fbpx

ESRB Blog

What Parents Need to Know About Virtual Reality (VR) and video games. ESRB Ratings.
Featured Blog Post

What Parents Need to Know About VR

Originally published on May 19, 2022. Updated to include current information about VR headsets, pricing, technology, and more. Over the years VR has gone from a science fiction pipedream to a household staple for millions of families. Like with any emerging technology, parents and caregivers will want to know more about how they can keep […]

Read the Full Story
View All Blog Posts Press Releases Webinars
Half of All ESRB Ratings Assigned in 2021 Were E for Everyone Blog. E for Everyone icon.
Feb 28, 2023

Half of All ESRB Ratings Assigned in 2022 Were E for Everyone

alt=""
Feb 10, 2023

What Parents Need to Know About Hogwarts Legacy

email icon

Keep up to date!

Sign up for email alerts and the latest news from ESRB.


A mother and daughter sitting on a couch with a tablet.
Feb 7, 2023

How Parents Can Make Every Day Safer Internet Day

By Patricia E. Vance, President, ESRB
Alt = ""
Dec 14, 2022

What Parents Need to Know About Shopping for Video Game Consoles

By Patricia E. Vance, President, ESRB
Family Gaming Guide Logo
Nov 22, 2022

Welcome Back to ESRB’s Family Gaming Guide

alt=""
Nov 18, 2022

What Parents Need to Know About Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

By Max Jay, Senior Manager, Communications
alt=""
Nov 1, 2022

What Parents Need to Know About Managing Screen Time

By Patricia E. Vance, President, ESRB
Useful tips for protecting your children’s privacy in mobile games from ESRB Privacy Certified
Oct 28, 2022

What Parents Need to Know About Privacy in Mobile Games: Five Tips for Your Parenting Toolkit

By Stacy Feuer, Sr. Vice President, Privacy Certified
1 2 3 … 18

Did You Know?

67% of the ESRB ratings assigned to physical and console downloadable video games in 2022 were either E (Everyone) or E10+ (Everyone 10+).

Learn More

Did You Know?

84% of parents who purchase physical video games for their children are aware of ESRB ratings and 74% regularly check them before buying a game. (Source: Hart Research Associates, 2022)

Learn More

Did You Know?

Most parents consider each part (Rating Category, Content Descriptors, Interactive Elements) of the ESRB rating system to be either “very” or “extremely” important when deciding if a game or app is appropriate for their kids. (Source: Hart Research Associates, 2022)

Learn More

Did You Know?

Industry guidelines, which are enforced by the ESRB, prohibit the inappropriate target marketing of Mature-rated games.

Learn More

Did You Know?

ESRB has an enforcement system which allows for the imposition of sanctions, fines (including fines up to $1 million), and corrective actions on publishers for non-compliance with its guidelines.

Learn More

Did You Know?

According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission 87% of kids under the age of 17 are turned away when trying to buy an M-rated game at retail.

Learn More

Did You Know?

The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote: “This [ESRB rating] system does much to ensure that minors cannot purchase seriously violent games on their own, and that parents who care about the matter can readily evaluate the games their children bring home.”

Learn More

Did You Know?

The E (Everyone) rating was originally called K-A (Kids to Adults) but was changed in 1998.

Learn More

Did You Know?

The ESRB rating system has three parts – Rating Categories, Content Descriptors and Interactive Elements, the latter of which were introduced in 2013.

Learn More

Did You Know?

Introduced in 2008, Rating Summaries provide greater detail about the content in physical games rated by the ESRB, and are exclusively available on this website or the ESRB mobile app by conducting a title search.

Learn More

Did You Know?

ESRB uses more than 30 different Content Descriptors to help communicate what’s in a game.

Learn More

Did You Know?

The FTC considers the ESRB to have “the strongest self-regulatory code” among media rating systems in the U.S. and has confirmed that retailers maintain a high store policy compliance rate.

Learn More

Did You Know?

Founded in 2013 by many of the world’s leading video game rating authorities, the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) administers the first globally streamlined age classification process for digital games and mobile apps that respects the unique cultural norms of each region.

Learn More

Did You Know?

In 1999 ESRB Privacy Online (now called ESRB Privacy Certified) launched its certification program and was sanctioned by the FTC as a “Safe Harbor” under Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Learn More

Did You Know?

More than 70% of parents would be more comfortable allowing their children to download and play a game certified by ESRB Privacy Certified (Source: Hart Research Associates, 2018).

Learn More

Did You Know?

It’s never too late to have “the conversation” with your kids about what, when, and how they can play!

Learn More

Did You Know?

Activating parental controls on your children’s video game devices helps you enforce house rules, such as limiting play time, blocking games with certain ESRB ratings, and managing in-game spending.

Learn More

Did You Know?

The average gamer is 33 years old.

Learn More

Proud member of

Search ESRB.org

© 2023 Entertainment Software Association. The ESRB rating icons are registered trademarks of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.