Assembly BillPassed first houseBusiness and Professions
AB 1921: Digital games: ordinary use.
What AB 1921 does, verified July 1, 2026
This bill requires digital game operators to provide specified information to purchasers and prospective purchasers 60 days before they cease to provide services necessary for the ordinary use of the game. The operator must communicate this information, including the reason for discontinuation, and provide an alternate version of the game, a patch or update, or a refund. The operator is prohibited from selling, leasing, or distributing a version of the game that cannot be used independently. The Attorney General or a District Attorney can bring a civil action for violating these provisions.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Set, first hearing. Failed passage. Reconsideration granted. (2026-06-29)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions21 total · showing 5
| Jun. 29, 2026 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Failed passage. Reconsideration granted. |
| Jun. 23, 2026 | From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D. |
| Jun. 23, 2026 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on B. P. & E.D. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (June 22). Re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D. |
| Jun. 10, 2026 | Referred to Coms. on P., D.T., & C.P. and B. P. & E.D. |
| May. 28, 2026 | In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. |
Latest bill textAmended version, June 23, 2026 · 1,317 words
| Amended IN Senate June 23, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly May 18, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 06, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly March 19, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1921
| Introduced by Assembly Member Ward |
February 12, 2026 |
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. Digital games: 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, 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 that 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, with regard to digital games first available for purchase or rereleased for purchase on or after January 1, 2027, 2028, 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, game. The bill would, 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 with, among other things, 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 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.
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 be20662.
For purposes of this(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.
20664.
(a) The following shall apply only to a digital game first available for purchase or rereleased for purchase on or after January 1,(1) (A) 60 Sixty 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. the highest price of the digital game offered by the digital game operator within the 12 months before the digital game operator ceases providing services necessary for the ordinary use of the digital game.
(D) All necessary documentation to allow the purchaser to host a private or community server with which the purchaser could make ordinary use of the game independent of services controlled by the operator.
(E) (i) Subject to clause (ii), a version of server software that the game may connect to in order to make ordinary use of the game independent of other ongoing services.
(ii) If the server software contains additional hardware or software requirements than what was necessary for the original game, clause (i) shall apply only if the operator has communicated that fact to the purchaser and the additional hardware or software requirements are reasonably attainable at the time services by the digital operator cease.
(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.Text of AB 1921 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions