European consumer authorities have launched 11 coordinated actions against 10 video game companies over the way in-game virtual currencies are sold and priced. The cases cover widely played titles including Minecraft, Candy Crush Saga, Clash of Clans and Valorant, with regulators focusing on practices they say can make real costs harder to understand.

Alongside the enforcement actions, authorities set out principles for how virtual currencies should be presented to players. The guidance is aimed at making prices clearer, limiting designs that leave users with unusable balances, and protecting consumer rights when currency has been bought but not yet spent.

What the authorities are challenging

The new position says the real-world price of a purchase should be shown prominently rather than being hidden behind layers of in-game exchange. Consumer authorities also object to systems that mix multiple currencies or require repeated conversions in ways that can obscure how much an item actually costs.

They also say players should not be steered into buying more virtual currency than is needed for a purchase. In the same vein, bundles designed to leave leftover balances sitting in an account are cited as a practice that should be avoided.

Withdrawal rights and contract terms

Authorities said players have a 14-day right of withdrawal for virtual currency they have purchased but not spent. That point places unused in-game currency within the broader consumer protection framework outlined by the action.

The guidance also addresses contract terms. Clauses that let a company change the value of virtual currency on its own, or close an account without recourse for the player, are described as unfair.

Which games are in scope

The coordinated actions involve 10 companies and 11 games. Named titles include Minecraft, Candy Crush Saga, Clash of Clans and Valorant, with other games also covered.

According to the authorities, the games were selected because of their broad reach and availability across different devices. That framing suggests the crackdown is aimed at common monetization patterns seen across the wider games market, not just issues tied to a single platform or genre.

Limits of the guidance and what comes next

The principles do not apply to cryptocurrencies or similar digital currencies used as an alternative payment method. They also exclude currencies that are earned purely through gameplay rather than bought by players.

Consumer authorities said the effort is intended in part to protect children, and they also noted that high spenders, often referred to as whales, may require stricter fairness considerations. The next confirmed step is the continuation of the 11 coordinated cases under this framework, with the published principles setting the benchmark for how virtual currency sales will be assessed.

Source: decrypt.co