Rep. Ritchie Torres announced the Power to the Players Act on October 15, 2026, but it is not law and had not yet been formally introduced in Congress as of October 16. The planned federal measure would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect three rights for people who purchase games: the right to own, the right to play and the right to transfer them.
What the Power to the Players Act is—and is not
The proposal comes from Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat representing New York’s 15th District. His announcement describes a consumer-protection framework rather than a filed bill. No bill number, legislative text, committee assignment, co-sponsors or voting schedule was available by October 16, 2026.
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That distinction matters. An announced framework can change substantially before introduction, and Congress would still have to pass legislation and have it signed into law. The FTC could not begin rulemaking under this proposal unless Congress first enacted the necessary authority.
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Torres summarized the intended principle in his release: “When you pay for a game, you should own it.” He also described the three-part goal as the right “to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy.”
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The three consumer rights in the announced framework
| Proposed right | What it would mean | What remains unknown |
|---|---|---|
| Right to own | Buying a game would convey ownership instead of only a revocable license. | The legal definition of ownership, its interaction with existing purchase terms and any exemptions would depend on filed legislative text. |
| Right to play | For games that rely on online functionality, the company would have to provide an offline mode before shutting down the supporting servers. | The proposal does not yet specify which features must work offline, how technically complex games would be handled or how far back the rule would apply. |
| Right to transfer | Owners would receive a right to transfer a purchased game to another person. | The announcement does not define a transfer process, resale marketplace, copy-prevention system, regional limits or whether transfers would be allowed for every purchase. |
The transfer language could eventually support a resale market for digital games, but that is an implication, not an established feature. Until a bill is filed, it is not possible to say whether “transfer” would mean resale, gifting, account transfer or another mechanism.
How the proposed server-shutdown rule could work
The announcement targets a common failure point in digital games: a purchase remains listed in a player’s account, but the game loses essential functionality when the publisher or operator turns off its servers. Under the announced approach, a game with online functionality would need an offline-play path before those supporting servers were shut down.
- The requirement is described as an offline mode, not simply advance notice.
- The framework does not say whether an offline mode must preserve every online feature, progression system, downloadable item or multiplayer component.
- It also does not say whether companies could use community-hosted servers, a final patch, local authentication or another technical solution instead.
- The timing of compliance—years after release, at the time of a shutdown announcement or only for future purchases—has not been stated.
Those details would determine the cost and feasibility for publishers. A game designed around a central economy or constantly changing service may require a substantial rewrite, while a title that already supports local play could need only an authentication or launcher change.
Why NBA 2K25 was cited
Torres’s office used NBA 2K25 as the announcement’s example. According to the office, the standard edition retailed for $69.99 and the All-Star Edition for $99.99. The game was scheduled to be removed from digital storefronts on October 30, with its online servers set to shut down on December 31—about two years after release.
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The example illustrates two separate risks. Delisting can stop new customers from buying a title, while a server shutdown can remove online features from people who already paid. The proposed act is aimed at the second problem as well as the broader question of whether a digital purchase is ownership or merely a revocable permission to access software.
Do players currently own a digital game?
The proposal is built around a distinction between ownership and licensing. Digital storefront transactions commonly come with terms that describe access as a license and reserve the operator’s ability to suspend, modify or discontinue services. The practical result can differ by game: some remain playable offline after a store delisting, while others depend on authentication or servers for core functions.
The Power to the Players Act would attempt to replace that uncertainty with a federal ownership rule for purchased games. It would not automatically change today’s contracts because it has not been enacted. A player’s current rights therefore continue to depend on the applicable purchase terms and existing law unless Congress adopts a different rule.
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Possibly, but no resale system has been specified. A statutory right to transfer could cover a sale, a gift, movement between accounts or another form of ownership change. Each option raises practical questions: how to prevent the original owner from retaining a usable copy, how to handle bundled downloadable content, whether a platform would process the transfer and whether regional pricing or age ratings would carry over.
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Those questions cannot be answered from the announcement. Treat claims that the proposal already guarantees a digital marketplace as premature.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How related efforts differ
The federal announcement is part of a wider debate over games that lose value when support ends, but other initiatives use different tools and are at different stages.
| Initiative | Legal status and scope | Proposed remedy or activity | Enforcement approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power to the Players Act | Federal proposal announced October 15, 2026; not formally introduced by October 16. | Ownership, continued play and transfer rights; an offline mode before shutdown for games with online functionality. | FTC rules, if Congress enacts the proposal. |
| California Protect Our Games Act | Reported state proposal, not federal law. The report described coverage for games released after January 1, 2027, while excluding subscription-based and free-to-play titles. | At least 60 days’ notice before shutdown and one of three remedies: an offline version, a patch enabling play independently of the operator’s services or a full refund. | Would rely on state legislation and enforcement; the reported proposal’s final text and status could change. |
| European Commission response to the Stop Destroying Videogames initiative | Stakeholder engagement was announced for completion by the end of 2026; no enacted EU legislation is established by that notice. | Consultation with consumers and publishers and work on standards, rather than a confirmed ownership mandate. | Potential future EU action, not a current rule. |
The comparison shows why headlines about “bans on killing games” can be misleading. One approach would create a federal ownership and FTC-rulemaking framework; another emphasizes notice and a menu of remedies; the European process described so far is engagement and standards work.
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What happens next
- Formal introduction: Torres or other members would need to file legislative text, giving the measure a bill number and precise definitions.
- Committee referral: The relevant House committee would determine whether to hold hearings, request changes or advance the bill.
- Debate and votes: Both chambers would need to approve identical text before it could reach the president.
- FTC implementation: Only an enacted law with rulemaking authority could lead to FTC regulations defining ownership, offline functionality, transfers, exemptions and penalties.
Until those steps occur, the announcement creates no new right to keep a discontinued game online, obtain a refund or resell a digital copy. It does, however, put those rights at the center of a proposed federal policy.
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