PEGI shows age limits in games

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All games released in Europe are marked with age recommendations from PEGI.

PEGI sets recommended age limits for computer games that can be purchased physically in stores as well as games that can be downloaded.

PEGI is used by most of the major game consoles, including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. In addition, the scheme is used by the online store Google Play, but not by the App Store, which has its own scheme.

PEGI does not say anything about how difficult the game is, you only get to know whether the game contains violence, sex, crude language, discrimination, and the like. A game approved by PEGI for three-year-olds can thus be far too difficult for a three-year-old to play. But in any case, there will be nothing in the game that may scare three-year-olds.

Parents do not turn criminals if they break the age limits, but Kids and Media recommends that for the benefit of the child, the limits should be observed.

Let us first show what the symbols mean (simplified by Barnevakten Kids and Media):

PEGI age marking for games

PEGI 3

Suitable for all age groups. No sounds or images that could scare young children. May contain very mild cartoon violence in a comic context. No rough language.

 

PEGI 7

Content that may scare younger children. Very mild form of non-realistic violence.

 

PEGI 12

Content with somewhat more realistic violence, the characters may resemble humans. Sexual allusions or body language. Slightly rough language.

 

PEGI 16

Violence or sex is shown as it would have been in real life. Lots of rough languages. The story may include gambling, drug use, or depictions of crime.

 

PEGI 18

«Unmotivated» killings, violence against the defenseless, or a positive view of drug use, as well as graphics very similar to reality.

 

PG! (Parental Guidance)

The age marking with an exclamation mark is called parental guidance. It is used when the content of the app/game cannot be assessed in advance. In social media, the content changes all the time depending on what users choose to share with others. For example, Snapchat. The same happens on gaming platforms where users themselves can create games that are shared with others, such as on Roblox.

In such places, there may appear conversations, videos, images, and games that are highly inappropriate for children. At the same time, there can be a lot of fun and innocent elements for children.

PEGI, therefore, recommends that parents should guide their children. Should children use the app/game at all? Are there parts of the app/game that children can use? Are there parental settings that enable the app/game to be used by children without too much inconvenience?

PEGI content labeling

In addition to the age limits, PEGI equips the games with various warnings:

Violence
The game contains a depiction of violence.

 

 

Bad language
The game contains rough language.

 

 

Fear
The game may seem intimidating to young children.

 

 

Sex
The game depicts nudity and/or sexual behavior or sexual references.

 

 

Substances
The game refers to or depicts drug use.

 

 

Discrimination
The game contains descriptions of or elements that may encourage discrimination.

 

 

Gambling
Games that encourage or provide training in gambling.

 

 

In-Game Purchases
It is possible to spend real money in the game.

 

 

Feel free to read the original texts that tell what the PEGI symbols mean.

Who is behind PEGI age marking?

PEGI is run in collaboration between the gaming industry itself and representatives from the authorities, for example from the media inspectorates.

Here you can search for games, apps and age recommendations:

You can search for games and their age limit here. Click on the search result to get more information, including the rationale for the age recommendation.

Press ‘Extended Search’ to sort by year, age, platforms, and so on:

Feel free to also use Barnevakten Kids and Media’s search function. We post reviews and explain more about the game/app. Enter the name of the game or app in the search field. In each review, we also show the current age recommendation from PEGI.

(Translated from Norwegian by Ratan Samadder)