The ESRB logo
The Electronic Software Rating Board (ESRB) is the American organization which rates the video games released in North America. In Australia it is the Australian Classification Board (ACB), in Europe it is the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) and in Germany it is the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK). The ESRB has been widely criticized for its lack of strictness, with its critics stating that the ESRB rates games much lower than it deserves, so more copies of the game will be sold.[citation needed]
Current Ratings[]
| Image | Name | Meaning |
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Everyone (E) | Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for all ages. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. It is the equivalent of a G rated movie. |
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Everyone 10+ (E10+) | Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, and/or minimal suggestive themes. It is the equivalent of a PG rated movie. |
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Teen (T) | Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood and/or infrequent use of strong language. It is the equivalent of a PG-13 rated movie. |
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Mature 17+ (M) | Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, knives, alcohol and/or strong language. It is the equivalent of a R rated movie. none of them being Nintendo games were rated M. |
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Adults Only 18+ (AO) | Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence, frequent use of Strong Language and/or graphic sexual content, pornography and nudity. It is the equivalent of a NC-17 rated movie. Only 25 games have been given this rating, none of them being Nintendo games. |
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Rating Pending (RP) | Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) - have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to an upcoming game's release.) It is the equivalent of Not Rated (NR). |
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Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+ (RP) | Titles listed as RP 17+ (Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+) - have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating, but are anticipated to carry a "Mature" rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to an upcoming game's release.) It is the equivalent of Not Rated (NR). |
Former Ratings[]
| Image | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
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Early Childhood (EC) | Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate. It is the equivalent of a TV-Y rated TV show. No games created by Nintendo are rated EC for unknown reasons, the others were Rated M and Rated AO. In April 2018 the rating was retired. |
The Legend of Zelda Ratings[]
Although the Zelda games have been around longer than the ESRB, every main Zelda game has an ESRB rating due to re-releases. Almost all have been rated E for Everyone.
Notes
- ↑ Majora's Mask was rated E by the ESRB until it was re-released via Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.