Using the photo mode of Death Stranding to bypass age verification

• The United Kingdom has mandated age verification starting July 25, 2025.
• Gamers are using the photo mode of Death Stranding to bypass age verification on Discord and Reddit.
• The Yoti technology, used by BlueSky, does not provide a workaround with the photo mode.

This is reported by Mezha, The Verge.

Starting July 25, 2025, a new legislative initiative will begin in the United Kingdom that requires various online platforms to mandate age verification for users from certain regions. This verification involves using recognition technology to identify faces, which, as it turns out, can be easily bypassed using the photo mode from the game Death Stranding.

This method of bypassing age verification has become popular among users of the Discord and Reddit platforms, which utilize services for facial recognition, such as k-ID and Persona, respectively. To do this, one needs to activate the photo mode in the game, forcing the character, Sam Bridges, to pose for the camera.

User Dany Sterkhov was the first to share this information, demonstrating how the photo mode can help bypass age verification. In Discord, the k-ID verification requires performing certain actions, such as blinking and closing the character's mouth, while in Reddit - changing the facial expression. In both cases, these actions can be easily performed through the detailed photo mode of the game.

Notably, the BlueSky platform, which also requires age verification, employs the Yoti technology, which does not provide a workaround with the photo mode of the game Death Stranding. Yoti is also used on Instagram for age verification.

Tags: Technology/Computer Games