IARC rating explained: the questionnaire, the stores that use it, and adult games

An IARC rating is an age rating for a digital game or app, issued through the International Age Rating Coalition. A developer fills in one questionnaire, and IARC turns the answers into ratings from each participating national rating board at once: an ESRB rating for North America, a PEGI rating for Europe, a USK rating for Germany and so on, plus a generic rating everywhere else.

It is the system behind the ratings on Google Play, the Nintendo eShop, the Microsoft Store, the PlayStation Store and the Epic Games Store. It is not used by Steam. For adult games it matters in one specific way: the questionnaire can produce an adults-only result, and several of the stores that use IARC will not sell a game with one.

This page explains how the questionnaire works, who takes part, what the ratings look like, how to correct one, and what IARC means for adult games. It describes the system as it stood on 19 October 2026.

A note on the name: the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, is also called IARC, and its classifications of carcinogens are also called IARC ratings. That is a different organisation. This page is about the game rating system.

Key points

• One questionnaire, many ratings. IARC issues each participating board’s rating from the same answers.
• It is free for developers. Stores pay a licence fee.
• It is used by most digital stores. Google Play, Nintendo, Microsoft, PlayStation and Epic among them.
• Steam does not use it. Steam has its own content survey.
• Ratings are checked after release. Rating boards can correct them.
• An adults-only result can block a release. Epic said in 2026 that it does not distribute AO-rated products.

How IARC works

IARC’s own description breaks the process into a handful of steps.

1. The developer submits a game to a participating store. The questionnaire is part of the store’s submission process, not a separate application.
2. The developer answers the questionnaire. IARC’s FAQ says the questions cover the factors each rating board weighs, and that “sexual content, nudity, gambling or other pertinent material” can lengthen it.
3. IARC assigns ratings automatically. For each region it assigns an age rating, content descriptors and “interactive elements”, which flag in-game purchases, including randomised ones, user interaction, location sharing and internet access.
4. The store shows the local rating. A player in Germany sees a USK rating; a player in Brazil sees a ClassInd rating.
5. Rating boards check ratings after release. IARC says its authorities monitor assigned ratings for accuracy, and corrections are pushed to the stores.
6. The developer receives a certificate ID. Other participating stores can use the same certificate, so the questionnaire only has to be completed once.

The cost is the reason IARC spread so fast. Its FAQ says: “Obtaining ratings via IARC is free of cost to developers at this time.” Before IARC, a developer releasing in several regions needed to deal with each rating board separately. IARC’s about page says more than 19 million games and apps have been published with its ratings.

Who takes part

Rating authorities

IARC’s participants page lists nine rating authorities.

Japan’s CERO is not a participant. Automaton reported in 2022 that Japan’s PlayStation Store began accepting IARC ratings for digital-only games, while still asking for a CERO rating where IARC gives a game 18+. For CERO, see CERO Z explained.

Storefronts

IARC’s storefronts page lists twelve participating stores and platforms: Epic Games, Facebook Gaming, Fortnite, Google Play, Amazon Luna, Meta Horizon, Microsoft, Nintendo, One Store, Pico, Sony PlayStation and YouTube Playables.

Its milestones page gives the history. IARC launched in 2013 with ClassInd, ESRB, PEGI and USK. Google Play and the Nintendo eShop joined in 2015, the Microsoft Store in 2016, the PlayStation Store in 2018, and the Epic Games Store and Fortnite in 2023.

Steam is not on the list. It asks developers to complete its own content survey, which is what drives Steam’s adult content settings; see does Steam allow NSFW games.

What the ratings look like

IARC’s ratings definitions show each authority’s categories. The top categories are the ones that matter for adult games.

The ESRB scale is the one with a category above “mature”: Adults Only, which it describes as “suitable only for adults ages 18 and up.” For what it means and why it is rare, see the AO rating explained.

Google Play: an IARC rating is required

For mobile developers, IARC is not optional. Google Play’s content ratings policy says: “All apps must have a content rating from the IARC to be on Google Play.” Apps without one will be removed.

The policy adds three rules worth knowing.

1. Answers must be accurate. “Misrepresentation of your app’s content may result in removal or suspension.”
2. Ratings follow updates. If changes to the content or features affect the answers, the developer must submit a new questionnaire.
3. Ads must fit the rating. Ads in an app must not be significantly more mature than its main content.

Google Play’s rating is separate from its content policy, which does not allow sexually explicit apps whatever their rating. See adult games on Android and iPhone.

Correcting a rating

A rating can be wrong in either direction, and IARC provides a route in both.

Developers can ask for a check. The FAQ says: “Developers can request a rating check for any of the ratings their game or app has been assigned.” The developer has to explain why the rating should differ and may need to provide evidence. Google Play’s policy says appeals go to the rating authority through the link in the certificate email.

Rating boards can correct it unasked. IARC says its authorities monitor ratings after release, and that corrections are applied through the stores’ systems. A game whose answers understated its content can have its rating raised, and a store can then act on the new rating.

What IARC means for adult games

IARC itself does not ban anything. It issues a rating. What matters is what each store does with the rating.

The Epic Games Store gave the clearest recent example. According to Gigazine, Epic said in February 2026 that it had assigned the horror game HORSES an Adults Only rating through the IARC questionnaire, and that AO-rated products cannot be distributed on its store. The developer’s appeal was reviewed and the decision upheld.

The practical consequences for adult game developers:

1. Answer honestly. Understating sexual content risks a correction after release and removal for misrepresentation.
2. Expect the top category for explicit content. On ESRB’s scale that is Adults Only.
3. Check each store’s rule on the top category. Several IARC stores do not carry AO-rated games, and the console platforms restrict sexual content separately. See the AO rating explained and does Unreal Engine allow NSFW games.
4. Use stores outside IARC for explicit games. Steam, itch.io, DLsite and other adult-friendly stores use their own systems. See where adult games can be sold in 2026.
5. Plan an all-ages version if you want console or mobile releases. That is how many adult visual novels reach those platforms.

What is still unknown

• The exact questions. IARC does not publish the questionnaire outside the submission process.
• How each store treats each top rating. IARC issues ratings; store policies decide what is sold.
• How often ratings are corrected after release. IARC publishes no figures.

How this page was put together

IARC’s process, participants, storefronts, history, rating categories and costs come from its own website, read on 19 October 2026. Google Play’s requirements come from its Play Console help article on content ratings. The HORSES case comes from Gigazine’s report of Epic’s statement, and the Japanese PlayStation Store point from Automaton’s 2022 report.

The studio has not submitted a game through IARC, and nothing here is a first-hand account of the questionnaire. To report an error, see the corrections standard.