Half of All ESRB Ratings Assigned in 2022 Were E for Everyone

The E for Everyone rating was assigned more than any other rating category in 2022. This has been the case every year since ESRB opened in 1994, but it’s not quite as common that E for Everyone accounts for half of all rating assignments for physical games and console downloadable games in a year. Check out our Rating Category Breakdown to see what portion each Rating Category represents of the more than 4,800 ratings assigned in 2022.

E (Everyone)

50% of all ratings assigned to physical and console downloadable games in 2022 were for E for Everyone. Families with kids of all ages have thousands of options to choose from when looking for games that are appropriate for the whole family.

E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Everyone 10+ was assigned 17% of the time in 2022, just 1% more than the numbers in 2021. Combined with all the games rated E for Everyone, your 10-year-old has even more age-appropriate games to choose from than last year.

T (Teen 13+)

21% of ratings assigned were for T for Teen in 2022, 1% down from what we saw in 2021. Combined with E and E10+, almost 9 out of 10 ratings assigned to physical and console downloadable games released in 2022 are appropriate for your teenager.

M (Mature 17+)

M for Mature 17+ was assigned least frequently in 2022, with 12% of rating assignments.

Rating Categories are a great first step to understanding what’s in a game before buying or downloading for your kids. But ESRB provides even more information to help you decide what’s appropriate for your family. ESRB also assigns Content Descriptors to indicate why a game was assigned a specific rating, and Interactive Elements to highlight interactive or online features that may be of interest, such as online communications with other players and in-game purchases. If you’re still up in the air, you can also consult our rating summaries, which are available by title search on our website and mobile app.

And there are tons of resources beyond ESRB-assigned age and content ratings. In fact, many parents tell us that they’re picking up the controller more and more often to determine if a game is OK for their kids. You can also look up gameplay videos, research on social media, and talk to other parents to get a good idea of what’s in a game.

But always remember that no one knows your kids better than you! Sometimes a younger child may be ready for a T-rated game, and other times a 14-year-old may need some more time. ESRB is here to help provide you with the tips and information you need to make those decisions while maintaining some peace of mind. For more information on what you can do to keep you kids’ video game experiences positive visit our Family Gaming Guide – a comprehensive, user-friendly guide that provides tips for picking appropriate games, managing online communications, establishing household rules, setting up child accounts and parental controls, and more!