clash of Clans that monetise through 'gacha' loot mechanics — paying for a random chance at a character or item.
Official age
7+
We recommend
12+
Developer
Various (HoYoverse, Supercell)
Risks
3
'Gacha' games such as Genshin Impact, and Supercell titles such as Brawl Stars and Clash of Clans/Royale, are free to download but monetised through random paid rewards — you pay for a chance at a character or item rather than the item itself. UK regulators and the Children's Commissioner have flagged that these loot-box mechanics resemble gambling and can lead children to spend heavily chasing rewards.
Children play these games with friends, but the design nudges them to buy in-game currency and 'pull' for rare characters or open loot boxes. Because the reward is random, it triggers the same psychology as gambling — near-misses, streaks, and time-limited banners all encourage repeat spending. Costs add up quickly, and some children spend real money without fully grasping the odds.
Spending controls
Location: Device family settings (Apple Screen Time / Google Family Link) and console family account
Set to: Require approval for every purchase; remove stored card details
The single most effective control. Because gacha spending is impulsive and repeated, requiring approval for each purchase — rather than a monthly cap — stops the chase mechanic in its tracks.
In-game chat
Location: In-game settings
Set to: Restrict to friends where possible
Many of these games include chat with other players. Limit it to known friends to reduce stranger contact, especially in team-based titles.
Turn on purchase approval and remove saved payment methods before your child plays
Time: 15 minutes
Talk about how gacha and loot boxes are designed like gambling — random rewards, near-misses, and time-limited offers that push spending
Time: 15 minutes
Check purchase history periodically and set a clear agreement about any spending
Time: 10 minutes
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
Myth: These are just cute, cartoonish games for young kids, so there's nothing serious to worry about.
Fact: The friendly art style sits on top of real-money mechanics: Genshin Impact publishes its own pull odds, putting the chance of the rarest character at roughly 0.6% per attempt, and Supercell titles sell loot-box-style boxes and chests alongside premium gem currency and open clan or club chat with strangers. The cartoon look doesn't reduce the spending pressure or the contact risk underneath it.
Myth: Loot boxes and gacha pulls are basically illegal gambling, so UK law stops children buying them.
Fact: They are not currently classed as gambling under UK law, because the player always receives something for their money — but the same random-reward mechanic worried regulators enough that PEGI's rules changed in June 2026 to set a minimum PEGI 16 rating for any newly-classified game with paid random items. That change isn't retroactive, so titles already on your child's device, such as Clash Royale or Brawl Stars, can still carry their original, lower rating.
Myth: My child can only chat with real-life friends inside these games.
Fact: Clash of Clans has both a general chat and clan chat, and clans are often made up of strangers rather than friends; Brawl Stars lets players join public clubs and chat with people they've never met, though neither game has open voice chat. Word-filter settings soften the language but don't verify who's actually on the other end — restrict chat to known friends wherever the game allows it.
Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars are all rated for children a couple of years older than this, so most titles here sit below the developer's own recommended age. If a younger child does end up playing on a shared family device, the priority is removing any saved card and turning on purchase approval before they open the app.
This is roughly when loot-box-style purchases start to tempt — Brawl Boxes, gem bundles, and Clash Royale chests are all designed to feel exciting to open. Keep purchase approval switched on, don't save a card to the account, and if they're playing Clash of Clans, restrict clan chat to people they actually know rather than an open clan of strangers.
Old enough to walk through the odds together — Genshin Impact's own published rate of roughly 0.6% for its rarest pull is a concrete way to show why 'just one more try' rarely pays off in any of these games. Keep purchase approval on and agree a spending limit before any box, chest, or wish is bought.
Teenagers can usually manage these games with agreed spending limits, but it's worth checking in occasionally: look at purchase history together, and talk about how time-limited banners and 'almost got it' near-misses are deliberately designed to keep them spending. Chasing a loss with 'one more pull' is the pattern to watch for.
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