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ESRB and PEGI are regional video game rating systems: ESRB is used in the United States and Canada, while PEGI is used across Europe. Their labels and procedures differ, so an ESRB age number does not convert directly to a PEGI number. To judge a game for your child, check the rating for the exact regional release, read its content and online-feature notices, and consider your family’s rules and the child’s maturity.
Where ESRB and PEGI ratings apply
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates games for the United States and Canada. PEGI—the Pan European Game Information system—is used across Europe. A game can have different ratings by region or release, so compare the rating attached to the specific version you are considering rather than assuming that one system’s number maps to the other.
What the age categories mean
ESRB categories
ESRB uses named categories, including E (Everyone), E10+ (Everyone 10+), T (Teen), M (Mature 17+), and AO (Adults Only 18+). The category appears with content descriptors, which identify material such as violence or language. Check the exact ESRB entry for a title before relying on a category description or boundary.
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PEGI’s age labels are 3, 7, 12, 16, and 18. They indicate age suitability, not how difficult a game is or what skills a player needs. PEGI also provides descriptors explaining why a category was assigned.
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Do not treat the numbers as a shared scale. A PEGI 12 rating and an ESRB E10+ rating come from different systems; the printed numbers alone do not establish equivalent content or suitability.
Read the content and online notices, not just the age label
ESRB content descriptors identify game content. Its separate Interactive Elements can flag online features and purchases. ESRB explains that these elements “do not influence the rating assignment of a product”; they are additional information, not reasons for the age category. PEGI descriptors explain the content behind its age label, and a PEGI game page may also provide consumer information about purchases.
Before choosing a game, look for the specific issues that matter to your household: for example, the type of content described, whether players can communicate online, and whether the game offers purchases. A rating category by itself does not answer every question about how a child will experience a game.
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How the ratings are assigned
The systems use different procedures, and the process also varies between physical and digital releases.
- ESRB physical releases: ESRB describes a process involving trained raters.
- ESRB digital games: ESRB uses questionnaires based on the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) process.
- PEGI: Publishers complete a content questionnaire to receive a provisional rating, followed by administrative review. IARC supports ratings on digital storefronts.
These process differences are another reason not to infer equivalence or claim that one system is universally stricter by comparing its printed age labels with the other’s.
How to check a game before your child plays
- Identify the market and version. Note whether the box or storefront shows ESRB or PEGI, and check that it is the regional release and platform you intend to use.
- Read the category and every descriptor. Use the age label as a starting point, then inspect the content details rather than converting the number into the other system’s scale.
- Check online and purchase information. Look for ESRB Interactive Elements or any additional information on the PEGI game page, especially notices about communication and spending.
- Look up the exact title. If the package or store listing is unclear, search the official ESRB or PEGI rating database for the title and platform.
- Set the controls that fit your household. Use the platform’s available settings for game access, chat or other online interaction, spending, and play time. The settings and steps depend on the platform.
- Make the final decision for your child. Consider the child’s maturity and your family’s expectations alongside the rating and notices.
Ratings are guidance, not an individual recommendation
Neither label guarantees that a game will suit every child. Two children of the same age may respond differently to content, and a rating does not replace a parent’s judgment about online interaction, purchases, or family rules. Platform controls can add boundaries around access, communication, spending, browsing, and time; PEGI provides guidance on parental controls, and ESRB offers parent tools. The exact options are determined by the platform.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What ESRB’s recent figures do—and do not—show
ESRB reported assigning more than 6,500 ratings in 2025 to physical and console-downloadable games. Among those games, it reported 52% E, 15% E10+, 23% T, and 10% M. ESRB also characterized 90% as appropriate for a 13-year-old; that is the organization’s framing of its ratings, not a universal recommendation for an individual child.
On its parent-tools page, ESRB reported that 65% of ratings it assigned to physical and console-downloadable games in 2024 were E or E10+. That figure describes the ratings in that scope, not an independent estimate of all games or families’ views.
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Sources for checking ratings and controls
- ESRB ratings and rating information
- ESRB tools for parents
- PEGI age labels and content descriptors
- PEGI rating process
- PEGI parental controls guidance
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