Age is a limit for many things in life and there is a certain age limit for airsoft players as well.
It is important to understand the matter of age because some players may be too young to participate in airsoft games, however, does it mean that kids can not play airsoft?
Of course not, they can enjoy it for as long as they want as long as they are supervised.
In short, how old do you have to be to participate in airsoft games and purchase airsoft guns in stores?
The age limit for airsoft depends from state to state, however, it is considered that the minimum age on average is 12 years old when supervised by an adult. There is no recommended age for playing airsoft as long as the rules are respected otherwise is not suggested by the law. It is often an age limit of 18 in most states across the world for purchasing an airsoft replica gun.
In order to provide you with complete information I have decided to make a summary of important age limits per state, I have managed to reach the data for most states across the globe.
After this, I will explain why age may sometimes matter in airsoft, just as what is the average age of an airsoft player and if can you perhaps be too old to play it.
Airsoft Age limits per state (field play limits and gun purchase limits)
| State | Field limit | Purchase limit |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Fields regulate the limit, not the law (most often the limit is 12) | 18 |
| Canada | The limit is 18, but kids can play it under supervision | 18 |
| United Kingdom | The limit is 18, but kids and teens can play with their parent’s permission | 18 |
| Ireland | Varies from field to field (most often it is 16), Can not be younger than 11 even with supervision | 18 |
| Bulgaria | Varies from fields (16-18) | 18 |
| Australia, Malaysia, China, Philippines, Singapore | Illegal/banned | Illegal/banned |
| Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, Switzerland, Sweden, Hungary | 18 | 18 |
| Netherlands | Need to be a member of NABV (Dutch Airsoft Sports Association) and 18 | 18 and a member of NABV |
| France | 18 for fields, but can still be used in private property | Under 18, but only guns to 295 FPS ( 464 Fps with 0.20 gram BBs is the maximum what is considered as an airsoft gun and adults can own them) |
| Germany | 14 is the limit and only up to 233 FPS are considered legal toys, otherwise are seen as air guns and the limit is 18 | 14 is the limit and only up to 233 FPS are considered legal toys, otherwise are seen as air guns and the limit is 18 |
| Italy | 14 with supervision, otherwise 18 | 18 |
| Mexico | Not regulated | Not regulated |
| Finland | Under 18 With permission of parents | Under 18 With permission of parents |
| Denmark | 16 with permission from parents | 18 |
| Japan | Under 18 and only for guns up to 320 FPS | 18 |
| Serbia | 16 | 16 |
| Norway | Under 18, but parent’s permission is required | 18 |
| Poland | No limits | 18 |
| New Zealand | Under 18 with supervision | 18 |
What is the average age of an airsoft player?
If you are new to airsoft you may get surprised by how big is the age spectrum of airsoft players in the fields.
When I was starting out I thought that I will only bump into very young people aged between 15 to 35 or something, because I am 24 years old and I thought that older people may not be that interested in playing „war games“ because I used to perceive them quite serious and I could not be more wrong.
It is quite often to see kids under the age of 15 playing airsoft whether supervised if so it stated by the law or without supervision and guys aged 60+ who are as grey as Gandalf but simply can not give up the idea of having fun.
We could conclude that the average age of an airsoft player is the late 20s and early 30s, but be prepared to face every age and know that no matter the age people are often awesome and this is what makes the airsoft community proud!
Do not get surprised to bump into an ex veteran
From time to time you may see the battle-tested veterans who own average airsoft players like it is a joke.
Those guys are often in their 40s or 50s and they are no joke.
It is a truly scary experience to play against them because they know all those real war tactics that they have used in real life, so if you observe them, you may learn a lot!
Airsoft is a replica of a war and special ops operations, so there certainly are many similarities, and knowing the real stuff puts you at the top of the airsoft hierarchy, I know some guys who play airsoft competitively that learn how to play in team formations from actual soldiers.
Can you be too old to play airsoft?
Being too old is not a thing in airsoft and you can not really be too old to play it! So let me explain.
Aging may not be fun, at least it is not to me, but it does not mean that you will have to plot a retirement plan from airsoft anytime soon unless you are 80+. As a matter of fact, I have seen some elderly players in their 70s that enjoy airsoft quite frankly. So, if you are below 70 do not even think that you can not do it!
The age, in this case, is more of a number and although aging puts its force on the bones, joints, muscles, lungs, and other body parts that age, I am of the opinion that if regular physical activity is a part of someone’s life routine, that someone should feel quite energetic and flexible even in a deep age.
Airsoft can be quite exhausting if you decide to play it that way, however, the beautiful thing about airsoft is that you can decide at what pace you want to play it.
Younger or overall more energetic players may take an approach that would be described as adventurous and of high adrenaline, but someone who does not want to move a lot and challenge their body can still play it by playing it smartly without rushing.
This means that if you tactically move from cover to cover, using your team to cover you and count on patience, intelligence, and good marksmanship skills, you can beat most of those highly active players.
Just do not count on speed soft, it might be a too-fast game mod for some people, however, it might be exactly what you need at your age, isn’t it?
Why does minimum age matter in airsoft?
Airsoft is a sport that requires responsibility from players and without a defined minimum age there would be more cases where people would get hurt. Although defined by the law, the minimum age is not always a barrier for players to join airsoft.
This is best seen in the case with kids, they can enjoy airsoft for as much as they want if they are supervised by their parents, guardian, or other older people who take the place of supervisors.
The minimum age is also present outside of the playing field, so there is an age limit for purchasing an airsoft replica gun. This is due to the reasons that airsoft guns can be quite dangerous if not treated properly and by this, I do not mean that they can kill a human being, but certainly can be a cause for some “unpleasant” injuries.
The age limits in airsoft replica gun stores are defined by federal law along with other safety measure laws such as the mandatory orange markings that have a role to identify a replica gun from a real gun.
Some people are of opinion that it does not really matter whether you put the age limit on something if there is still a way to acquire it by asking someone older to purchase it instead ( cigarettes, alcohol), but the law still applies these because although they can be avoided, are still effective in some percentage.
The age limits for Kids
When we discuss the minimal age, the first thing we think about is how well the kids who are keen on the idea that airsoft represents fit in. The minimal age is certainly there to establish some entry point at which the kids can join it.
Kids sometimes lack focus and responsibilities
I have seen kids being more responsible and focused on gameplay than many mature players in the fields. Some kids just understand how they should behave whether it comes from their nature or from the right parenting or supervision, but there are sometimes those kids that break the rules and do not understand the concept behind airsoft clearly.
With the minimum age and supervision, airsoft manages to establish some important guidance for players who join the field. I believe that there are more cheaters and people who do not take responsibility in airsoft in older player groups than in those with kids, yet it is not unusual to see kids breaking the rules or cheating.
There is not much to say about this because it eventually always ends up being an individual problem and should be treated as such.
I have written a parent’s guide on airsoft and kids where I talk about everything from safety to how the kids should behave with airsoft guns or in fields, so you can check it out if you are interested.
Can 10-13 years old kids play airsoft?
Parents often ask whether the kids aged 10, 11, 12, or 13 can play airsoft due to the fact that they are still quite young and some parents may be concerned about their safety.
Well, the answer is quite simple, if the state allows 10 to 13 years old kids to play airsoft under supervision then there is no reason why they would not.
However, the other and more important thing is safety, so it is important that they are thought to respect the rules and that they are aware of some injuries that may occur if the safety rules are broken.
With proper education and supervision, there is not a single problem why kids would not play airsoft.