ESRB Ratings

Early Childhood Rating

Mature Rating

Everyone Rating

Early Childhood Rating

Teen Rating


Adults Only Rating

Rating Pending

Early Childhood Rating

These games are good for children three and up and have no themes parents would find offensive.

Everyone Rating

These are great games for families and even adults. This content is generally suitable for ages 6 and older. They may contain some fantasy, cartoon, mild violence or even very infrequent mild language, but most children over the age of six are equipped to handle any theme.

Everyone 10+ Rating

These games may exhibit mild sexually suggestive themes and slightly more frequent mild language, more cartoon, mild fantasy or mild violence. They have content that may be suitable for children ages ten years old or older.

Teen Rating

These games are rated for children thirteen years of age or older. Often times these games have simulated gambling, more realistic violence and gore, sexual content, and infrequent use of strong language.

Mature Rating

Like R-rated movies these are for people seventeen and older. They contain strong language and intense violence for prolonged periods, blood, gore, and/or sexual content.

Adults Only Rating

These games are for people eighteen years of age and older. They often contain prolonged intense violence, nudity or graphic sexual content and should only be played by adults.

Rating Pending

This only applies to games that have not yet been released on the market. These games have been submitted to the ESRB but have not yet been officially rated. This symbol may appear in advertising when a game is waiting the final ESRB rating prior to the game’s release.

Submitting a game for ESRB rating isn’t mandatory, but all current console manufacturers require a game playable on their system to be submitted for rating, so nearly all software developers have their games rated. In addition, most retailers in the US have agreed to only carry ESRB rated games. So while the rating system is a voluntary one, every game you see on the shelves likely has an ESRB rating. The rating a game receives determines how a game may be marked, as well as what restrictions a retailer must place on sales.

The ESRB was formed in 1994, amidst rising concern over portrayals of adult content in video games. As of 2009 it has reviewed more than 18,000 games and assigned them ratings. As with the MPAA, the rating the ESRB gives a game is not an indication of quality (E is not for Excellent and T is not for Terrible) but rather an indication of what type of content you can expect to find in the game.

The lowest rating is EC, or early childhood. These games feature no content that the ESRB considers objectionable. The games are appropriate for children aged 3 and older. After EC, the next rating is E (for everyone). E rated games may contain mild cartoon or fantasy violence or infrequent use of mild language (darn it!). These games are intended for children 6 and up.

Next in line is E10+. As suggested by the name, these games are suitable for children aged ten or older. They contain more prevalent use of cartoon violence or language; and may also have mildly suggestive themes.

Teen is the next rating, symbolized (as one might suspect) by a T. Teen rated games are intended for children 13 and up. They may contain things such as crude humor, simulated gambling, some blood, suggestive themes, strong language, and higher levels of violence and suggestive themes than an E10+ game would.

The second to last stop in the ratings scale is mature, symbolized by M. Mature games are intended for people 17 and older. They may have blood and gore, sexual content, and pervasive strong language, intense violence, brief nudity, gambling, alcohol and drug use. Most retailers require you to show ID to purchase an M rated game.

The final game rating is Adults Only (AO). An adult only game can contain any of the themes in an M rated game in abundance. They may have prolonged scenes of graphic violence and/or sex. As the name indicates, AO games are only available to people 18 years of age or older.

In addition to the ESRB Ratings on video games the Recording Industry of America also has a Parental Advisory Label.

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