Brawl Stars: a UK parent's guide to Gems, Clubs and the PEGI 16

Brawl Stars at a glance

Why a cartoon phone game shows PEGI 16 on Google Play

Many parents are surprised by Brawl Stars' rating, so let's start with what the stores actually say as of 3 November 2026:

• Google Play UK shows PEGI 16, with the notes "Users interact" and "In-game purchases (includes random items)".
• Apple's UK App Store shows 13+, listing frequent guns or other weapons and infrequent cartoon or fantasy violence, and noting that it contains messaging and chat.

Brawl Stars is a mobile-only game and isn't listed in the pegi.info database; the Google Play rating comes through the stores' own rating process. For context, PEGI changed its criteria in June 2026 so that new games with paid random items default to PEGI 16, and from October 2026 it began re-rating existing digital-only games that contain paid random items. Neither PEGI nor Supercell has said whether that is the reason for this particular rating, so we won't guess.

Our age ratings explainer covers how PEGI and app store ratings differ.

Three-minute matches, Brawlers and Showdown

Brawl Stars is made by Supercell. Players control one of dozens of cartoon characters, called Brawlers, each with their own attack and special ability. Matches are viewed from above and the App Store description says they can be played in under three minutes.

Modes include team battles of 3 versus 3 and 5 versus 5 – with goals like grabbing gems, scoring in a football-style game or cracking open a safe – and Showdown, a battle royale where players fight solo or in pairs until one is left. Special limited-time events rotate in and out.

A session usually means several quick matches in a row. That makes it very easy to play in short gaps – on the bus, before tea – and equally easy for short gaps to add up.

Between matches, players spend time collecting and upgrading Brawlers and choosing which one suits each mode. Much of the conversation you'll hear at school pick-up is about which Brawler is best right now – it's a game with a strong playground culture, which is part of why children ask for it.

Because it's a phone and tablet game, the device's own settings do most of the parenting work. That's good news: Apple's and Google's controls are some of the most thorough available, as long as your child has their own supervised account rather than using yours.

Gems, Brawl Pass tiers and random rewards

Brawl Stars is free to download. Supercell says purchases are never required to play, but the game has a substantial shop:

• Gems – the premium currency, sold in packs at several price points in the UK App Store.
• Passes – the UK App Store lists several paid seasonal passes (including Season Pass, Season Pass Plus and Brawl Pass Plus) that unlock extra reward tracks each season.
• Bundles and offers – sold alongside Gems.

Google Play UK flags the game's purchases as including random items. Players also earn random rewards called Starr Drops by winning matches. Exactly which paid items are random isn't spelled out in the official Supercell information we checked, so treat any paid offer whose contents aren't shown up front with caution.

The UK doesn't regulate loot boxes as gambling; instead the government backed industry principles saying paid loot boxes should not be available to under-18s without a parent or guardian enabling them, alongside spending controls and published odds. Our in-game spending guide has tips for agreeing a budget.

Some practical ways families handle it:

• Decide in advance whether paid passes are allowed at all, and if so, how many per season.
• Prefer gift cards or a fixed pocket-money amount over an open payment method.
• Talk about random rewards honestly: it's luck, and the next one is no more likely to be special because the last ones weren't.

Clubs: text chat with players your child may not know

Brawl Stars' social space is the Club, Supercell's name for a team players can join or start to share tips and battle together. Clubs are where most contact with other players happens, and they can include people your child doesn't know.

According to Supercell's parents' guide:

• Club chat is text only – there's no voice chat in Clubs.
• All chat runs through an automated filter adjusted to the player's age, with a stricter filter for younger players, designed to block personal information and attempts to direct young players elsewhere online.
• Players can report messages in chat and report inappropriate player or Club names; reports are reviewed by moderators and can take up to 72 hours.
• Messages can still be screenshotted and shared elsewhere.

Supercell's own advice is that children should leave the team or game and talk to you if anything makes them uncomfortable. Agree a simple rule: no real names, school or location in usernames or chat. Supercell also says its filter tries to block real names.

A Club made up of school friends or family is a very different place from a large public one. Ask which Club your child is in, who started it and whether they know the members – it's a calm way in, and it shows them you're interested rather than suspicious. More in our online chat and strangers guide.

Seasons, events and win streaks: what brings children back

Brawl Stars is designed around short, frequent visits. The main drivers are:

• Seasonal passes that run for a limited time, with reward tracks to complete before the season ends;
• Limited-time events and modes that come and go;
• Random reward drops earned for wins, which make each victory feel like it might bring something special;
• Brawler upgrades that give a sense of steady progress.

Combined with three-minute matches, this can make it hard to stop. Device-level time limits work well because they don't rely on the game:

• On iPhone/iPad, use Time Allowances for the Games category and a Screen Time Schedule for bedtime.
• On Android, use Family Link's Daily limit and Downtime.

See screen time and routines for ways to agree limits that stick.

Teamwork in short bursts: what Brawl Stars does well

It's popular for good reasons, and it's fair to name them:

• Teamwork. The 3v3 and 5v5 modes reward playing to your Brawler's role and supporting teammates.
• Quick thinking. Matches are fast and tactical, with lots of variety between modes.
• Cartoon style. Apple lists the violence as cartoon or fantasy; there's no blood or realistic injury.
• Short sessions. A match fits into a few minutes, which can suit families who prefer small, defined slots.
• Text-only chat. Club chat has no voice and an age-adjusted filter.

Supercell ID, the Supercell Store and payment details

Supercell doesn't offer an in-game parental-control panel that we could find. Its parents' guide points to two tools: Supercell ID and the controls on the phone or tablet.

Supercell ID saves your child's progress to an account. Supercell suggests parents create it using an email the parent controls, keep an eye on the friend list and turn on two-step verification by email.

The Supercell Store is a web shop that also uses Supercell ID. Supercell says purchases there can't be made without payment details being added. Because it sits outside Apple and Google billing, phone-level purchase approvals may not cover it – Google is clear that Family Link approvals apply to Google Play billing only.

• Don't save a card on your child's device or on any account they use.
• Keep the Supercell ID email under your control so you see account messages.
• Supercell says purchases are usually non-refundable; contact its support with a receipt if something goes wrong.

Locking down the phone before Brawl Stars is installed

Brawl Stars relies almost entirely on device controls, so set these up first. Full steps are in our iPhone and iPad guide and Android guide.

iPhone or iPad (iOS/iPadOS 27)

1. Make sure your child has their own Child Account in Family Sharing with the correct age.
2. On your iPhone, open Settings > Family and tap your child's name.
3. Go to Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Ask to Buy and turn on Require Purchase Approval.
4. Use Content & Privacy Restrictions to set an app age limit, and Time Allowances for daily game time.

Android

1. Supervise your child's Google Account with Google Family Link.
2. Choose your child > Controls > Google Play > Purchases & download approvals and require approval for all content or in-app purchases.
3. Set Google Play content restrictions by PEGI rating, and a Daily limit under Screen time.

Note that if you set an app age limit below the store's rating, Brawl Stars won't be downloadable without your approval – which may be exactly what you want.

Weighing a 13+ and a PEGI 16 for your own child

Brawl Stars is a bright, fast, team-based game, and the violence is cartoonish. The reasons for caution are elsewhere: Google Play UK flags in-game purchases that include random items, there are several paid passes and a Gem shop, and Clubs can bring your child into text chat with strangers.

Ratings are guidance rather than law for games, and families reach different decisions. What the two store ratings tell you is where the concern lies: in the interaction with other players and the way purchases work, not in graphic content.

If your child is under the store ratings and you're considering it, the deciding question is whether you can lock down purchases and are comfortable with filtered text chat. If you go ahead, set Ask to Buy or Family Link approvals, keep payment details off the device, and check in on Clubs. See our 10-12 and 13-15 pages for how it compares with other popular games.