Season

Many online games divide their calendar into seasons, much like sports. Each season lasts a set time – frequently between one and three months – and comes with its own theme, new content, a fresh battle pass, limited-time events and sometimes changes to the map or rules. When it ends, a new season begins and certain things reset.

What resets and what stays

The details vary by game. In ranked modes, competitive ranks often reset partially each season, so players climb again. Seasonal rewards and passes expire. Your account, purchased items and most unlocked content normally remain. Some games also run “seasonal” characters or servers that start everyone from scratch and later merge them into the main game.

Why games use seasons

For developers, seasons create a steady rhythm: a schedule for new content, regular reasons for players to return and a clear moment to launch new items for sale. For players, each season brings novelty and a sense of a fresh start, which can make an old game feel new. Seasons are a core part of live-service games.

The flip side is the fear of missing out. Limited-time seasonal rewards are designed to encourage regular play before they disappear, and some items never return. PEGI’s criteria for games submitted from June 2026 take this kind of design into account, with minimum ratings for time-limited offers and for features that reward or penalise how often players return.

Keeping seasons in proportion

It helps to treat each season as optional rather than a deadline. Players who skip a season can usually return to the next one without being disadvantaged. For parents, knowing when a season ends explains sudden bursts of urgency (“I have to finish this tonight”) and makes it easier to plan around them calmly.