ESRB Ratings In Video Games

Problems with the ESRB

The ESRB ratings are not perfect for various reasons, such as having different systems in other countries or games released but having their rating changed years later.

Game Franchise Changing Ratings from M to T

Video game journalist Ben Kuchera criticized the M rating on Halo 3, calling the ratings too broad and comparing the violence in the game to a PG-13 Star Wars movie. The Halo series is officially rated T on their 5th installment.

Game Rated T in North America and E in other Regions

The ESRB is a rating system issued only in North America (Canada, the U.S., and Mexico), while other countries or regions have their own rating system based on it. For example, the PS2 exclusive Dog’s Life has been rated T for teens in North America (ESRB, 2003) due to crude humor, such as having game mechanics, including farting, pooping, and peeing. However, European releases of the game are rated for ages Three and up, despite these ratings ignoring some strong language, use of firearms, and gruesome implied deaths throughout the very end of the game (Dog’s Life Wikipedia Page). 

Video Game developer Natalia Martinsson of Killmonday Games, who lives in Sweden, told us about her experiences with game ratings in the US and elsewhere.

Game Rating Changes From M to AO

If a game release and footage means to misrepresent the ESRB rating, the studio behind the game development could be penalized $1 million (Wikipedia). The first controversy concerning game-changing ratings after release is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Originally released with an M rating, modding communities found a minigame within the source code removed from the final game, which changed the ratings to Adults Only (ESRB, 2005). Despite this minigame cut out from the game, the content sparked outrage and legal trouble, forcing it to change the rating and developers Rockstar to reissue game copies and get fined $20 million. The controversy impacts games today when modding inaccessible content (ESRB ratings Wikipedia, 2005). 

Game Rating Changes From T to M

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, released in 2006, had the ratings change from T to M due to the depiction of gore and blood being more violent than anticipated and a mod featuring partial nudity. The remastered version, released in late April 2025, kept the M rating (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Wikipedia Page).

Game Rating Changes from AO to M

Games rated Adults-Only are usually more inaccessible commercially because they sometimes are not included on store shelves, leading to poor sales performance. Many games initially rated AO (The Punisher, Manhunt 2, Outlet 2, Indigo Prophecy, etc.) had multiple scenes censored to get an M rating and allowed on retail.