List of AO-rated video games

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For further information about the AO rating, see Entertainment Software Rating Board § Adults Only rating.
The ESRB's "Adults Only" ratings symbol

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the video game content rating board for North America, has issued an "Adults Only" (AO) rating for 29 games. AO is the highest rating in the ESRB system, and indicates a game is only suitable for players age 18 and over.

The majority of AO-rated games are adult video games, those with pornographic or strong sexual content. The rating has also been issued for three games due to extreme levels of violence: the canceled Thrill Kill (1998), the initial cut of Manhunt 2 (2007), and Hatred (2015). The only game to receive the rating for other reasons is Peak Entertainment Casinos (2003), which allows players to gamble using real money. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) was temporarily re-rated from M ("Mature") to AO after a sexually-explicit minigame was found hidden in the game, but the M rating was reinstated after Rockstar Games patched out the content.

Self-imposed restrictions by publishers and distributors restrict the availability of AO-rated games, thus the rating has been described as a "kiss of death" by journalists, and is essentially a ban.[1][2][3] All three major video game console manufacturers (Nintendo,[1][4] Microsoft,[5] and Sony[6][7]) prohibit AO-rated games from being published on their platforms. Most retailers refuse to stock them, and the popular video game live streaming service Twitch forbids streaming them.[8] The only mainstream distributor which permits AO-rated games is Steam, which hides them by default. In light of these regulatory challenges, most commercial video games with explicitly erotic content are developed for the web or PC, not submitted for ratings, and sold on unregulated marketplaces such as Nutaku.

List[]

Release Title Platform Publisher ESRB content descriptors Notes
1993 The Joy of Sex[9][10] CD-i Philips Media Strong sexual content First game to receive the rating.[citation needed]
1995 Crystal Fantasy[11][12] Mac, Windows MacDaddy Entertainment Strong sexual content
1996 Cyber Photographer[13][12]
1997 All Nude Cyber[14][12]
All Nude Glamour[15][12]
Riana Rouge[16] Mac, Windows Black Dragon Realistic blood and gore, strong sexual content
1998 All Nude Nikki[17][12] Mac, Windows MacDaddy Entertainment Strong sexual content
Body Language[18][19] DVD NuTech Digital Strong sexual content
Thrill Kill[20] (unreleased) PlayStation Virgin Interactive Animated blood and gore, animated violence Shelved by Electronic Arts after buying Virgin Interactive due to internal objections to its subject matter.[21] It is the first AO-rated game to receive the rating due to violence rather than sexual content.
Wet: The Sexy Empire[22] Windows CDV Software Entertainment USA Strong sexual content
2000 Playboy Screensaver: The Women of Playboy[23] Mac Sony Imagesoft Mature sexual themes
Sexy Games[24] Mobile phone Nicosceles Sexual themes, partial nudity
Singles[25] Windows Eidos Interactive Nudity, strong sexual content
2001 Snow Drop[26] Windows Strong sexual content
Tokimeki Check-in![27]
Water Closet: The Forbidden Chamber[28]
X-Change[29]
2002 Critical Point[30][31] Strong sexual content, violence
2003 Peak Entertainment Casinos[32] Online, Windows Peak Entertainment Gambling Peak Entertainment, a provider of online gambling services, submitted its product to the ESRB for an AO rating to demonstrate its commitment to discouraging underage gambling.[1] It is the only AO-rated game to receive the rating for reasons unrelated to violence or sexual content.[33][34]
2004 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[35] Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox Rockstar Games, Take Two Interactive Blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs Originally rated M, San Andreas was temporarily re-rated AO following the discovery of an incomplete "Hot Coffee" minigame that could be enabled with a mod or cheating device, which featured characters engaging in sexual intercourse. Its rating was changed back to M after Rockstar patched the game to remove the offending content entirely.[36][37] It is currently the only mass-released AO-rated game.
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored[38][39] Windows Vivendi Games Mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of alcohol
2005 Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director's Cut[40] Windows Atari Blood, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs and alcohol, violence In North America, an M-rated edit of Fahrenheit was originally released under the title Indigo Prophecy; Quantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière remarked that many players imported the uncut European release instead. A 2016 remaster of the game received an M rating with no cuts.[41][42]
Lula 3D[43][44] Windows CDV Software Entertainment USA Blood, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, violence
2006 Playboy: The Mansion: Private Party[45] Windows Groove Media Nudity, strong sexual content Expansion pack for Playboy: The Mansion.
2009 Manhunt 2 (initial uncut version)[46][47][48] Windows Rockstar Games, Take Two Interactive Blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs Manhunt 2 was originally given an AO rating,[49] but was edited by Rockstar to meet the M rating so it could be released on consoles.[50] In 2009, an uncut version was released for PC.[48] Both cuts were also refused classification in the United Kingdom, but Rockstar successfully appealed for an "18" rating on the M-rated edit.[51][50][52]
2014 Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two[53][54] Windows MangaGamer Blood, nudity, sexual violence, strong language, strong sexual content Unlike other self-rated games by MangaGamer, this game was sent to the ESRB at the request from the Japanese developer in order to get a green-light for a hardcopy release in the United States.[55] The game was already self-rated 18+ for the digital release.
2015 eden* PLUS+MOSAIC[56] Windows MangaGamer Nudity, strong language, strong sexual content This game was sent to the ESRB at the request of the Japanese developer in order to get a green-light for the release in the United States.[57] The all-ages version of this game is also rated.
Hatred Windows Destructive Creations Blood and gore, intense violence, strong language The game, along with its Steam Greenlight campaign, had been controversial due to its premise, which focuses on a main character who indiscriminately murders every person he encounters.[58][59][60]
Seduce Me[61] Mac, Windows No Reply Games Strong sexual content, nudity, strong language, use of drugs Developed by a studio led by former Guerrilla Games employees Miriam Bellard and Andrejs Skuja, it was pulled from the Steam Greenlight program for its sexual content.[62][63]

See also[]

References[]

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  14. ^ "All Nude Cyber". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  15. ^ "All Nude Glamour". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  16. ^ "Riana Rouge". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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  27. ^ "Tokimeki Checkin!". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  28. ^ "Water Closet: The Forbidden Chamber". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  29. ^ "X-Change". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  30. ^ "Critical Point". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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  39. ^ "Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude -- Uncut and Uncensored". AllGame. Archived from the original on 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
  40. ^ "Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director's Cut: PC CD ROM". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  41. ^ "Twitch enforces US 'adult only' ban worldwide". Wired.co.uk. Conde Nast. Archived from the original on 2016-09-23. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  42. ^ "No Need To Import Heavy Rain In America". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 2013-10-14. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  43. ^ "Lula 3D". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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  45. ^ "Playboy the Mansion: Private Party". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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