VRChat Introduces Age Verification for VRC+ Members

VRChat has rolled out a new feature for its adult users with a VRC+ subscription—age verification. This new addition allows users to confirm their age, partnering with an external organization, Persona. This partnership utilizes government IDs alongside a camera-equipped device like a smartphone or computer for age verification.

Originally announced last November, the initiative aims to limit access to instances that have the “Age Verification” tag. Importantly, it doesn’t restrict the use of VRChat as a whole; it’s more about providing an added layer of age-appropriate content access. The feature is officially live now, with a detailed Q&A to help users understand how it all works:

“The age verification process employs Persona to authenticate your government ID and checks it against your appearance. Text from your ID is processed by VRChat, but no images or face scans are retained. Instead, an irreversible hash is created and stored,” explains VRChat.

Once the text is extracted, any information apart from your birth date is promptly deleted and not stored on VRChat’s servers.

An original announcement video introduced this feature, with VRChat’s Senior Community Manager, Strasz, explaining last year, “We’re teaming up with a few event organizers to experiment with age-verified events. During this trial phase, only members of certain groups can apply for age verification, and only these groups can limit instance access to age-verified users. We’re deliberately starting small to refine the process.”

Creators of Group Instances with access to this feature can restrict entry to users who’ve verified their age. For example, a virtual bar may require attendees to confirm they’re 18 or older through the age verification process. Once verified, users are free to enter any Age Verification Instances afterward.

Additionally, verified users can opt to display a “Verified 18+” badge on their VRChat profile.

VRChat stated, “We believe integrating age verification will help our communities and users tailor their experiences more effectively, fostering a stronger, safer platform.”

This article was first published on November 29, 2024, to announce the age verification test on VRChat. With the full release to VRC+ subscribers two months later, this article was updated and republished to keep the community informed.