How to Restrict Games on Windows
Step-by-step guide to use Microsoft Family Safety to control which PC games your child can play, set time limits, and restrict mature content on Windows.
- 1
Set up a Microsoft Family group.
Go to family.microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft account. Add your child as a family member (they need their own Microsoft account).
- 2
Ensure your child uses their own Windows account.
On the gaming PC, create a separate Windows user for your child linked to their Microsoft account. Family Safety only works on child accounts, not your admin account.
- 3
Set content restrictions for apps and games.
In Family Safety > your child > Content Restrictions > Apps and Games, set the age rating limit. Games rated above this level will be blocked from launching.
- 4
Block specific games if needed.
Under 'Always blocked', you can add specific games or apps by name that should never run on your child's account, regardless of rating.
- 5
Set screen time limits.
Family Safety > Screen Time > set daily time limits and allowed hours. You can set different limits for weekdays vs weekends.
- 6
Enable activity reporting.
Turn on activity reporting to receive weekly emails showing which games your child played, for how long, and when.
- 7
Lock the admin account.
Set a strong password on the admin Windows account. Without this, your child can simply switch users to bypass all restrictions.
Why this matters
Windows has no built-in age gate for launching games. Without Family Safety, your child can install and play any game from Steam, Epic, or the web — including M-rated titles with graphic violence and voice chat with strangers. Restricting at the OS level is the only way to enforce age-appropriate gaming on PC.
How Koda Safety helps beyond settings
Microsoft Family Safety controls which games can run, but it does not monitor what happens inside those games. Koda Safety fills this gap — monitoring voice and text chat within allowed games and alerting you when conversations become dangerous.
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