Is this game appropriate for kids? An age rating is a useful starting point, but it does not answer every question a parent may have. This guide explains how to check violence, language, horror, online communication, user-generated content, privacy, spending, parental controls, and playtime settings before a child starts a new game.
Overview
A video game age rating is not a complete suitability verdict. It is a signal that should be read alongside the game’s content descriptors, platform features, online design, and the individual child’s age and sensitivities.
Start by identifying the exact version of the game. A standard edition, mobile version, cloud version, downloadable expansion, or later seasonal update may not offer the same content or settings. If you are comparing editions, our guide to standard, deluxe, and ultimate game editions can help separate included content from optional extras.
Ratings also differ by region. The ESRB is commonly used in the United States and Canada, while PEGI is widely used in Europe and other markets. Neither system replaces your own review of online features or spending tools. Treat the rating as one checkpoint in a broader decision.
| What to check | ESRB approach | PEGI approach | What parents should ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age guidance | Age category plus content descriptors | Age category plus content descriptors | Does the recommended age fit the child’s maturity and experience? |
| Violence and language | Descriptors may identify violence, blood, gore, or language | Descriptors may identify violence, bad language, or related themes | Is the presentation cartoon-like, realistic, frequent, or avoidable? |
| Horror and fear | May be covered by descriptors such as horror or intense themes | May identify fear or horror-related content | Could the atmosphere, sound, or sudden events upset the child? |
| Online interaction | Online interaction and user communication may be identified separately from the age rating | Online features may be explained through product or platform information | Can strangers contact the child, and can voice or text chat be disabled? |
| Purchases | In-game purchases and related features may be disclosed | In-game purchases and other monetization details may be disclosed | Are purchases optional, recurring, randomised, or linked to competitive play? |
| Privacy and data | Check the game, account, device, and platform privacy notices | Check the same notices for the relevant region and service | What account information, voice data, or activity data is collected? |
| Controls and playtime | Usually managed through the console, PC account, mobile device, or family settings | Usually managed through the relevant platform or family account | Can you require approval, set spending limits, and manage playtime? |
Rating labels and descriptors can change by market or product version, so check the official rating entry and the platform listing for the copy your family will use.
Checklist by scenario
For a single-player game
- Read the age category and every listed content descriptor, not just the number or label.
- Check whether violence is frequent, realistic, graphic, or central to progression.
- Look for language, sexual themes, substance references, frightening scenes, and emotionally intense subjects.
- Confirm whether the game contains optional purchases, advertisements, or links to external services.
- Check whether an internet connection or account is required even when the main experience is single-player.
For an online multiplayer game
- Find out whether text chat, voice chat, direct messages, or friend requests are enabled by default.
- Check whether the child can mute, block, report, or limit contact from other players.
- Ask whether matchmaking pairs the child with strangers and whether usernames or profiles reveal personal information.
- Look for user-generated maps, images, messages, skins, or videos. These features can introduce material that is not represented by the main campaign rating.
- Explain that a child should not share a real name, school, location, passwords, phone number, or household details in chat.
For games played across different systems, settings may need to be repeated on the console, PC launcher, mobile device, and game account. Cross-platform features can also introduce a separate account or communication layer. See our guide to cross-play and cross-progression when checking how accounts and friends lists work.
For a free-to-play game
- Identify the currencies used and whether the game has one or several ways to spend money.
- Check for battle passes, cosmetic shops, timed offers, randomised rewards, subscription options, and paid progression.
- Decide in advance whether purchases are allowed, whether approval is required, and what the household limit is.
- Remove stored payment details where appropriate and enable purchase authentication or family approval.
- Explain that limited-time offers are designed to create urgency, but the child does not need to buy them immediately.
For a clearer explanation of common models, read our guide to battle passes, seasons, gacha, and in-game purchases.
For a younger child or a first online game
- Play the opening section together and observe how the game handles chat, rewards, failure, and requests for information.
- Use a child account rather than sharing an adult account.
- Set a short, predictable play window and agree what happens when time ends.
- Choose private matches, approved friends, or offline modes where the game allows it.
- Make a simple reporting plan: leave the session, block the player, report the account, and tell a trusted adult.
What to double-check
Violence and language: Consider presentation as well as presence. Cartoon violence may affect children differently from realistic injury, and a low frequency of strong language may still matter to your household. A rating descriptor tells you what to investigate; it does not measure how a particular child will react.
Horror and disturbing themes: Check trailers, gameplay footage, and spoiler-light parent guides for atmosphere, jump scares, threatening enemies, grief, illness, or other difficult subjects. A game can be unsuitable because of tension or imagery even when its violence is limited.
Chat and privacy: Review the game’s privacy notice and the platform’s communication controls. Find out what information is required to create an account, whether voice communication is recorded or moderated, and how to delete or manage the account. If the information is unclear, restrict communication until you can verify the setting.
User-generated content: Player-created levels, messages, images, and names may change over time. Ask whether content is filtered, whether parental controls cover it, and how quickly inappropriate material can be reported.
Spending: Check the store before the child plays. Some games place purchases in menus, while others present them during play or connect them to timed events. Review the platform’s current family-account guidance rather than relying on an old walkthrough, because menus and controls can change.
Playtime: A timer is useful, but it is not a complete routine. Agree on start and stop points, pauses, school-night rules, and what happens if a match cannot be stopped immediately. For games with long sessions or ongoing multiplayer matches, choose a safe stopping point before play begins.
Common mistakes
- Relying only on the age number: The descriptor and the actual game features provide important context.
- Assuming offline means risk-free: An offline game can still contain frightening themes, purchases, or links to external accounts.
- Checking only the launch version: Updates, expansions, events, and new online features can change the experience. Read patch notes or store notices when a game adds a major feature; our guide to reading video game patch notes explains what to look for.
- Setting controls once and forgetting them: Account changes, a new device, or a shared family console can leave settings less restrictive than intended.
- Using an adult account: This can expose payment details, saved personal information, purchases, and communication tools that are not appropriate for a child.
- Making rules without testing the game: A short shared session often reveals menus, chat prompts, reward systems, and difficulty issues that a store page does not explain.
When to revisit
Use this checklist whenever a child asks for a new game, but repeat the review at key moments: before a birthday or holiday purchase, when a game moves from offline to online play, after a major update, when a new expansion is installed, or when the child starts using a different platform.
Recheck official rating listings, the game’s privacy information, platform family settings, communication options, and purchase controls. Settings and menus can change, and a previously acceptable game may gain new social or monetisation features. Keep a short household record of which account is used, whether chat is allowed, who can approve purchases, and the agreed playtime routine.
The practical test is simple: identify the content, understand the contact and spending risks, set controls before play, and talk through what the child should do if something feels uncomfortable. If you cannot verify a feature, start with the most restrictive setting and review it after you have tested the game together.
