The Rating List

[metshael]

The IGAC (Inspecção Geral das Actividades Culturais / General Inspection of Cultural Activities), previously called the CCE (Comissão de Classificação de Espectáculos), was a rating system used in Portugal starting in 1999.

*I couldn't find any pictures of those ratings, don't hesitate to contact me if you know where to find them*

A Parcialmente adequado para crianças / Partly suitable for children

M/3 Para crianças de 3 anos e acima / For children aged 3 and above

M/4

M/6 Para crianças de 6 anos e acima / For children aged 6 and above

M/12 Para crianças de 12 anos e acima / For children aged 12 and above


M/14 Para crianças de 14 anos e acima / For children aged 14 and above

M/16 Para crianças de 16 anos e acima / For children aged 16 and above


M/18 Para as pessoas de 18 anos e acima / For people aged 18 and above

[metshael]

The ESRA (Entertainment Software Rating Association) was founded in 2007 (but the rating system itself was created in 2009), it is the actual rating system used on games in Iran.

3+ (Suitable only for ages 3 and older)

7+ (Suitable only for ages 7 and older)

12+ (Suitable only for ages 12 and older)

15+ (Suitable only for ages 15 and older)

18+ (Suitable only for ages 18 and older)

25+ (Suitable only for ages 25 and older)

[metshael]

The FPB (Film & Publication Board) is the actual rating system used in South Africa.

PG Parental Guidance (The content is suitable for all ages as long a parent/guardian decide to let the children watch/play it)

7-9 PG 7-9 Parental Guidance (The content is suitable for children aged 9 and more, children since 7 years old can still have access to it with the authorization of a parent/guardian)

10-12 PG 10-12 Parental Guidance (The content is suitable for children aged 12 and more, children since 10 years old can still have access to it with the authorization of a parent/guardian)

13 Suitable for ages 13 and older

16 Suitable for ages 16 and older

18 Suitable for ages 18 and older

X18 Restricted distribution to adult venues

XX  This product can't be distributed or exhibited anywhere

[metshael]

The RARS (Russian Age Rating System), or in Russian the PCBP (Российская Система Возрастных Рейтингов), is the actual rating system used in Russia since September 2012.

The color and shape of the rating is not legally defined. The shape can be round or square and it can come as a black & white or in a multi-colored version. I will put below the most used variation i could find.

0+ - для детей всех во3растов / For children of all ages

6+ - для детей старше 6 лет / For children aged 6 and above

12+ - для детей старше 12 лет / For children aged 12 and above

16+ - для детей старше 16 лет / For children aged 16 and above

18+ - 3апрещено для детей / Forbidden for children

[metshael]

The GSRR (Game Software Rating Regulations) is the actual Taiwanese rating system since 2006.

0+ 普遍級 (General Audience) - Suitable for all ages.

6+ 保護級 (Protected) - Suitable for ages 6 and older

12+ 輔12級 (Parental Guidance 12) - Suitable for ages 12 and older

15+ 輔15級 (Parental Guidance 15) - Suitable for ages 15 and older

18+ 限制級 (Restricted) - Suitable only for ages 18 and older

[metshael]

The GRAC (Game Rating and Administration Committee), initially called the GRB (Game Rating Board), is the actual rating system in South Korea, it has replaced the KMRB rating in 2006.

All (suitable for all ages)

12 (suitable for ages 12 and above)

15 (suitable for ages 15 and above)

18 (suitable for ages 18 and above)

Test Rating applied to demos or when the final rating has still not been given by the GRAC.

[metshael]

The KMRB (Korea Media Rating Board), initially founded under the name "South Korea Art and Culture Ethics Committee" in 1966 and changing to it's current name in 1999, they rated games released in South Korea until 2006 when the GRAC rating system replaced them for the classification of games.

Suitable for all ages

Suitable only for 12 years old and above

Suitable only for 15 years old and above

Suitable only for adults

Suitable only for adults and restricted release to "Adults Only" venues, which ban anyone aged under 19.

[metshael]

The CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization) Rating system is the actual system used in Japan, it's been created in 2002 to rate video games.

The rating had a few changes in 2006, going from Japanese character for the CERO ALL rating and numbers for the others to a simple letter.

CERO ALL (全年齢 / Zen Nenrei). This rating was replaced by the CERO A rating in 2006.

CERO A (games suitable for everyone). This rating was created in 2006 to replace the CERO All rating.

CERO 12 (games suitable for 12 years old and older). This rating was replaced by the CERO B rating in 2006.

CERO B (games suitable for 12 years old and older). This rating was created in 2006 to replace the CERO 12 rating

CERO 15 (games suitable for 15 years old and older) This rating was replaced by the CERO C rating in 2006.

CERO C (games suitable for 15 years old and older) This rating was created in 2006 to replace the CERO 15 rating.

CERO D (games suitable for 17 years old and older) This new rating created in 2006 didn't replace any older rating, instead it create a new category for games that are not suitable for 15 years old but still do not fall in the "18 years old and older" category.

CERO 18 (games suitable for 18 years old and older) This rating was replaced by the CERO Z rating in 2006.

CERO Z (games suitable for 18 years old and older) This rating was created in 2006 to replace the CERO 18 rating.

教育・データベース (Kyouiku Database) A special rating applied to non-game educational or software released on console (example).

審査予定 (Shinsa Yotei) This rating is used for promotional use when the CERO system still haven't given the final rating to a game.

規定適合 (Kitei Tekigou) A special rating used for trial versions of games (like demonstrations disc) (example).

[metshael]

The EOCS (the Ethics Organization of Computer Software) is the rating system used on some computer games in Japan since 1992 (but it seems to be pretty rare, most computer games uses a CERO rating).

EOCS General (suitable for all ages)

EOCS 12 (suitable for 12 years old and older)

EOCS R (Restricted) (suitable for 15 years old and older) This rating was replaced by the EOCS 15 in September 2011.

EOCS 15 (suitable for 15 years old and older)

EOCS 18 (suitable for 18 years old and older)

[metshael]

The IMDA (Info-communications Media Development Authority), previously called MDA (Media Development Authority), is the rating system used in Singapore since 2003.

G General (Suitable for all ages)

PG Parental Guidance (Suitable for all ages but parental guidance is advised for young children)

PG13 Parental Guidance 13 (Suitable for ages 13 and above, parental guidance recommended for children under that age)

NC16 No Children under 16 (Only suitable for ages 16 and above)

M18 Mature 18 (Only suitable for ages 18 and above)

R21 Restricted 21 (Only suitable for adults)


Some sources on the net are saying that apparently only two ratings are used on video games, the M18 rating and the S16 rating that i will put below, games that are rated below those two ratings doesn't need to have any rating on their cover, i sadly couldn't find any pictures of games released in Singapore to confirm that.

S16 Suitable For 16 & Above

[metshael]

The ACB (Australian Classification Board) was originally part of the OFLC which was dissolved in 2006 (only in Australia, the New Zealand side of the OFLC still exist), it is the actual game rating used in Australia.

Unrestricted

The classifications below are unrestricted and may require parental advisory but do not impose any legal restrictions on access to or distribution of material.

G: General (contains material suitable for general viewing or playing)



PG Parental Guidance recommanded (Not recommended for viewing or playing by people under 15 without guidance from parents or guardians)



M Mature - Recommended for Mature audiences (Recommended for people aged 15 years and over. People under 15 may legally access this material because it is an advisory category.)



E Exempt for classification (Only very specific types of material (including educational material and artistic performances) can be exempt from classification, and the material cannot contain anything that exceeds the constraints of the PG classification)



Restricted Rating

By contrast, the classifications below are legally restricted: it is illegal to sell or exhibit material so classified to anyone younger than the mentioned minimum age.

MA 15+ Mature Accompanied (Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or a adult guardian)



R 18+ Restricted to 18 and over



Older versions of the rating

G General (contains material suitable for general viewing or playing)

G8+ General for children over 8 years of age (this rating have been replaced by the PG rating)

M15+ Mature Unrestricted - Not recommended for people under 15 years old, however it is not restricted classification so there isn't any legal restrictions on it (this rating was replaced by the M rating to prevent any confusion with the MA15+ rating)

MA 15+ Mature Restricted (Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or a adult guardian).

[metshael]

The OFLC (Office of Film and Literature Classification) was created in 1916 and is responsible for classification of all films, videos, publications, and video games in New Zealand.

It used the same colored rating system since 1987.

Unrestricted labels

G General - Suitable for Genral Audiences.

PG Parental Guidance - Parental Guidance Recommended for Younger Viewers.

M Mature - Suitable for Audiences 16 Years and over.

Restricted labels

It is illegal to sell, hire, show or give a restricted (red labelled) film or game to anyone under the age shown on the label (unless an exception is stated on the label).

RP13 - Restricted to persons 13 Years and over unless accompanied by a Parent/Guardian.

R13 - Restricted to persons 13 Years and over.

R15 - Restricted to persons 15 Years and over.

RP16 - Restricted to persons 16 Years and over unless accompanied by a Parent/Guardian.

R16 - Restricted to persons 16 Years and over.

RP18 - Restricted to persons 18 Years and over unless accompanied by a Parent/Guardian.

R18 - Restricted to persons 18 Years and over.

R Restricted - This rating means that there is a special restriction. Refer to what is written on the right side of the label for the full restricted conditions.

[metshael]

The TIGRS (The Independent Game Rating System) was a system founded by Daniel Kinney, the system was self-rating which mean that the developers themselves can choose what rating they want for their games, it was mostly used for PC, for digital and web browser game for example and even on some physical release (like Lowrider Extreme in our database). This rating was free to get directly from their official site (http://www.tigrs.org/) but the site is down since January 2017 without any official notice.

If anyone is interested i found the thread on indiegamer.com that led to the creation of that rating system.

Family Friendly



Teen Content



Adult Content

[badATchaos]

What platform uses EOCS? I've never heard of it.

[metshael]

What platform uses EOCS? I've never heard of it.

The EOCS is apparently used on Computer games in Japan, i couldn't find any pictures of any games with that rating (most of those i found had a CERO rating which indicate that the data i found on the CERO rating is wrong, since many guide indicate that they only rate Console games), i will continue to search if i find anything.

Edit: Ok i found that while it is true that they rate computer games, it is in fact pretty rare and is mostly used on Hentai games, this is the only SFW picture i could find with that rating.