Xbox players in the UK must verify their age to keep access to social features

Xbox users in the UK will soon need to verify their age to continue using key social features like messaging and voice chat with people outside their friends list.

The change is part of Xbox’s compliance with the UK’s Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to implement stricter age assurance measures to protect younger users. 

In an official Xbox blog post, Microsoft has announced that players will need to complete an age verification process by early 2026, or face limited social features. This requirement will also be implemented in other regions soon.

Xbox implements age verification with more regions coming soon

Players who don’t verify their age by “early 2026,” will have social features limited. Don’t worry, though, you’ll still be able to message and chat with friends, but communication with non-friends will be blocked until your age is confirmed.

“This requirement currently only applies to the UK,” Xbox explained, but added, “We expect to roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future” meaning Xbox users elsewhere can expect to see a similar requirement coming to their consoles soon.

Xbox is urging players to complete verification now to “avoid uninterrupted use of social features on Xbox in the future.”

It’s important to note, the process will not impact purchases, entitlements, gameplay history, achievements, or the ability to play and buy games.

Only accounts without verifiable age information will be prompted to go through the manual verification process. Xbox hasn’t announced a specific enforcement date but says changes will take effect by early 2026.

Interestingly, Xbox isn’t the only one implementing these features. Roblox previously introduced similar restrictions, requiring users to verify their age before accessing certain features.

So, be sure to verify your age in the coming months if you’re in the UK, or you will struggle to speak to anyone outside your friends list.