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Genshin Impact age verification is HoYoverse’s age-gate and parental-consent process. It is not automatically a ban or a phishing attempt, but you should verify any request through official HoYoverse channels before submitting information.
For U.S. players, the original verification deadline was July 18, 2025, while the reported possible permanent-deletion date was July 20, 2026. Both dates have now passed as of September 4, 2026. If you ignored the request or your account is frozen, use the official Account Center and contact HoYoverse Support immediately. Do not assume that logging in will restore an account that has already been permanently deleted.
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What is Genshin Impact age verification?
Age verification is HoYoverse’s way of determining which privacy, parental-control, communication, and purchase rules apply to a Genshin Impact account. HoYoverse’s privacy policy says it may collect a player’s date of birth and country or region to determine age and apply appropriate settings.
Most players are being asked to provide age information, not necessarily government identification. If the player is below the applicable legal threshold, HoYoverse may request a parent or guardian’s email address and verifiable consent through Kids Web Services (KWS), the verification provider identified in HoYoverse’s policy.
The exact requirements vary by country, age, account classification, platform, and client version. U.S. rules should not be treated as universal rules for every Genshin player.
Why did HoYoverse introduce it?
The system followed a January 17, 2025 settlement involving Cognosphere, HoYoverse’s U.S. entity, and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC alleged that Genshin Impact collected personal information from children under 13 without the parental notice and verifiable consent required by COPPA. The agency also alleged that the game’s chance-based purchases obscured real-money costs and prize odds. These were allegations in the FTC’s case, not findings after a trial.
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The resulting settlement requires Cognosphere/HoYoverse to:
- Pay a $20 million civil penalty.
- Implement a neutral age gate.
- Delete U.S. user data unless the user identifies as at least 13 or HoYoverse obtains verifiable parental consent.
- Prevent users under 16 from purchasing loot boxes without parental consent.
- Provide clearer real-money pricing and odds disclosures.
The legally binding requirements are described in the FTC settlement order. The FTC did not ban Genshin Impact or make the game generally unavailable to children.
Who needs to complete age verification?
There is no single worldwide minimum age that answers every player’s situation. The result depends on the player’s location, age, consent status, and the feature they are trying to use.
| Player group | What generally applies |
|---|---|
| U.S. users under 13 | Verifiable parental consent is normally required to maintain the account and continue processing the child’s information. If consent is refused, revoked, or not provided, HoYoverse says it may permanently delete the account and associated data. |
| U.S. users aged 13–15 | They may continue playing, but age-based restrictions can apply. Parental consent is required before purchasing loot boxes under the FTC settlement. |
| U.S. users aged 16 and over | They generally do not need parental consent for the under-16 purchase restriction, but may still need to provide age information so HoYoverse can classify the account. |
| Users outside the U.S. | Requirements depend on local law. Some countries may use an age gate; others may require parental permission or restrict access below a different age threshold. |
HoYoverse’s privacy policy is the relevant source for the company’s stated age-gating and consent practices. Server selection alone does not prove a player’s legal residence or determine every requirement.
How to complete the verification
HoYoverse can change menu names and page locations, so use the official account route if the in-game prompt is unclear.
Recommended process
- Open Genshin Impact or the official HoYoverse Account Center.
- Sign in with the email address or login method attached to the affected Genshin account.
- Follow the age-verification prompt and enter the requested information accurately.
- If the player is below the applicable threshold, enter a parent or guardian’s email address when prompted.
- The parent or guardian should open the official consent email and follow the KWS verification flow.
- Review any parental-control settings that are offered.
- Return to Genshin Impact and sign in again if the account status does not refresh immediately.
HoYoverse says KWS may remember that a parent has verified an email address for other services using KWS technology. That may reduce the need to repeat every step for each participating service, although the available flow can vary by country.
In-game route
A player-facing report describes a route through Paimon Menu → Feedback, followed by an HoYoverse account, minor-safety, or parental-control page. Treat these labels as approximate because they may differ by platform, region, or client version. If you cannot find the page, use the official Account Center instead.
Official account links
Open these domains manually rather than trusting a link in an unexpected message.
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HoYoverse’s privacy materials identify several categories of information relevant to age-gating and parental consent:
- Date of birth.
- Country or region.
- A parent or guardian’s email address.
- Information needed by the verification provider to confirm the parent or guardian.
- Ordinary account and device information, such as the account UID, IP address, and device identifiers, used for operating, securing, analyzing, and complying with legal requirements.
These categories should not be confused with one another:
- Age information: supplied to help HoYoverse classify the account.
- Parental verification data: handled through the KWS verification process.
- Account and device data: processed as part of normal game operation and security.
Do not assume that HoYoverse stores a parent’s full credit-card number or Social Security number. The available official materials establish that verification may use a third-party process, but the exact fields can vary by country and provider flow.
HoYoverse says a parent or guardian email address may be deleted after 14 days without a response. It also says that if consent is refused or revoked, the child’s account and associated information may be deleted within 14 days of that response or revocation.
Can you keep playing after verification?
Usually, age verification changes access to certain features rather than automatically preventing an underage player from launching the game. The important distinction is between playing, communicating, changing account information, and spending money.
Possible restrictions include:
- Public chat or community access.
- Some social or communication features.
- Changing certain personal information.
- In-game purchases or chance-based purchases.
- Additional limits selected through parental controls.
HoYoverse’s Help Center explains that public chat and some account-information functions may be restricted for underage users, while a parent or guardian may be able to adjust applicable settings through the parental-control system. See HoYoverse’s feature-restriction article.
Being under 16 does not automatically mean a player cannot play Genshin Impact. In the U.S., the more serious threshold for continued account and data processing is generally under 13, because verifiable parental consent is normally required. The under-16 rule in the FTC settlement specifically concerns loot-box purchases without parental consent.
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Age verification is also separate from the ordinary age rating shown for the game on a platform store.
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What happened to the July deadlines?
The player notice circulated in 2025 described two different milestones:
- July 18, 2025: the reported deadline to complete age verification.
- July 20, 2026: the reported date by which personal information could be permanently deleted if verification had not been completed.
These were not the same deadline. Missing the first could lead to restrictions or suspension; the later date concerned possible permanent deletion. The dates come from a HoYoLAB repost of the player notice, not a current live support page.
As of September 4, 2026, both dates have passed. HoYoverse’s privacy policy says that deleted U.S. child accounts and associated data are permanent and irrecoverable. Age verification itself should not be described as deleting game progress, but an account that has actually been deleted may not be restorable.
Missed the deadline? Try these recovery steps
There is no official guarantee that a post-deletion recovery route exists. Still, a player whose account is frozen, suspended, or awaiting verification should try the following before assuming the account is gone:
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- Sign in with the original HoYoverse email or the linked login method used for Genshin Impact.
- Check whether the account is suspended, frozen, awaiting parental verification, or showing a recovery option.
- Submit a ticket through the official Help Center.
- Include the original account email, UID, server or region, platform, approximate creation date, linked login methods, and purchase receipts if available.
- Do not create a replacement account using the same information until support advises you; doing so can make account identification more difficult.
- Never include your password, one-time login codes, or full payment-card number in a support ticket.
Player reports describe a “Frozen Account Recovery” route and mixed outcomes after the reported deadline, but those reports are anecdotal. They are not a promise that HoYoverse can restore an account. See the community discussions on Reddit and another Reddit thread only as examples of reported experiences.
Troubleshooting common problems
The prompt never appears
Check the Account Center and HoYoLAB with the same login used for Genshin Impact. The account may already be verified, the prompt may appear outside the game, or the account may not be classified as U.S.-based. Also check the email associated with the account and confirm the country or region information. Avoid repeatedly entering conflicting birth dates. If the country is wrong or cannot be changed, contact official support.
The player entered the wrong age
Do not repeatedly change the date of birth or create a replacement account. Age information may be restricted after submission because it is connected to legal and privacy controls. Contact HoYoverse Support, explain the mistake, and provide ownership evidence only through the official ticket process.
The parent’s verification fails
Possible causes include using a different email from the one that received the consent request, an expired link, browser or regional compatibility problems, details that do not satisfy the available verification method, or an account already being suspended or past the deletion stage.
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- Open the most recent official consent email.
- Use a normal browser rather than an in-game web view.
- Temporarily disable unusual extensions or strict tracking blockers if they interfere with the page.
- Request a new consent email if the interface offers that option.
- Contact HoYoverse Support and, where necessary, KWS through its official channels about a failed verification flow.
The account uses several login methods
Genshin Impact accounts can involve email credentials, platform-linked logins, or multiple HoYoverse services. A missing prompt may simply mean that you signed into a different HoYoverse account. Compare the UID, server, linked email, and account details before submitting a ticket.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to spot a fake age-verification request
An account-access scare makes players vulnerable to fake recovery services. Use this checklist:
- Navigate manually to
hoyoverse.com,account.hoyoverse.com, or the official Help Center. - Check the sender and destination domain carefully.
- Never disclose a HoYoverse password or one-time login code.
- Do not pay a third party to “unlock” or recover the account.
- Be cautious if a message requests unusually broad identity documents outside the official KWS flow.
- If uncertain, stop and contact HoYoverse through the official Help Center.
A genuine prompt can request age information or direct a parent into a verification process, but the presence of an age-related topic does not make every email legitimate.
Privacy, consent, and account deletion
The key privacy distinction is that age verification is not identical to parental consent. Most users may only need to provide age information. A child below the applicable threshold may need a parent or guardian to complete verifiable consent. The parent may then be able to control selected features.
HoYoverse’s policy says that, for U.S. users under 13, failure to obtain consent can result in permanent deletion of the child’s account and associated information. It also says deletion cannot be reversed merely because the child later turns 13. That is why a player should not simply wait for the account to age out of the restriction.
Outside the United States, the legal age of consent and retention requirements can differ. HoYoverse’s policy describes country-specific age-gate and permission practices, but it does not establish one global set of thresholds.
FAQ
Is Genshin Impact age verification mandatory?
If HoYoverse has presented the request for your account, treat it as an account-compliance requirement and follow the official process. The exact consequence of ignoring it depends on your country, age, and account status.
Can a 13-year-old still play Genshin Impact?
In the U.S., a 13-year-old may be able to continue playing, but age-based restrictions can apply. The under-16 purchase restriction and parental-control settings may limit spending, chat, community access, or other features.
Can under-16 users buy Genesis Crystals?
The FTC settlement requires parental consent before U.S. users under 16 can purchase loot boxes. Do not assume every purchase or every country follows the same rule; the applicable feature and local requirements matter.
Does choosing a North American server make U.S. rules apply?
Not necessarily. Server selection alone does not establish legal residence. Account country, location signals, and HoYoverse’s internal classification may also matter, and the public policy does not fully explain that classification logic.
Can age information be changed?
Do not repeatedly attempt to change it. If you entered the wrong date of birth, contact official HoYoverse Support and explain the error.
Can a deleted account be restored?
HoYoverse’s privacy policy describes deleted U.S. child accounts and associated data as permanent and irrecoverable. Support may be able to investigate a frozen or suspended account, but recovery after confirmed deletion is not promised.
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The age-gate process is a real HoYoverse process, but scammers can imitate it. Use the official Account Center or Help Center by typing the address yourself, and never send passwords or one-time codes.
Does this apply to HoYoLAB and other HoYoverse games?
HoYoverse’s privacy policy describes age-gating practices across services, but the exact prompt, restrictions, and verification flow can differ by product, country, platform, and account.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if my account is frozen after missing age verification?
Sign in through the official HoYoverse Account Center, look for any frozen-account or verification option, then submit a Help Center ticket with your UID, original email, server, platform, creation details, and available purchase receipts. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Does age verification require government ID?
Not for every player. HoYoverse may request age and country information, while a parent or guardian may complete a separate KWS verification flow. The exact fields vary by country and provider process.
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Use only official HoYoverse channels, complete the requested age or parental-consent process accurately, and act immediately if the account is frozen. U.S. players should remember that the reported July 18, 2025 verification deadline and July 20, 2026 possible-deletion date have passed; an account already permanently deleted under HoYoverse’s policy may not be recoverable.
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