Content ratings for Stadia games

Content ratings for games help you understand whether a game’s content may be appropriate for players, based on the players’ maturity levels.

What content ratings tell you about a game

Content ratings are used to suggest the minimum maturity level that players should have to experience a game’s content. These content ratings are based on a number of factors, including the amount of: sexual content, violence, drugs, gambling, and profane language. The factors that dictate the content rating of a game is listed next to the game’s rating. On Stadia, each game’s content rating will also include information on whether a game contains add-on purchases or if players interact online.

Rating standards by country or region

Local ratings authorities maintain guidelines which are used to determine the maturity level of the content in a game.

The ratings you see used for Stadia games vary by country or region. Check your country or region below for more information.

North America

Ratings in North America are maintained by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

Rating	Description
	EVERYONE Content is generally suitable for all ages. May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
	EVERYONE 10+ Content is generally suitable for ages 10 and up. May contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.
	TEEN Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.
	MATURE Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
	ADULTS ONLY Content suitable only for adults ages 18 and up. May include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content and/or gambling with real currency.

Learn more on the ESRB website

 

Europe

Most game ratings in Europe are maintained by Pan European Game Information (PEGI).

Rating	Description
	PEGI 3 The content of games with this rating is considered suitable for all age groups. Some violence in a comical context (typically cartoonlike - Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry - forms of violence) is acceptable. A child should not be able to associate the character on the screen with real life characters, they should be distinctly fantasy. The game should not contain any sounds or pictures that are likely to scare young children. No bad language should be heard.
	PEGI 7 Any game that would normally be rated at 3 but contains some scenes or sounds that can possibly be frightening for children may be considered suitable in this category. There can only be very mild violence in a PEGI 7 game, like implied violence or non-detailed, non-realistic violence.
	PEGI 12 Games that show violence of a slightly more graphic nature towards fantasy characters, or non-graphic violence towards human-looking characters or animals would fall in this age category, as well as nudity of a slightly more graphic nature and simulated gambling. Any bad language in this category must be mild and fall short of sexual expletives.
	PEGI 16 Once the depiction of violence or sexual activity reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real life, this rating is applied. Stronger inappropriate language, encouraging the use of tobacco or drugs and depicting criminal activities can be content of games that are rated 16.
	PEGI 18 The adult classification is applied when the level of violence reaches a stage where it becomes a depiction of gross violence and/or includes elements of specific types of violence (motiveless killing, violence towards defenceless characters or sexual violence). It may also include graphic sexual content, discrimination or the glamorisation of illegal drugs use.
	PARENTAL GUIDANCE RECOMMENDED Games do not always have predefined content that can be classified beforehand. Certain games function as portals (e.g. to stream content), offering a broad, variable range of content from which consumers can choose. For these games, we use the parental guidance icon, alerting parents that the game may provide access to content that is not appropriate for their child, although other, age-appropriate content may also be available, depending on the selection of the user.

Learn more on the PEGI website

Germany

Ratings in Germany are maintained by Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK).

Rating	Description
	All ages Games without age restriction feature contents without youth protection relevance. They can be directly aimed at children and young persons but also at an adult audience.
	USK: Ages 6 and above Games in this category can contain elements that may not be appropriate for pre-school children. They may contain occasional scary moments, a low accumulation of mild cursing or subtle erotic innuendo. If violent imageries are present they remain abstract and are not decisive for the overall product. Games in this age category can still be categorized as family-friendly but involve more exciting and competitive aspects.
	USK: Ages 12 and above Games in this category can have an impairing effect on younger children through the inclusion of scary elements, shock effects, some explicit language, sexual contents or occasional violent imageries. Games in this category can feature much more of a competitive edge and hectic gameplay. Please keep in mind that in social networks or user-generated content might generally contribute to the youth protection relevance.
	USK: Ages 16 and above Some realistically designed displays of violence, an accumulation of shock and horror elements, consistently explicit language or games with an erotic or sexual focus are summarized in this category. Games frequently feature armed combat, a framework story and military missions. The genres in this categorization also include action adventures, military strategy games and first person shooter.
	USK: Ages 18 and above Among other aspects such as the unquestioned display of drug use for example, realistic and explicit violence is the most common reason for the 18+ classification of these games. Games in this age category virtually always involve violent game concepts that are prominent in the majority of game objectives.

Learn more on the USK website