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List of AO-rated video games

For further information about the AO rating, see Entertainment Software Rating Board § Adults Only rating.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the content rating board for games released in North America, has issued an "Adults Only" (AO) rating for 26 released video games. AO is the highest rating in the ESRB system, and indicates the game's content is suitable only for players aged 18 years and over.

The ESRB's "Adults Only" ratings symbol

The majority of AO-rated games are adult video games, typically those with pornographic or strong sexual content. Four games have been given the rating solely due to extreme levels of violence: the canceled Thrill Kill (1998), the initial cuts of The Punisher (2005) and Manhunt 2 (2007), and Hatred (2015). The only game to receive the rating for reasons other than pornographic content or extreme violence 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 limit the availability of AO-rated games, thus the rating has been described as a "kiss of death" by journalists, and is considered 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. Steam permits the games, but hides them by default.[8] Most retailers refuse to stock the games, and the popular video game live streaming service Twitch forbids streaming them.[9] In light of these regulatory challenges, most AO-games have been released for personal computers, and nearly all erotic game publishers forgo the rating process entirely and sell on unregulated marketplaces.

Games released with an AO rating

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ReleaseTitlePlatformPublisherESRB content descriptorsNotes
1993The Joy of Sex[10][11]CD-iPhilips MediaStrong sexual content
1995Crystal Fantasy[12][13]Mac, WindowsMacDaddy EntertainmentStrong sexual content
1996Cyber Photographer[14][13]
1997All Nude Cyber[15][13]
All Nude Glamour[16][13]
Riana Rouge[17]Mac, WindowsBlack DragonRealistic blood and gore, strong sexual content
1998All Nude Nikki[18][13]Mac, WindowsMacDaddy EntertainmentStrong sexual content
Erotic Heat Vol. 4: Body Language[19][20]DVDNuTech DigitalStrong sexual content
Wet: The Sexy Empire[21]WindowsCDV Software Entertainment USAStrong sexual content
2000Playboy Screensaver: The Women of Playboy[22]MacSony ImagesoftMature sexual themes
Sexy Games[23]Mobile phoneNicoscelesSexual themes, partial nudity
Singles[24]WindowsEidos InteractiveNudity, strong sexual content
2001Snow Drop[25]WindowsPeach PrincessStrong sexual content
Tokimeki Check-in![26]
Water Closet: The Forbidden Chamber[27]
X-Change[28]
2002Critical Point[29][30]Strong sexual content, violence
2003Peak Entertainment Casinos[31]Online, WindowsPeak EntertainmentGamblingPeak 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.[32][33]
2004Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut and Uncensored[34][35]WindowsVivendi Universal GamesMature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of alcohol
2005Lula 3D[36][37]WindowsCDV Software Entertainment USABlood, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, violence
2006Playboy: The Mansion: Private Party[38]WindowsGroove MediaNudity, strong sexual contentExpansion pack for Playboy: The Mansion.
2009Manhunt 2 (uncut version)[39][40][41]WindowsRockstar Games, Take Two InteractiveBlood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs[41][42]
2013Seduce Me[43]Mac, WindowsNo Reply GamesStrong sexual content, nudity, strong language, use of drugsDeveloped 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.[44][45]
2014Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two[46][47]WindowsMangaGamerBlood, nudity, sexual violence, strong language, strong sexual contentUnlike 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.[48]
2015eden* PLUS+MOSAIC[49]WindowsMangaGamerNudity, strong language, strong sexual contentThis 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.[50]
HatredWindowsDestructive CreationsBlood and gore, intense violence, strong languageThe 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.[51][52][53]

Games that received, but were not released with an AO rating

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In some cases, a game that initially received an AO rating from the ESRB was edited prior to their initial release in order to meet the criteria for an M rating. In selected cases, an AO-rated game was cancelled prior to its release, temporarily received the rating post-release due to the inclusion of normally-inaccessible content that met the rating, the uncut version of the game was released at a later date with an AO rating, or an unrated or self-rated version, patch, or downloadable content (DLC) was released via a platform with more liberal content rules (such as Steam).

ReleaseTitlePlatformPublisherESRB content descriptorsNotes
1998Thrill Kill[54]PlayStationVirgin InteractiveAnimated blood and gore, animated violenceThe game's release was cancelled after publisher Virgin Interactive's U.S. operations were acquired by Electronic Arts, which objected to the game's subject matter.[55]
2004Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[56]Windows, PlayStation 2, XboxRockstar Games, Take Two InteractiveBlood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugsOriginally 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 released a patch that removes the offending content entirely.[57][58]
The Punisher[59]Windows, PlayStation 2, XboxTHQBlood and gore, drug reference, intense violence, strong languageThe game was edited prior to release to meet the M rating, including adding a black and white visual effect to the "interrogation" sequences, which typically consist of the player committing various brutal torture methods to an enemy or innocent victim. If an NPC is killed in these scenarios, the camera also usually zooms in on the Punisher's face instead of depicting their death.[60][failed verification]
2005Fahrenheit[61]Windows, PlayStation 2, XboxAtariBlood, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs and alcohol, violenceSex scenes were edited out of the game to meet the M rating for its North American release, which was also retitled Indigo Prophecy. Quantic Dream CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière remarked that many players imported the uncut European release instead.[62] The ESRB lists a "director's cut" of the game on PC as having an AO rating,[61] but it is unknown if this was ever publicly released. A 2015 remaster of the game received an M rating with no cuts.[63][64][65]
2007Manhunt 2[39][40][41]PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, WiiRockstar Games, Take Two InteractiveBlood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugsThe game was edited prior to release to meet the M rating.[66][42] In 2009, an uncut version was released for PC under the AO rating.[41] Both cuts were also refused classification in the United Kingdom, but Rockstar successfully appealed for an "18" rating on the M-rated edit.[67][66][68]
2017Outlast 2Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchRed BarrelsBlood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual contentThe game was edited prior to release to meet the M rating.[69] In 2018, the game's PC version released a patch on Steam that reinstated the cut content.[69] The Australian Classification Board originally refused to give the game a classification, effectively banning it from being released until an edited version was granted an R18+ classification.[70]
2018AgonyWindows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchPlayWay, Forever EntertainmentBlood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual contentThe game was originally given an AO rating, but was edited in order to meet the M rating.[71] The game's developer Madmind Studio intended to release a patch for the PC version to restore the cut content,[72] but it was blocked by its publisher for "legal reasons".[73] The game was reissued on Steam as the self-published Agony Unrated in October 2018, which is uncensored and contains other patches and improvements.[73]

See also

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References

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  43. ^ "Seduce Me". ESRB. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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