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Game rating systems used by the Xbox 360 console

You can set the type of DVD movie and game content that you can play on your Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. You can select parental control levels for games in many regions, and for games and DVD movies in the United States, Canada, and Japan. For more information about how to set parental control levels, see your Xbox 360 instruction manual.

Note Setting parental controls does not affect access restriction to games or to DVDs that were not manufactured for your region.

Game ratings

The parental control feature for games works in the following regions:

Australia: OFLC rating system
Canada: ESRB rating system
European Union: PEGI rating system
Finland: PEGI-Finland rating system
Germany: USK rating system
Ireland: Xbox 360 uses the PEGI and BBFC rating system. If a game packaging lists both a PEGI and BBFC rating, the BBFC rating is used.
Japan: CERO rating system
Latin America: ESRB rating system
New Zealand: OFLC rating system
Portugal: PEGI-Portugal rating system
South Africa: FPB rating system
United Kingdom: Xbox 360 uses the PEGI and BBFC rating system. If a game packaging lists both a PEGI and BBFC rating, the BBFC rating is used.
United States: ESRB rating system

Xbox 360 game packaging always displays the rating for the game in these regions.

Korean Xbox 360 packaging displays the KMRB rating, although the Xbox 360 does not enforce KMRB ratings in the parental controls.

Game ratings are also displayed on all Xbox Store game pages in these regions.

Movie ratings

The parental control feature for DVD movies works in the following regions:

Canada: MPAA rating system on Region 1 DVD movies.
Japan: Xbox 360 supports Japan’s numeric rating system on Region 2 DVD movies.
United States: Xbox 360 supports the MPAA ratings system on Region 1 DVD movies.

Rating systems

Topics

ESRB

MPAA

PEGI

BBFC

USK

CERO

OFLC

ACB

FPB

ESRB

Entertainment Software Rating Board

Where used: Canada, United States. Xbox 360 also uses this rating system for games distributed in Latin America.

Website/more information: http://www.esrb.org

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, this means the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction in order to play the game.

EC Early childhood
E Everyone
E10 Everyone 10+
T Teen
M Mature
RP Rating Pending

MPAA

Motion Picture Association of America

Where used: Canada, United States. DVD region 1 movies.

Website/more information: http://www.mpaa.org/

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, this means the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction in order to play the game.

G General audiences (no specific age given)
PG Parental guidance suggested (no specific age given)
PG-13 May not be appropriate for children under 13
R Requires accompanying parent or adult if under 17
NC-17 17+

PEGI

Pan European Game Information

Where used: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland*, France, Greece, Ireland*, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal*, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK*

Website/more information: http://www.pegi.info/en/index/

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, this means the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction in order to play the game.

3+
7+
12+
16+
18+

*Notes PEGI in Finland modifies the PEGI ratings scale slightly:

16+ becomes 15+
12+ becomes 11+

PEGI in Portugal modifies the PEGI ratings scale slightly:

3+ becomes 4+
7+ becomes 6+

UK and Ireland add some BBFC ratings as described in the BBFC section.

BBFC

British Board of Film Classification

Where used: Ireland, UK

Website/more information: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, this means the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction in order to play the game.

U (4+) Universal
PG (8+) Parental guidance (8+)
12 No one younger than 12 should view except when authorized by and under adult supervision.
15 (15+) No one younger than 15 should view.
18 No one younger than 18 should view.

Note Ireland and the United Kingdom also use the PEGI rating system. Therefore, Xbox 360 adds the BBFC age restrictions of 4+, 8+, and 15+ to the existing PEGI age restrictions of 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+, and 18+.

USK

Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle

Where used: Germany

Website/more information: http://www.usk.de

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, this means the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction in order to play the game.

All ages
6+
12+
16+
18+

CERO

Computer Entertainment Rating Organization

Where used: Japan

Website/more information: http://www.cero.gr.jp

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, this means the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction in order to play the game.

All ages
Ages 12 and up
Ages 15 and up
Ages 18 and up

OFLC

Office of Film and Literature Classification

Where used: New Zealand

Website/more information: http://www.censorship.govt.nz/

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction to play the game.

G This category may be appropriate for all persons under 15 years of age. It can be recognized by the display of the following words on packaging or advertising matter: "Suitable for all ages."
PG This category means guidance from a parent or guardian is recommended for younger viewers. It is important to remember that PG games can be aimed at an adult audience and to be aware of the content of a game if you are letting children play it.
M This category may be suited for persons 16 years and over.
Restricted 13 through 18 This category is restricted to persons over the age specified.

ACB

Australian Classification Board

Where used: Australia

Website/more information: http://www.classification.gov.au/

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction to play the game.

G General This category is suitable for everyone. G products may contain classifiable elements such as language and themes that are very mild in impact. However, some G-classified computer games may contain content that is not of interest to children.
PG Parental guidance This category’s impact may be no higher than mild, but products may contain content that children find confusing or upsetting and may require the guidance or parents and guardians. They may, for example, contain classifiable elements such as language and themes that are mild in impact. Not recommended for playing by persons under 15 without guidance from parents or guardians.
M Mature This category may contain content of a moderate impact and is recommended for teenagers ages 15 years and over. Children under 15 may legally access this material because it is an advisory category. However, M-classified computer games may include classifiable elements such as violence and nudity of moderate impact that are not recommended for children under 15 years. Parents and guardians may need to find out more about the computer game’s specific content before deciding whether the material is suitable for their child.
MA 15+ This category contains strong content and is legally restricted to persons 15 years and over. It may contain classifiable elements such as sex scenes and drug use that are strong in impact. A person may be asked to show proof of their age before hiring or purchasing an MA 15+ computer game. Children under the age of 15 may not legally buy MA 15+ classified material unless they are in the company of a parent or adult guardian. The guardian must be an adult exercising parental control over the person under 15 years of age. The guardian needs to be 18 years or older.

FPB

Film and Publication Board

Where used: South Africa

Website/more information: http://www.fpb.gov.za

Ratings: Age ratings are supported by the Xbox 360 console.

Note Where a rating is not listed, this means the Xbox 360 must be set to play game content without restriction in order to play the game.

A Suitable for all ages
13 Not suitable for children under the age of 13 years
16 Not suitable for children under the age of 16 years
18 Not suitable for children under the age of 18 years

Support for parental controls in Pacific Rim countries

Pacific Rim countries, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore, have no video game rating system that has been officially adopted as a standard.

Additionally, for Korea, it was not possible to support the KMRB rating system in the Xbox 360 hardware before the console's introduction. However, the game packaging does prominently display the KMRB rating.