A court in Beijing has ruled that online video game accounts can be inherited, recognizing that digital gaming assets with economic value form part of a person’s estate.
The ruling came after the mother of a deceased gamer sought access to her son’s gaming accounts, which he had built over more than 10 years through gameplay and paid purchases. The Shijingshan District Court heard the case after the gaming company refused to transfer the accounts, citing its user agreement.
The company argued that it owned the accounts and only granted users the right to use them. It also said gaming accounts were linked to individual users and could not be inherited.
87 Accounts Built Over a Decade
Court documents showed the deceased had created 87 gaming accounts over more than 10 years, collecting virtual items, character data and other digital assets through long-term investment of time and money.
After learning that the accounts carried financial value, his mother asked the company to transfer the usage rights. The request was rejected.
The court ruled that while the company owns and operates the gaming platform, users can hold inheritable property rights over digital assets that have independent economic value.
It held that game accounts, virtual items, character data and other digital assets accumulated through years of gameplay and purchases qualify as virtual property. The court ordered the company to cooperate in transferring the inheritable rights associated with the accounts to the deceased player’s mother.
The monetary value of the 87 accounts was not disclosed.
Part of a Broader Legal Shift
The judgment adds to a growing body of Chinese court rulings recognizing digital assets as inheritable property.
Previous decisions have extended inheritance rights to Bitcoin holdings, valuable gaming accounts, domain names and commercial rights linked to social media accounts. Courts have also distinguished these assets from private chat records, which remain protected and are generally archived by platform operators.
Chinese courts have further clarified that contractual clauses barring inheritance cannot override statutory inheritance rights.
The latest ruling is expected to influence how gaming companies and other digital platforms handle inheritance claims. As virtual assets continue to gain real-world value, the decision reinforces that digital property built through years of investment can be passed on to legal heirs under Chinese law.