Quiz: Can You Guess These Games By Their ESRB Rating Descriptions?
The Entertainment Software Rating Board has been around for several decades, acting as the North American game industry’s self-regulation division via its age ratings system. But alongside the ratings like E, T, and M, there are much longer descriptions available on the official ESRB website. Figuring out a game by a screenshot or even a description from the back of the box isn’t all that tricky, but what about figuring out a game by just reading its rating description? That’s the challenge we have for you, with 20 rating descriptions below. They’re split up and labeled by release year, and any information that was too much of a giveaway was removed.
After you’ve guessed the games, look back and see just how weird some of the descriptions for these games really are. Yes, there is a lot of blood, but it’s undeniable that extremely violent games have also gotten very creative with how they choose to show people being brutally murdered. We’ve done our best to include games where the descriptions aren’t so generic that they could refer to a whole bunch of different games, with at least a detail or two that should give you a good hint of what’s being described.
How many games can you guess by their ESRB rating description? Did any of the descriptions throw you off and make you think it was a completely different game? Let us know in the comments!
Question 1 – 2022, Rated M
“As players explore mythical realms, they can search for key items while engaging in frenetic melee combat against fantastical enemies (e.g., demons, ghouls, giant boss creatures). Players use pistols, shotguns, swords, and magic spells to kill enemies; battles are highlighted by gunfire, explosions, cries of pain, and blood-splatter effects. Several weapons cause enemies to be dismembered, decapitated, or to explode into chunks of flesh. One finishing move allows players to rip an enemy’s head off and crush the skull.”
Answer 1 – Shadow Warrior 3
Question 2 – 2022, Rated M
“This is an action game in which players assume the role of a martial artist on a quest for vengeance against a gang. As players infiltrate the gang’s hideout, they use punches and kicks to defeat gang members in frenetic melee-style combat. Players can pick up various objects (e.g., pipes, bottles, baseball bats) to use as weapons against enemies. Combat is highlighted by cries of pain, impact sounds, and close-up camera angles of finishing blows. Enemies sometimes emit splashes of blood when hit, leaving small blood stains on the ground. One cutscene depicts a character stabbed with a knife and bleeding out.”
Answer 2 – Sifu
Question 3 – 2021, Rated M
“This is an action role-playing game in which players help [protagonist] save his terminally ill sister from an infectious disease. Players explore a futuristic fantasy world, interact with characters, engage in various quests, and battle both humans and creatures (e.g., robots, mutant skeletons, organic shadows) in melee-style combat. Players use swords, spears, and lances to hack/slash at enemies, and a floating book to fire lasers from a distance.”
Answer 3 – Nier: Replicant
Question 4 – 2021, Rated M
“This is a multiplayer first-person slasher in which players battle as a medieval soldier through military campaigns. Players engage in frenetic hand-to-hand combat using swords, axes, war hammers, and arrows to kill enemy forces. Slashing and stabbing soldiers often results in screams, gurgling sounds, and large sprays of blood that stain the ground. Some attacks can result in decapitation and/or dismemberment of human characters; dismembered body parts can be picked up and used as weapons.”
Answer 4 – Chivalry 2
Question 5 – 2020, Rated T
“This is an action-fighting game in which players choose one of four vigilantes to battle against a crime syndicate. As players traverse side-scrolling environments (e.g., streets, jails, police stations), they use punches, kicks, and throws to defeat waves of human enemies (e.g., gangsters, criminals, police officers) in melee-style combat. Players also use knives, swords, pipes, and tasers to inflict more damage against enemies. Combat is frenetic and accompanied by impact sounds and cries of pain; some sequences involve more protracted one-on-one combat.”
Answer 5 – Streets of Rage 4
Question 6 – 2020, Rated M
“This is an action role-playing game in which players assume the role of a half-human, half-supernatural samurai that battles enemies during Sengoku-era Japan. From a third-person perspective, players use katanas, axes, spears, bows, and rifles to kill various enemies (e.g., humans, demons, boss creatures) in melee combat. Some battles are frenetic, highlighted by cries of pain and large blood-splatter effects. Human enemies can also be decapitated or dismembered during battle.”
Question 6 – Nioh 2
Question 7 – 2019, Rated T
“This is a first-person shooter in which players engage in squad-based battle royale-style combat across a large island. Players search for supplies and use machine guns, rifles, and explosives to shoot and kill enemies as the play area constantly shrinks. Frenetic firefights are accompanied by blood-splatter effects, realistic gunfire, and large explosions. Players can also perform various finishing moves on weakened enemies (e.g., stabbing them with a knife; beating opponents down with fists; electrocuting characters). These attacks are often depicted close-up and/or from the victim’s perspective.”
Answer 7 – Apex Legends
Question 8 – 2019, Rated M
“This is an action role-playing game in which players assume the role of a colonist in a space colony. From a first-person perspective, players explore an open-world environment, interact with characters, complete mission objectives, and battle alien creatures. Players use blasters, machine guns, and shotguns to kill creatures and human enemies in frenetic combat; action is highlighted by slow-motion and blood-splatter effects. Players can also shoot and kill civilians, though this may negatively affect players’ progress. Some attacks result in decapitation and dismemberment of creatures; one area depicts a dismembered corpse amid a large bloodstained environment.”
Answer 8 – The Outer Worlds
Question 9 – 2018, Rated T
“Characters punch and kick each other while also using blasts/beams/balls of energy to defeat opponents. Battles can be fast-paced and frenetic, with frequent impact sounds, light effects, and cries of pain. Cutscenes also depict instances of violence (e.g., several explosions; characters vaporized by energy beams). The game contains some suggestive material: a female character wearing a low-cut top that reveals large amounts of cleavage; character descriptions/tags, such as “Old Pervert” and “Sexy and I Know It.”
Answer 9 – Dragon Ball FighterZ
Question 10 – 2018, Rated M
“This is a role-playing game in which players control a party of characters as they complete quests around a fantastical island region. From a top-down perspective, players interact with townspeople and engage in real-time battles with humans and creatures (e.g., boars, skeletons, elementals). Characters use swords and magic attacks to defeat enemies in brief, frenetic combat; battles include large splashes of blood, and sometimes, chunks of flesh. A handful of game environments depict severed limbs and torsos littering the ground.”
Answer 10 – Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Question 11 – 2017, Rated T
“This is an adventure game in which players follow a collection of short stories about a cursed family. From a first-person perspective, players experience various story sequences, including animals/monsters hunting for prey; a fairy tale-like daydream; a comic-book sequence involving an evil villain. Animals sometimes attack prey or humans, resulting in blood splashes. The fairy-tale sequence depicts players’ character approaching and placing their head onto a guillotine–a slicing sound is heard as the screen fades to black. Another scene depicts a young character shooting a deer. During the course of the game, players can see pipes/drug paraphernalia, as well as a poster with an image of a marijuana leaf. Players’ character briefly raises a middle finger in front of the camera.”
Answer 11 – What Remains Of Edith Finch
Question 12 – 2016, Rated M
“This is an adventure game in which players control a small boy through hazardous landscapes. From a side-scrolling perspective, the player’s character runs, climbs, and solves puzzles in order to escape danger or proceed through the game’s environments. Fail scenarios usually result in the character’s injury or death: dogs can maul the boy; fan blades can slice the boy in half; shockwaves can blow the boy apart into chunks of flesh. One cutscene depicts a man being crushed in a fall; a large splatter of blood can be seen on the ground.”
Answer 12 – Inside
Question 13 – 2015, Rated M
“This is an action game in which players assume the role of an elite soldier engaged in military missions to stop an evil villain. As players infiltrate enemy bases and strongholds, they use pistols, machine guns, and rocket launchers to kill enemy soldiers. Players can also employ stealth attacks and takedowns (e.g., choking, knife stabbing from behind) to incapacitate enemies. Firefights are highlighted by realistic gunfire, slow-motion effects, and large blood-splatter effects.”
Answer 13 – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Question 14 – 2014, Rated M
“This is a role-playing game in which players assume the role of a warrior battling evil forces in different dimensions. Characters use swords, axes, hammers, and magic attacks to kill fantastical creatures (e.g., demons, monsters, dwarfs) and humans in melee-style combat. Cutscenes sometimes depict characters impaled or getting their throats slit. Violent sequences are often highlighted by cries of pain, gurgling/gushing sounds, and large blood-splatter effects; blood remains on the ground in several environments.”
Answer 14 – Dragon Age: Inquisition
Question 15 – 2013, Rated M
“This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a futuristic soldier trying to keep peace between two warring nations. Players use pistols, machine guns, explosives, and melee attacks to kill human soldiers in frenetic combat. Battles are accompanied by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, and large blood-splatter effects occur during combat. The game sometimes depicts close-up attacks against enemies (e.g., slashing/stabbing the neck). Players have the ability to kill non-adversary characters (e.g., civilians) in the environment, though these acts are not encouraged/rewarded. Cutscenes sometimes depict intense acts of violence: execution, self-inflicted gunshots, electrocution of a bound character. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” appear in the dialogue.”
Answer 15 – Killzone: Shadow Fall
Question 16 – 2012, Rated M
“This is a third-person shooter in which players assume the role of two counter-terrorism operatives attempting to stop a bio-terrorist plot. Players use handguns, rifles, machine guns, and knives to kill hordes of zombies and mutated creatures. Battles are highlighted by screams of pain and realistic gunfire; enemies often dissolve into pools of blood and chunks of flesh when killed. Blood-splatter effects occur frequently when humans or zombies are attacked, and some characters are depicted with exposed organs/viscera. In one level, a human character is seen getting thrown into a glass partition, resulting in a large splatter of blood. The word “sh*t” appears in the dialogue.”
Answer 16 – Resident Evil: Revelations
Question 17 – 2011, Rated M
“This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a survivor who must battle and survive amidst a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Players use pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades to kill human enemies and mutant bandits. Firefights are accompanied by realistic gunfire, explosions, and screams of pain from injured characters. Large blood-splatter effects occur frequently, and enemies often explode into bloody fragments when killed. A variety of weapons cause dismemberment or decapitation, and dead bodies continue to incur damage when hit (e.g., blood spurts, breaking into pieces). Some environments contain other instances of gore: a mutant’s decomposing body; a large pile of bloody corpses. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.”
Answer 17 – Rage
Question 18 – 2010, Rated M
“This is a first-person shooter, set in the modern day, in which players join an elite army squadron hunting down enemy forces in Afghanistan. Players use machine guns, missiles, sniper rifles, and grenades to kill enemy soldiers and take out targeted facilities. Realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain are heard during the frequent and fast-paced combat. Soldiers emit large splashes of blood when they are shot; enemies can be shot after they are killed, resulting in flailing motions and more blood effects. In multiplayer, players can choose to play as either coalition or enemy forces. Language such as “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.”
Answer 18 – Medal of Honor
Question 19 – 2009, Rated M
“This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of an American agent/soldier who battles Nazi soldiers during World War II. Players use a variety of weapons (handguns, shotguns, machine guns, rocket launchers) to shoot and kill hundreds of Nazi soldiers, mutated humans, and alien creatures. Combat is frenetic and highlighted by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, and “flesh-impact” sounds. During one sequence, players can use an axe to chop off the heads and arms of enemies. Blood often sprays from the bodies of injured soldiers and stains the ground near enemy corpses. Some profanity (e.g., “sh*t”) can be heard in the dialogue.”
Answer 19 – Wolfenstein
Question 20 – 2008, Rated M
“Missions primarily involve destroying rival gangs and their members by any means necessary: Players can attack and kill characters using pistols, chainsaws, baseball bats, knives, flamethrowers, and night sticks. Players can also roam ‘off-mission’ and kill non-adversaries (e.g., pedestrians, shop-keepers, homeless people, etc.) at any time. Collateral damage includes spurts of blood when characters are shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned and extensive post-mortem violence (e.g., players can keep shooting at dead bodies, causing them to flail and emit more blood; players can earn ‘respect points’ for taunting dead human corpses). One cutscene depicts a character holding a decapitated head over a railing.”
Answer 20 – Saints Row 2
