T (Teen)

How to read it

The ESRB says a T game “may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.” The rating is assigned by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the industry’s self-regulatory body in North America; for a boxed game, at least three trained raters agree on it. The system is voluntary, but all console makers and some retailers and online stores require an ESRB rating. Content descriptors beside the box say what led to the rating.

Also searched as: esrb teen, rated t.

Simulated gambling at T, real gambling at AO

The ESRB’s Simulated Gambling descriptor means the player “can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency”, and it is typically given to simulations of casino-based gambling. That can appear in a T game. Real Gambling, betting real cash or currency, belongs to AO (Adults Only).

PEGI in Europe draws the line elsewhere. A game with themes that prominently reference gambling gets PEGI 12, and simulation of gambling, like casino games of chance, is classified PEGI 18. The same casino game can be T in North America and PEGI 18 in Europe.

Other descriptors on T games

Crude Humor means depictions or dialogue involving vulgar antics, including “bathroom” humor. Blood means depictions of blood. Strong Language means explicit and/or frequent use of profanity, which the T definition allows only infrequently. Online features such as in-game purchases are listed separately as interactive elements and, the ESRB says, do not influence the rating.

Film and TV ratings at the same age

Films and TV programmes in the US have their own rating systems. The ones for a similar age are the MPA’s PG-13 and the TV Parental Guidelines’ TV-14. In Europe, PEGI 12 covers slightly more graphic violence towards fantasy characters and mild bad language, and PEGI 16 begins where violence or sexual activity looks as it would in real life.