Online Gaming Safety

Online games are social spaces where millions of players, many of them children and teens, chat, trade and compete. That mix brings real risks: stolen accounts, scams, malware hidden in cheats and mods, bullying and predators. Most players have a great time. A few simple habits keep it that way.

• Gamers
• Parents
• Teens

Main risks

• Account takeover: gaming accounts hold items, currency and sometimes payment methods, and are sold by hackers. Weak or reused passwords and phishing make them easy to steal.
• Scams: fake giveaways, “free skins,” trading and item-swap scams, fake support staff, gift card requests, in-game currency sellers and fake tournament or sponsorship offers. See Phishing Emails, Text Message Scams and Impersonation Scams.
• Malware: cheats, hacks, mods, cracked games, fake installers and links sent in chat often carry malware that steals passwords. See Malware & Antivirus and Downloads & Attachments.
• Spending: in-app purchases, loot boxes, subscriptions and saved cards can lead to surprise bills, especially when children play on a parent’s account.
• Harassment and bullying: toxic chat, hate, threats and targeting. See Online Harassment.
• Predators and grooming: adults pretending to be kids or “friends” build trust, ask for personal information and photos, and move chats to private apps. See Recognizing Online Grooming and Sextortion.
• Doxxing and swatting: angry players looking up addresses and making false emergency calls. See Doxxing & Protecting Your Personal Information.
• Privacy: voice chat, streaming and overlays can reveal your location, voice, face and details.
• Screen time and health: long sessions affect sleep, mood and posture.

Protect your account

• Use a strong, unique password for every gaming account, with a password manager. See Strong Passwords and Password Managers.
• Turn on two-factor authentication on game accounts, platforms (Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Epic, Battle.net, Roblox, etc.), and the email linked to them. See Two-Factor Authentication and Email Account Security.
• Secure your email first. Anyone who controls the email can reset every account tied to it.
• Never share your password, codes or login links, even with friends or “support staff.” Real game companies never ask for them.
• Log in only through official apps and websites. Check the address carefully, since fake login pages look the same. Don’t log in through links in chats, comments or direct messages.
• Review connected devices and third-party apps and remove ones you don’t use. If an account is stolen, change the password, sign out of all devices, contact support and see Hacked Accounts.
• Remove saved payment cards from game accounts, or use gift cards or parental purchase approval.

Avoid scams and malware

• If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Free skins, currency generators, beta keys and “you won” messages are traps.
• Use only official stores and marketplaces for trading and buying items. Third-party sites that sell accounts, currency or items often break the rules and lead to scams and bans.
• Don’t click links or open files from strangers, or from friends whose accounts may be hacked. Ask them another way if it’s real.
• Avoid cheats, hacks and cracked games. They are a top source of malware and get accounts banned.
• Use mods carefully: download only from well-known, trusted sources, read reviews and scan files.
• Never pay with gift cards or send money to someone you met in a game. Only scammers ask for gift cards. See Payment App Scams.
• Watch for fake support, sponsorship and recruitment offers sent by direct message. Check with the official company through its website.
• Keep your system, game launcher and antivirus updated. See Software Updates.

Protect your privacy and manage chat

• Use a gamertag that doesn’t reveal your real name, age, school or location. Use a different username from your other accounts.
• Don’t share personal information in chat, voice or streams: full name, address, school, phone, photos, schedule or travel plans. Check the background of videos and streams.
• Use the privacy and chat settings: limit who can message or invite you, set profiles to private or friends-only, turn off location sharing and mute or block abusive players.
• Be careful about moving chats to other apps like Discord, Snapchat or text. Predators and scammers try to take conversations private.
• Block, mute and report harassment, hate speech, threats and cheating. Save screenshots. Leave toxic lobbies and servers.
• Be careful with streaming and sharing your screen, and use a delay and hide notifications and personal windows to avoid “stream sniping” and doxxing.
• Think before you join public Discord servers or unknown groups. See Social Media Privacy and Online Privacy & Data Brokers.

For parents and caregivers

• Know what your child plays, who they play with and what the game’s chat and purchase features are. Check age ratings (ESRB, PEGI) and content descriptors, and play with them sometimes.
• Use parental controls on consoles, PCs, phones and the games themselves, to manage friends lists, chat, spending limits, content and screen time. See Parental Controls and Kids Online Safety.
• Set up purchase approvals, and use gift cards or spending caps. Turn off one-click buying. Talk about loot boxes and why games are designed to encourage spending.
• Keep devices in shared spaces for younger children, and keep an open conversation. Children who fear punishment hide problems.
• Teach the rules: never share personal information, don’t meet online friends in person without a parent, tell a trusted adult if anyone asks for photos, secrets or private chats, and that they won’t be in trouble for telling.
• Watch for warning signs: secretive behavior, new friends you don’t know, gifts or in-game currency from strangers, mood changes, withdrawal, sleep loss or sudden spending.
• Balance screen time with sleep, school and activity.

If something goes wrong

• Account stolen: use the game’s recovery process, change passwords, turn on two-factor authentication, check the linked email and payment methods and scan for malware. See Hacked Accounts.
• Scammed or charged: contact the card issuer or payment provider, report to the platform, and report fraud. See Reporting Cybercrime.
• Harassment, grooming or sexual requests: stop responding, save evidence, block and report, and tell a trusted adult. Contact the police for threats and sexual exploitation, and report child exploitation to NCMEC’s CyberTipline (report.cybertip.org). See Sextortion.
• Swatting or threats: call 911 and report to the platform and police. See Doxxing & Protecting Your Personal Information.

Gaming safety checklist

• Every game and platform account has a unique password and two-factor authentication; my email is secured
• I log in only through official sites and apps, and never share codes or passwords
• I avoid cheats, cracked games and unofficial item markets, and never pay with gift cards
• My gamertag and profile don’t reveal personal information; chat and friend settings are restricted
• Parental controls, spending limits and age ratings are set for children’s accounts
• I know to block, report, save evidence and tell a trusted adult or police if something is wrong

Last updated: October 5, 2026