To help consumers make informed choices on Google Play, we're introducing a new rating system for apps and games. These ratings provide an easy way to communicate familiar and locally relevant content ratings to your users and help improve app engagement
by targeting the right audience for your content.
Starting in May, consumers worldwide will see the current Google Play rating scale replaced with their local rating on the Play Store. Territories that are not covered by a
specific International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) rating authority will be assigned an age-based, generic rating.
To prevent your apps' from being listed as Unrated, sign in to your Google Play Developer Console and fill
out the questionnaire for each of your apps as soon as possible. Unrated apps may be blocked in certain territories or for specific users.
Beginning May 5, 2015, all new apps and updates to existing apps will need to have a
completed content rating questionnaire before they can be published. As a Google Play Developer, your compliance and participation with the new app ratings system is required under the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement. Apps that aren't rated
using the new rating system may be removed from the Play Store.
Note: All apps and games on Google Play are required to follow the Google Play Developer Content Policy.
Obtaining Ratings
To receive a rating for each of your apps and games, you fill out a rating questionnaire on the Google Play Developer Console about the nature of your apps' content and receive a content rating from multiple rating authorities. The
ratings assigned to your app displayed on Google Play are determined by your questionnaire responses.
You're responsible for completing the content rating questionnaire for:
New apps submitted on the Developer Console Existing apps that are active on Google Play All app updates where there has been a change to app content or features that would affect the responses to the questionnaire
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To benefit users, developers should use the assigned rating when advertising their app in each respective region, subject to display guidelines.
App ratings are not meant to reflect the intended audience. The ratings are intended to help consumers, especially parents, identify potentially objectionable content that exists within an app.
All rating icons
are protected trademarks of the respective rating authority and their misuse may result in legal action.
Important: Make sure to provide accurate responses to the content rating questionnaire. Misrepresentation of your app's
content may result in removal or suspension.
Rating authorities & descriptions
The bodies involved are:
- The Australian Classification Board
- Classifcacao Indicativa, which covers Brazil
- The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which looks after North America
- Pan European Game Information (Pegi), which is used by the UK
and 29 other European countries
- Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, which is specific to Germany
- Australian Classification Board
Generic ratings are assigned to territories without a participating authority. There is also a variant set of ages used for App ratings in South Korea.
Google also notes the possible ratings:
- Unrated
- Refused Classification.
