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To stop in-game spending, first identify which account and payment service processes the purchase. A game played on a console may bill through the console account; a phone game may use Apple or Google Play billing—or a developer’s own payment system. A restriction in one place will not necessarily block purchases made through another.
Use the platform instructions below for the account or store that handles the charge. Where exact purchase-blocking steps could not be verified for a platform, that limitation is called out rather than replaced with a screen-time setting.
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Find the account and payment route first
Check the receipt, transaction history, or purchase prompt to see which account or service is charging you. The device the game runs on is not always the billing provider. For example, Nintendo directs families to device settings for purchases made inside smart-device apps, while Google Play purchase approvals cover only purchases billed through Google Play.
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- If the charge appears on a console or store account, use that account’s family, parental-control, or purchase settings.
- If the purchase is billed by Apple or Google Play, use the phone or family-account controls for that store.
- If the charge is processed by a game developer or another payment service, console or app-store controls may not apply. Check the payment route shown at checkout.
PlayStation: set a child account’s monthly spending limit
Sony documents a Monthly Spending Limit as a child parental control managed through PlayStation family settings. First set up a family and add the child as a family member. This is not a universal purchase-off switch for every PlayStation account or payment route.
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- Sign in as the family manager and open one of these routes: Account Management > Family Management on the web; PS5 Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management; PS4 Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management; or the PlayStation Family app.
- Select the child account and configure its Monthly Spending Limit.
- If you change controls while the child is playing, have the child sign out and back in so the changes take effect.
Because the control is attached to the child account, Sony says a change can apply across that child’s devices.
Xbox: don’t mistake playtime limits for a purchase block
The Microsoft Family Safety instructions available here describe app and game time limits for connected Windows, Xbox, and Android devices; they do not establish a purchase-blocking control. In the Family Safety app, the documented time-limit route is to select a family member, choose the platform, open Set time limits > Apps and games (wording may vary by interface), enable limits, select a game, and set a schedule or daily amount. That limits use, not spending.
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Exact current Xbox purchase-restriction steps could not be verified from the Xbox support material available for this article. Do not rely on a time limit as a substitute for purchase approval or a spending restriction; check Xbox’s current account and family settings for the purchase control applicable to the account.
Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Account: distinguish eShop from app purchases
Nintendo purchase restrictions depend on the linked account and where the purchase is made. For a child or supervised Nintendo Account, a parent or guardian can set restrictions on eShop purchases and off-device Nintendo Store purchases. Purchases made inside a smart-device app need to be restricted through that device’s settings.
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- For eShop or Nintendo Store purchases, use the parent or guardian Nintendo Account settings to manage restrictions for the child or supervised account.
- For a purchase inside a phone or tablet app, use the device’s purchase controls instead of relying on the Switch settings.
- Use Switch system or app parental controls for their documented purposes, such as age ratings, communication, or playtime. Nintendo Account purchase restrictions are a separate control.
Nintendo says its app’s controls become active when the console connects online. A Switch PIN by itself should not be treated as a block on every purchase made through a linked account or phone app.
iPhone and iPad: block in-app purchases with Screen Time
Apple provides a direct blocked setting for in-app purchases. Turn on Screen Time, then follow this route:
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- Open Settings > Screen Time and enable Screen Time.
- Go to Apps & Websites > App Store > In-app Purchases.
- Choose Blocked.
Apple also offers the option to require a password for future App Store purchases. For a child in Family Sharing, a family organizer can use Ask to Buy so eligible purchases require approval. These Apple controls apply to purchases handled by Apple; they do not establish a block on a developer’s separate payment route.
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Android: require approval for Google Play purchases
A parent or family manager can set Google Play purchase approvals for a family member, including an Only in-app purchases option. The documented Play Store route is:
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- Open the Play Store and tap Profile > Settings > Family > Manage family members.
- Select the family member, then open Purchase approvals.
- Choose the approval setting that covers the purchases you want to review, such as Only in-app purchases.
Family Link offers another route through the child’s profile: Controls > Google Play. Google Play approval and authentication settings apply only to purchases made through Google Play billing. If a game offers an alternative developer billing system, those Google Play settings do not control that payment.
PC: use the game storefront’s controls, not a Windows-wide assumption
The available official guidance does not establish a universal Windows switch that disables every PC game purchase. The right control depends on the storefront and billing provider used by the game.
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Epic’s guidance recommends considering removal of stored payment methods to control purchases made through Epic Games on PC. Epic’s parental-control information also distinguishes purchases processed by other platforms from controls for purchases made through Epic. Removing a stored payment method is a storefront-specific measure, not a Windows-wide spending lock, and it does not cover another saved payment route.
Other PC storefronts
For another storefront, inspect that account’s saved payment methods and its own family or purchase controls. The exact steps and coverage vary by store. Steam-specific purchase-blocking steps are not established here, so do not assume that a particular Steam setting blocks every purchase or in-game payment.
Check what the restriction actually covers
After changing a setting, match it to the payment route you identified at the start. A control can block a transaction, require approval, limit a child account’s spending, or only limit how long someone can play; those outcomes are not interchangeable.
Quick Recap
- Confirm the restriction is on the account that will make the purchase, especially when a child uses more than one device.
- Check whether the game’s payment prompt uses the platform store or a separate developer billing system.
- Do not treat a playtime schedule as a spending control: the Microsoft Family Safety guidance described above is for time limits.
- For an account or storefront whose purchase controls are not documented here, verify the current provider settings rather than assuming a device-level restriction will cover it.
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