President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the 8% tax on violent video games, approved in the 2026 Income Law, will not be collected due to classification challenges. Instead, educational campaigns on the effects of these games on youth and adolescents will be promoted. This decision comes amid a surge in video game sales during the holiday season.
In her morning conference on December 24, 2025, at the National Palace, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo explained that the fiscal measure has 'many complications' in determining which games qualify as violent. 'It is very difficult to distinguish between a video game that has violence and one that does not, so how are you going to impose a tax, who is going to determine that circumstance,' stated the president. The tax, approved by Congress last November as part of the 2026 Economic Package, aimed to discourage consumption of these contents and raise funds against violence, but was set to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Sheinbaum indicated that, instead of taxing sales, the government will opt for campaigns focused on 'peace building and addictions.' 'Many of those games are online and generate video game addiction, which costs money and also promotes violent behavior,' she added. Health Secretary David Kershenobich supported the decision by highlighting the growth of violence in video games and its link to other addictions, such as alcohol and drugs, according to the National Consumption Survey. 'It is a new phenomenon... we have to analyze video game content very carefully,' he noted.
The measure was pushed in an expanding market: according to the Santa Claus Digital 2025 study by The CIU, video game sales in the fourth quarter grow up to 90%, accounting for 37-38% of technology sales with revenues of 16,394 million pesos. Analysts like Fabrizio Vargas from The CIU emphasize that Christmas is the 'moment when most spending is concentrated' in this sector. Console prices rose an average of 11% over the past year, with increases up to 70% on the Nintendo Switch 2, but the tax impact would be limited, according to David Santiváñez Antúnez of GameMetron, as gamers seek international deals.
Political reactions included support from Ricardo Monreal, Morena leader in the Chamber of Deputies, who awaits a reform initiative from the Treasury to amend the law in February 2026. Deputy Laura Ballesteros from Movimiento Ciudadano celebrated the reversal as correcting an 'error' that criminalized Mexico's gamer community, a powerhouse in Latin America.
