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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Not necessarily—but California’s AB 2426 does not ban digital game sales or require every storefront to call a game a revocable license. Effective January 1, 2025, the law requires covered sellers to clarify the license when their sales language could lead a reasonable person to believe they are getting unrestricted ownership, unless the seller uses one of the law’s specified disclosure or acknowledgment routes.
What California’s AB 2426 changes
AB 2426 added section 17500.6 to California’s Business and Professions Code. It covers specified digital goods, including digital applications and games; the statutory definition of a game includes add-ons and additional content. The act was chaptered as Chapter 513 of the Statutes of 2024 on September 24, 2024, and took effect January 1, 2025. Read the enrolled bill and chaptered statute. Current reporting also identifies January 1, 2025, as the effective date. Source
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Marvel's Wolverine PS5 | $69.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Resident Evil 4 - PS5 | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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FINAL FANTASY I-VI Collection Anniversary Edition - 2024 (NSW) | $45.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Gangs of Sherwood XBX | $13.83 | Buy on Amazon |
The rule concerns advertising and offering a covered digital good with words such as “buy” or “purchase,” or other wording a reasonable person would understand as promising unrestricted ownership. It also applies when that language is used alongside a time-limited rental option. A seller may still use those terms if it follows one of the disclosure paths in the law.
What a seller must disclose
For a covered offer, the seller must use either an affirmative acknowledgment at the transaction or a clear, conspicuous pre-transaction license disclosure. Whichever route it chooses, the acknowledgment or disclosure must be distinct and separate from other terms the purchaser acknowledges or agrees to.
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- Marvel’s Wolverine is a new action-packed adventure from Insomniac Games
- Play as Wolverine and Ravage enemies with explosive brutality and unleash razor-sharp adamantium claws to deploy fast, fluid attacks and overcome impossible odds
- An Original, Emotionally Charged Story. Beneath Wolverine’s gruff exterior and violent temperament is a man fighting for a cause greater than himself
- A Global, Adrenaline-Fueled Journey where you slice into enemies across detailed locales such as the frosted Canadian Wilderness, the narrow streets of Tokyo, and the high and low districts of the island nation of Madripoor
Option 1: Get an acknowledgment at each transaction
At the time of each transaction, the seller must receive the purchaser’s affirmative acknowledgment that they are receiving a license. The acknowledgment must provide a complete list of restrictions and conditions and, where applicable, say that access may be unilaterally revoked if the seller no longer holds the rights to the good.
Option 2: Show a separate license statement before purchase
Before the transaction, the seller can instead give a clear and conspicuous statement in plain language that buying or purchasing the good is a license. The statement must provide a hyperlink, QR code, or similar way to access the full license terms. The enrolled bill describes ways text may be made clear and conspicuous, including setting it apart through larger or contrasting type, font, or color, or through symbols or marks. See the statute’s disclosure requirements.
Rank #2
- Reawaken a Classic – Resident Evil 4 preserves the essence of the original game, now reconstructed using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine to deliver realistic visuals and additional narrative depth to the iconic story that was not possible at the time of the original release.
- Modernized Gameplay – The team from 2019’s Resident Evil 2 returns to build upon the series’ modern approach to survival horror. Engage in frenzied combat with the Ganados villagers, explore a European village gripped by madness, and solve puzzles to access new areas and collect useful items for Leon and Ashley’s constant struggle to survive.
- Overwhelming Hordes – Face hordes of rabid enemies that threaten to overwhelm Leon with even more diverse methods of attack than in the original release.
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- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
What the law excludes—and what it does not require
AB 2426 excludes certain offers from this disclosure rule. These include subscription services that sell access only for the subscription period, goods offered for no monetary consideration, and goods the seller cannot revoke after the transaction. For the last category, the statute gives a permanent offline download to external storage that works without an internet connection as an example.
The law does not generally require a seller to provide a download. It also does not prohibit storing a digital good on a server for internet access. A game being sold digitally therefore does not, by itself, establish whether the seller can revoke access; the applicable terms and the circumstances of the offer matter.
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Rank #3
- The games that inspired a generation come to life once more, in the ultimate 2D pixel remaster!
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- The Anniversary Edition includes a pixel character sticker sheet.
- Universally updated 2D pixel graphics, including the iconic FINAL FANTASY character designs created by Kazuko Shibuya, the original artist and current collaborator.
- Beautifully rearranged soundtrack in a faithful FINAL FANTASY style, overseen by original composer Nobuo Uematsu.
What this means for a digital game purchase
AB 2426 is a disclosure rule, not a promise that every game will remain available forever. It says what sellers must communicate when covered sales language could imply unrestricted ownership, and it identifies circumstances in which access may be revoked. It does not establish that every digital purchase is revocable, or that every seller uses the same license terms.
Nor does a physical disc or cartridge automatically guarantee indefinite access. A game may depend on account access, downloads, updates, servers, or publisher support regardless of whether the buyer has a physical copy. When comparing editions, check what the specific version requires and whether it can be played offline.
Rank #4
- PRE-ORDER BONUS INCLUDES; Full game + a prestige skin set!
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Questions to check before choosing an edition
- Can the seller revoke access under the applicable license or platform terms?
- Can the game be installed and played offline, and does that remain true after setup or updates?
- Does the title require an account, servers, downloads, or ongoing publisher support?
- Is a disc or cartridge edition actually offered for your platform, and what does it contain?
The statute governs sales language and disclosures; it does not rank physical and digital copies by durability. California legislative analyses discuss consumers’ shift from physical media to digital libraries, but that context does not establish that every physical copy works independently of online services. Assembly policy committee analysis, April 2, 2024; Senate Judiciary Committee analysis, June 2024.
Why the law drew attention
The Office of Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin’s signing announcement attributed this assessment to Aaron Perzanowski, a University of Michigan law professor: “California is now the first state to recognize that when digital media retailers use terms like ‘buy’ and ‘purchase’ to advertise digital media licenses, they are engaged in false advertising.” Read the announcement. That is an attributed view about the law’s significance, not the statutory text or a judicial finding.
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