Bill Text: CA AB1921 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Digital games: ordinary use.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Engrossed) 2026-06-29 - In committee: Set, first hearing. Failed passage. Reconsideration granted. [AB1921 Detail]

Download: California-2025-AB1921-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 06, 2026

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 19, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1921

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Introduced by Assembly Member Ward

February 12, 2026

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An act to add Chapter 6.8 (commencing with Section 20660) to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to business.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1921, as amended, Ward. Server-connected Digital games: updates and support period. ordinary use.

Existing law requires every videogame retailer to post a sign, within the retail establishment in a prominent area, providing information to consumers about a videogame rating system or notifying consumers that a rating system is available to aid in the selection of a game, and to make available to consumers, upon request, information that explains the videogame rating system.

Existing law, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits a seller of a digital good, including a digital application or game, from advertising or offering for sale a digital good to a purchaser with the terms “buy,” “purchase,” or any other term which a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in the digital good, or alongside an option for a time-limited rental, unless the seller receives at the time of each transaction an affirmative acknowledgment from the purchaser, or the seller provides to the consumer before executing each transaction a clear and conspicuous statement, as specified. Existing law defines “digital application or game” to mean any application or game that a person accesses and manipulates using a specialized electronic gaming device, computer, mobile device, tablet, or other device with a display screen, including any add-ons or additional content for that application or game.

This bill would impose requirements on publishers and companies bill, with regard to server-connected digital games published for sale available for purchase on or after January 1, 2027, including, among other things, requiring a company to provide notification of the game’s end of life to the public and to users, as specified, and prohibiting a publisher and subject to certain exceptions, would require a digital game operator to communicate specified information to purchasers and prospective purchasers of a digital game 60 days before the operator ceases to provide services necessary for the ordinary use of the game, and, beginning on the date an operator ceases to provide services necessary for the ordinary use of the game, require the operator to provide the purchaser with an alternate version of, a patch or update to, or a refund for, the game, as provided, and prohibit the operator from selling, leasing, or otherwise distributing the game after the date that is 2 months before the end of life date for the game. The bill would define “server-connected game” to mean any game that a person accesses using their own device while connected to a server hosted by a game developer or game publisher, as specified, “end of life” to mean the point at which the company ceases providing necessary updates or support for a server-connected game, even if the game is still in use, and other terms for its purposes. a version of the game that cannot be used by a purchaser independent of services controlled by the operator. The bill would authorize the Attorney General or a district attorney to bring a civil action for a violation of these provisions.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Chapter 6.8 (commencing with Section 20660) is added to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code, to read:

CHAPTER  6.8. Protect Our Games Act

20660.

 This chapter shall be known, and maybe cited, as the Protect Our Games Act.

20662.

 For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(a)“End of life” means the point at which the company ceases providing necessary updates or support for a server-connected game, even if the game is still in use.

(b)“End of life plan” means a plan written by a publisher and sent to customers to give customers a reasonable expectation to either continue running or repair a server-connected game they have been sold after support ends without requiring any further intervention or connection to said publisher or affiliated parties.

(c)“Product update” means an update, other than a security update, released for a server-connected game to address effectively a flaw in the software, hardware, or firmware running on the game that interferes with the full functioning of the game.

(d)“Product web page” means a web page specific to the particular server-connected game that contains information about the game and its features.

(e)“Server-connected game” or “game” means any game that a person accesses using their own device while connected to a server hosted by a game developer or game publisher, including any game with features, add-ons, or additional content that are reliant on connection to a server not hosted by the user.

(f)“Support” means service to ensure that a server-connected game continues to fully function and to provide information and guidance to customers regarding proper use of the game.

(g)“Security update” means an update released for a server-connected game to address effectively a vulnerability in the software, hardware, or firmware running on the game.

(h)“Vulnerability” means a flaw in the software, hardware, or firmware running on a server-connected game that lessens the security or integrity of the game.

(i)“Update” means a product update or a security update.

(a) “Digital game” means any game that a person accesses and manipulates using a specialized electronic gaming device, computer, mobile device, tablet, or other device with a display screen, including any add-ons or additional content for that game.

(b) (1) “Digital game operator” means a publisher, developer, or other person or entity that controls whether a purchaser of a digital game can make ordinary use of the digital game, including, but not limited to, controlling authentication systems, server access, digital rights management, or required software updates.

(2) “Digital game operator” does not include a person or entity that provides general-purpose hosting, cloud computing, storage, network services, or an online platform or marketplace for the distribution of a digital game, but that does not control whether a purchaser may make ordinary use of the digital game.

(c) “Ordinary use” means a purchaser’s ability to use the core features of a digital game, consistent with the reasonable expectations of a purchaser based on how the digital game was advertised, marketed, or otherwise described by the digital game operator at the time of purchase.

20666.

The following shall apply only for server-connected games published for sale on or after January 1, 2027:

(a)A company shall provide notification of the game’s end of life to the public on the product web page and to users of the game in both of the following ways:

(1)Two months before the game reaches end of life.

(2)On the date on which the game reaches end of life.

(b)Notifications about the game’s end of life shall include clear information about actions customers can take if they want to continue using the game in a secure and effective manner, and shall provide a list of features lost in, and security risks that are likely to result from, the game’s end of life.

(c)A publisher shall not sell, lease, or otherwise distribute the game after the date that is two months before the end of life date for the game.

(d)A company that owns or controls a game that it leases or otherwise provides to its customers as part of a service shall do all of the following:

(1)Ensure that updates for the game are promptly received by the customer and applied.

(2)Promptly notify customers when the game has reached end of life.

(3)When the game has reached end of life, do either of the following:

(A)Replace the game, at no additional cost to customers, with a comparable game capable of receiving necessary updates and support, when that comparable product is reasonably available to the company, and so notify customers.

(B)Release and circulate to customers an end of life plan, including steps taken to ensure the customer may continue running the game in some fashion after support ends.

20664.

 (a) The following shall apply only to a digital game available for purchase on or after January 1, 2027:

(1) (A) 60 days before a digital game operator ceases to provide services necessary for the ordinary use of the digital game, the operator shall communicate all of the following information to purchasers and prospective purchasers of the digital game:

(i) The date on which services necessary for the ordinary use of the digital game will cease.

(ii) Any services that will no longer be provided by the operator.

(iii) Any game features that will no longer be available to the purchaser.

(iv) Any known security risks that may result from the cessation of services.

(v) How the purchaser can continue to use the digital game, or obtain a refund, pursuant to paragraph (2).

(B) A digital game operator shall communicate the information required by subparagraph (A) by doing both of the following:

(i) Notifying purchasers directly through the operator’s digital game.

(ii) Posting the information publicly on the operator’s internet website.

(2) Beginning on the date a digital game operator ceases to provide services necessary for the ordinary use of the digital game, the operator shall provide the purchaser with one or more of the following:

(A) A version of the digital game that can be used by the purchaser independent of services controlled by the operator.

(B) A patch or update to the purchaser’s version of the digital game that enables its continued use independent of services controlled by the operator.

(C) A refund in an amount equal to the full purchase price paid for the digital game by the purchaser.

(3) Beginning on the date a digital game operator ceases to provide services necessary for the ordinary use of the digital game, the operator shall not sell, lease, or otherwise distribute a version of the game that cannot be used by a purchaser independent of services controlled by the operator.

(b) This section does not apply to any of the following:

(1) Any subscription-based service that advertises or offers for sale access to any digital game solely for the duration of the subscription.

(2) Any digital game that is advertised or offered to a person for no monetary consideration.

(3) Any digital game that is advertised or offered to a person that the seller cannot revoke access to after the transaction, which includes making the digital game available at the time of purchase for permanent offline download to an external storage source to be used without a connection to the internet.

20668.

 Actions for relief pursuant to this chapter may be prosecuted exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action brought in the name of the people of the State of California by the Attorney General or by any district attorney.