Are loot boxes legal in Belgium?

You are probably wondering why the new trendy mobile game released all over the world is not accessible in Belgium. There is a good chance that it is because of loot boxes, these random loot boxes that can be acquired in different video games and mobile games. Unfortunately, these loot boxes are not legal in Belgium and the games that offer them are prohibited. Through this article, we will see together what the exact regulations are surrounding loot boxes in Belgium.

What is a loot box?

A loot box is a random paid digital content whose content is unknown at the time of purchase. To obtain it, players often have to spend real money, but this is not always the case.

This random mechanism is similar to a lottery. The user hopes to obtain rare or valuable items to improve their gaming experience. This uncertainty and the repeated purchase to obtain specific items led the Belgian authorities to equate loot boxes with games of chance.

What does the Belgian law say about loot boxes?

In 2018, Belgium became one of the first countries to ban paid loot boxes in video games. The Gaming Commission considered that these mechanisms meet the criteria of a game of chance, because they involve a financial stake (purchase of virtual currency), an element of chance and a possibility of winning. This decision had a major impact on the video game industry, forcing some publishers to review their business model.

The Belgian Minister of Justice at the time, Koen Geens, had declared:

“Mixing games of chance and video games, especially for children, is dangerous for mental health”.

Some mobile games offering a form of loot boxes are called Gacha. This type of video game is based on a random draw system inspired by Japanese toy vending machines, called Gashapon.

In these games, players spend virtual currency (obtained by playing or via in-app purchases) to obtain characters, objects or equipment of varying rarities.

The principle is based on a collection and randomness mechanic, encouraging players to multiply draws to obtain rare or powerful items. Very popular in mobile and free-to-play games, the Gacha model is often compared to loot boxes and can be addictive due to its system similar to gambling.

Any form of paid loot box (Gacha or classic loot boxes) is considered illegal in Belgium.

Which popular games are banned in Belgium?

As soon as the law was applied, several games were affected. They had two options: adapt their content to this new law or withdraw from the market.

Banned games

Several games refused to adapt, so they simply disappeared from the App Store and Play Store overnight:

• Dragon Ball Dokkan Battle: This mobile game, much appreciated by fans of the license, was available in Belgium for several years. It was finally removed due to its gacha system, which relies on paid random summons with no guarantee of results.
• Animal Crossing Pocket Camp: The mobile version of Animal Crossing was also removed from the Belgian market for several years due to the lucky cake system that allowed you to have random items or clothes in exchange for real money.

Other games were never released in Belgium because they did not comply with the law on loot boxes at the time of their launch:

• Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage (also called Project Sekai): Released in 2021 in Europe, this game is not accessible in Belgium because of its gacha system to obtain new characters.
• Lost Ark: in 2022 the Korean game with resounding success arrives in Europe, unfortunately for Belgian players the game is banned. This is also the case in the Netherlands when it is released, but the Netherlands quickly gives its approval and the game is accessible to the Dutch. To this day the game is still banned in Belgium because of the game’s totally random economic system (random paid cosmetics, random paid materials, random equipment upgrades, etc.)
• Diablo: Immortal: This game was banned in Belgium upon its release because of the loot boxes it contains, Blizzard having chosen not to offer a version adapted to Belgium.
• Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket: Recently released, this game is banned in Belgium because of the random boosters. Although you can get some for free, the game is very limited in free-to-play, pushing players to buy virtual currency to get more boosters. In addition, the boosters are 100% random with no guarantee of receiving a rare card or more when opening a booster.

Authorized games

Other games offer a version adapted to Belgium in which loot boxes have been removed or replaced by another system:

• FIFA: The Ultimate Team mode, which relies on the purchase of card packs, has been deemed illegal. EA has disabled this feature for Belgian players.
• Overwatch: The reward crate system has been removed to comply with the law.
• Star Wars Battlefront II: Loot boxes are not accessible in Belgium.

Are Gacha games still authorized?

Despite the ban on paid loot boxes, some games using mechanisms similar to gacha remain available in Belgium. The most striking example is Genshin Impact, which offers a random summoning system to obtain characters and weapons. However, the game includes a “pity” system guaranteeing a rare item after a certain number of attempts, which makes the mechanism less random.

Other games from HoYoverse studio, such as Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, use similar systems and are still accessible in Belgium. Similarly, Arknights and Azur Lane allow players to collect characters without necessarily spending real money, which allows them to remain compliant with regulations.

More and more Gacha mobile games use this modified loot box system. You get virtual currency without spending real money, which allows you to open chests or make wishes for free. This allows these games to remain available to Belgian users.

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp: Available again in Belgium

Due to the random fortune cookies available as in-app purchases, the game had been banned in Belgium since August 2019, but good news changed the situation at the end of 2024.

Nintendo wanted to close the game’s servers and decided to offer the game in full access without paid content. Since December 2, 2024, the game is therefore accessible again in Belgium. To get it you will have to buy it via the app store or the play store.

In this version all the limited content and the lucky cookies are available in exchange for leaves that are received for free by participating in challenges, events and other activities in the game.

The future of loot boxes in Belgium

Belgium continues to be one of the strictest countries when it comes to loot boxes, and other nations are taking a close interest in this regulation.

The debate remains open: some advocate increased protection for players, while others believe that these bans are holding back the video game industry.