Turkey Mandates Local Representatives and Age Ratings for Digital Game Platforms

New Regulation and Sectoral Definitions A new draft regulation prepared by the Ministry of Family and Social Services aims to bring the digital gaming ecosystem in Turkey under comprehensive supervision.
The draft clearly defines the concepts of "game provider" and "game distributor." According to these definitions, companies that develop and publish games are classified as providers, while digital stores such as Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store are classified as distributors.
Age Rating and Content Supervision With the new regulation, game providers are required to rate their content according to age criteria.
Games without an age rating will not be allowed for sale or access in the Turkish market.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has been tasked with determining the technical details of these processes and will have the authority to request the removal of content deemed risky from platforms.
This step is expected to increase transparency and legal accountability in the digital gaming world.
Heavy Sanctions: Fines and Bandwidth Throttling A gradual sanction mechanism is envisioned for platforms that do not fulfill their obligations.
In the first stage, administrative fines ranging from 1 million TL to 30 million TL will be applied.
If the violation continues, the internet bandwidth of the relevant platform may be narrowed by 50 percent first, and then by 90 percent.
Restrictions will be lifted once a representative is appointed.
Sectoral Impacts and Accessibility Risks The new rules directly affect giants like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts, which use their own launcher software.
Even if the main stores appoint representatives, there is a risk that popular games could become inaccessible in Turkey if the sub-platforms required for the games to run—such as the EA App or Ubisoft Connect—do not fulfill the legal requirements.