Overview
Age ratings are subjective classifications that ratings authorities apply to XBOX games. Ratings are based on a game’s content, functionality, and user-generated content.- Content: A game’s rating considers whether and to what extent its content includes violence, drug use, coarse language, nudity, or sexual activity.
- Functionality: Functionality includes an app or game’s social features, privacy, modes of interacting with social networks, loot boxes, reward systems for user sign-ins, or other pressures to play.
- User-generated content: Ratings might consider the nature of content that other users create and that’s accessible through the app. Ratings might also consider whether the app or title restricts user-generated content.
Content policies
Microsoft Store policies prohibit offensive, pornographic, illegal, and other types of inappropriate content. We recommend reviewing both our current content policies and any specific exclusions that might exist in your licensing agreement with Microsoft.Acquire age ratings
You can obtain ratings in two ways:- IARC (International Age Rating Coalition) covers many markets when distribution is digital-only. Participation is free at the point of use. You complete a questionnaire in Partner Center to generate a rating.
- Rating certificates are required for many markets when distribution is via physical disc. These are also called long-form or traditional ratings. For more guidance about individual ratings authorities, see Age ratings guidance for countries/regions.
About IARC
Many of the world’s game rating authorities administer the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). IARC provides a globally streamlined age classification process for digital games and mobile apps. This process helps give digital consumers consistent access to established and trusted age ratings across game devices. For more information about IARC and answers to frequently asked questions, see About IARC. To challenge a rating decision made by the IARC system, use the link that Partner Center provides when it generates the IARC rating.Configure age ratings in Partner Center
The Age ratings page of the product in Partner Center lets you provide information about your product so it can receive the appropriate age and content ratings administered by the IARC rating system.Age ratings are required for all submissions to Certification. Acquire all applicable ratings before you submit your game.
- Generate a rating by answering the questions in the IARC questionnaire provided through the Age ratings page on Partner Center, or
- Enter an IARC rating ID that you have already obtained for the product on another platform or storefront
IARC questionnaire
You’re required to take the IARC ratings questionnaire for ALL products created via Partner Center, even if an age rating is acquired directly from a rating authority. You must complete the questionnaire accurately, and you must retake it if your game content changes. Don’t submit placeholder answers. IARC ratings are valid only for digital distribution. Any games that also target physical distribution must acquire ratings directly from the relevant rating authority. For more information about taking the IARC questionnaire, see How to set age ratings.Changing an IARC-issued rating
If you disagree with a rating value issued after you complete the IARC questionnaire, contact the rating authorities. The rating certificate email that you receive includes a link for this purpose.Long-form ratings and overriding IARC questionnaire results
After completing the IARC questionnaire and generating age ratings for your product, you can override the ratings with traditional or “long-form” ratings acquired directly from the various ratings authorities. You must configure and save these overrides for any game that’s distributed on disc. Manually configured age ratings take precedence over IARC ratings. For instructions on how to override IARC ratings with long-form ratings, see How to set age ratings.Long-form ratings for multiple platforms
You might use a single product in Partner Center to release your game on multiple platforms, such as XBOX One, XBOX Series X|S, and PC. If you override the IARC-generated age rating for that product, you must provide a valid age rating certificate for each supported platform. Partner Center allows only one .pdf file for each age rating authority. For rating authorities where an individual certificate is issued per platform, you must combine these into a single .pdf document before you upload it.Requirements for different product types
Pre-orders
Pre-orders for digital-only products should display IARC-generated ratings. Pre-orders for products intended for physical release must display the rating from the respective rating board’s certificate. If that certificate isn’t available yet, the approach varies by rating authority. For example, the ESRB requires an RP rating at the correct tier. PEGI allows an IARC-generated PEGI rating with a “Provisional” designation.Multigeneration and multiplatform releases
The ratings process might vary by ratings board and region when you release on multiple platforms or console generations. This applies to simultaneous releases, such as XBOX consoles and XBOX on PC or XBOX One and XBOX Series X|S. It also applies when you add a platform or generation later. For questions about multiple platforms or generations, contact the appropriate age rating authority directly. The following information is for general guidance only.- XBOX Series X|S is considered a new platform by most ratings authorities, requiring a separate ratings classification.
- If content is unchanged, most ratings authorities classify a game for XBOX Series X|S through their additional platform process. Fees and conditions might apply.
- If the content of your game has materially changed, most ratings authorities require a full submission. Fees and conditions might apply.
- You’re responsible for providing all required age rating certificates for review in Partner Center. If you don’t provide them, certification or release might be delayed.
- If you have specific questions related to Microsoft tools or processes, contact your XBOX account team.
Add-ons
You have three options when you configure age ratings for add-on content, depending on your requirements.- Select This add-on doesn’t require more restrictive ratings than its parent product if you need your add-on content to share the same age rating values as the main game product.
- Select I’m ready to complete the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) questionnaire if you need to take the IARC questionnaire specifically for the add-on content being configured.
- Select I have already completed the questionnaire for this app in another storefront and have an IARC rating ID if you want to import IARC questionnaire responses from another IARC questionnaire.
Bundles
Bundle age ratings are automatically defined based on the ratings for the products included in the bundle that were defined in the Bundle setup page. If you have questions about the age ratings generated for a bundle product, speak to your Microsoft contacts.Betas and Game Preview
Betas and Game Preview program titles are available only through digital distribution. Use IARC in supported markets. For non-IARC regions, you need certificates from the regions where you release the content.Demos
Digital-only regions should display IARC assigned ratings. Physical release regions must display the rating from the respective rating board’s certificate. If you haven’t obtained that certificate yet, select rating pending. Any free product (including betas or demos) rated as CERO Z or IARC 18+ is not allowed to release on XBOX in Japan regardless of the distribution method. Demos should follow the rating of the main title. If the main game is rated RP, the demo should be rated RP too. When the main game receives a final rating, update the demo to match. For IARC regions such as PEGI, a provisional IARC-generated PEGI rating is fine for the demo. If PEGI then rates the physical release differently, update the demo to match.Game trailers
Upload only the UNRATED trailer to Partner Center. Microsoft adds the necessary age ratings pre-roll to the trailer.This exception applies only to Partner Center and the Microsoft Store Product Details Page (PDP). Any trailer not destined for the Microsoft Store product page must still display embedded rating information where required. Follow the appropriate rating authority’s guidelines.
How age ratings are used
- XBOX digital store: Store ratings are based on what’s configured in the age ratings module in Partner Center. These are either IARC ratings or ratings manually overridden with valid age rating certificates.
- Physical disc: Only age ratings you override with long-form certificates and values are used when creating a disc request. These overridden ratings are added to the disc metadata. Ratings generated from IARC aren’t included because they’re only usable for digital releases.
- AppxManifest: Declaring ratings within the AppXManifest is no longer permissible. Content Updates for existing games that already have ratings declared in the AppXManifest can remain unchanged. You can remove the ratings element completely in a future update.
Console disc ratings logic
- If the console is online, Microsoft Store ratings take priority over any ratings on a disc.
- If the console is offline and the AppxManifest has no ratings element, the console uses the disc ratings that were defined when you created the disc request.
- If the console is offline and the AppxManifest has the ratings element, but some or all of the ratings are missing, the console ignores the disc ratings and treats the game as unrated in the regions with no AppxManifest ratings.
- If the console is offline, but was previously online when the game was installed, the console uses cached ratings from the Microsoft Store. The cache refreshes every 10 days.