Online Privacy in Gaming 2025: How to Protect Your Data

It’s important to protect your online privacy in gaming. Why? Every time you go online, companies – specifically gaming platforms are asking us for more and more data. Think details about your gaming habits, preferences, and even your location. Making a purchase, buying and downloading a game and creating profiles all come with requests for your personal information.

So, what do you do if you want to protect your personal data? It’s important to understand what information you may unknowingly be giving up and what online privacy laws have to say about this issue. Find out tips for how to limit the amount of information you share, including how to avoid giving out your payment details to multiple platforms. Using a trusted third party provider like Recharge can help you stay secure, by using prepaid game cards to make your purchases.

Online Privacy: What Information Does Your Game Platform Collect?

Plenty of gamers are unaware of how much personal information they share without thinking about it. For example, by installing a game via PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, or the App Store, you often automatically give consent to store data like your name, date of birth, email address, and gameplay habits.

Some of this data is necessary for your account to work properly. But a large portion is also used for commercial purposes — to show you personalised offers or targeted ads. That’s why it’s important to check your settings regularly and choose what you want to share.

Online Privacy in Game Stores

Digital game stores like the PlayStation Store, Steam, and Google Play don’t just save your age and payment method. They also track how you browse the store, which games you view, and what device you use.

This information is used to generate recommendations and targeted advertising — sometimes even outside the platform. Don’t want to share this information? Tweak your privacy settings. On Steam, for example, you can alter your settings to control who sees your profile and what information is shared. Nintendo also allows you to manage how your data is used — just check their privacy policy.

Why Do Games Ask for Personal Information?

Many games ask for details like your phone number or address, but that’s not always needed. Make sure you only provide information that’s actually required to play. The more you share, the greater the risk in case of a data breach.

Log in with as little personal information as needed or, where possible, use a guest account. The European Commission offers more practical advice for staying safe online.

Free Games and Online Privacy

Incredibly popular, you can jump into free-to-play games right away without paying. But often, you’re paying with your data instead. Many free games make money not just from in-game purchases, but also by collecting and selling user data. Your gaming habits may be analysed and even sold to advertisers. Some games also use psychological tricks — known as dark patterns — to encourage you to spend.

So even with free games, it’s important to keep being cautious. Always check what permissions you’re giving, and use secure payment options like prepaid credit where possible.

Use a Separate Email Address for Gaming

An easy way to improve your online privacy is to create a dedicated email address just for gaming. It gives you more control and lowers your risk in case of a data breach.

Benefits of a separate gaming email:

• Other accounts stay secure in the event of a hack
• It’s easier to spot phishing emails when they’re isolated in one inbox
• Keeps your personal, work, and gaming life clearly separated

Protecting Your Privacy When Buying Games

If you want to pay safely without putting your personal details at risk, consider using a prepaid game card. You can buy credit for your favourite platform (like PlayStation or Steam) from a trusted provider like Recharge and redeem the code directly to your account. That way, there’s no need to link your bank or credit card.

Why does this help? Linking a credit card may be convenient, but it comes with risks. If your account is hacked or the platform suffers a data breach, your payment information could be exposed. This has happened before — like the major 2011 PlayStation Network breach, where the data of over 70 million users, including payment details, was compromised.

With prepaid credit, you reduce the risk of:

• Hackers gaining access to your credit card
• Falling victim to phishing attacks targeting payment info
• Unexpected or unauthorised purchases — especially by children

Prepaid cards are a simple and secure way to protect your online privacy and enjoy gaming with peace of mind.

Online Privacy for Kids

Young gamers can also unknowingly share a lot of data. Despite European privacy regulations such as the GDPR, many games still collect information from children — for example, their date of birth, voice messages, or details about in-game purchases.

What can parents do?

• Regularly review platform privacy settings
• Use prepaid credit instead of a linked credit card
• Set clear rules for chat use and purchases

This can help make your child’s gaming environment safer. For more information, visit Your Europe.

Taking Control of Your Online Privacy in 2025

Gaming is more fun than ever — but also more complex when it comes to privacy. Whether you’re a hardcore console gamer or someone who enjoys mobile games occasionally, it’s important to stay in control of your data.

With a few simple steps — like using a separate email for gaming, adjusting your privacy settings, and paying with prepaid credit from Recharge — you can avoid unnecessary risks and keep control over your online privacy.

In summary: enjoy gaming, but be aware of what you’re sharing. Online privacy starts with smart choices — and luckily, those are easy to make.