Summary
Controversy has always blighted the gaming industry.Doom, with its roster of ghastly demons, has been criticized for its violence since the franchise began. Then there’sMortal Kombatandits grisly Fatalities, which didn’t go down particularly well with some parties either.
Needless to say, these sorts of titles and their violent content tend to be locked behind age ratings, determined by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board similarly to movies. Interestingly, there’s a ranking above Mature (17+), dubbed Adults Only (18+). This highest ranking is given out only in rare, extreme cases; Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo do not allowAO gameson their platforms and their sales are heavily restricted. FromHatredtoGTA, let’s take a look at some of the few games that earned this most dubious of ratings.
Updated July 15, 2025 by Mark Sammut:Adults Only gamesare pretty much a thing of the past, and the 2020s have yet to produce a project with this label. Simply put, games that would qualify have nothing to gain from requesting an ESRB score, so they just avoid the process. In the rare situations when a console release might receive an AO rating, the developer will make changes to ensure that does not happen. The section dedicated to these titles has been expanded.
Now, this one was all but inevitable.Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasearns a mention for a certain piece of content by the name of Hot Coffee. This was a removed minigame that, while not officially playable, could be triggered through mods. This dialed up the already adult content of the game to the limit, and soSan Andreaswas slapped with the AO rating since Hot Coffee was part of the game’s files rather than just an adult-oriented mod created by fans.
Curiously, though, said rating was rescinded later. Rockstar responded by deleting all traces of Hot Coffee from the title, and, in turn, the game’s rating was revised to Mature. Of all the awful things someone can see and do in aGTAtitle, it’s interesting to think that it was Hot Coffee in particular that pushed a series entry over the edge.
Coming in multiple versions,Singles: Flirt Up Your Lifeis an M-ratedsocial simthat puts players in charge of two characters who are living together. The main goal is to build up their relationship so they eventually go all the way. A simple premise that sells itself, the game executes this concept well enough, although it is hardly worth seeking out in this day and age.
Now, the standard North American version is fairly tame, but there used to be a downloadable AO alternative that added nudity back to the game. This version brought the content in line with the European iteration. In 2005, a sequel was even released, although it did not receive an ESRB rating. As far as can be confirmed at this point, it seems likeSingles 2: Triple Troublemight have remained a Europe exclusive.
As many people know,Manhunt 2is one of the most controversial video games in history.Created by Rockstar(no strangers to this sort of notoriety), the stealth game is filled to the brim with astonishingly gory and brutal content. Players control Daniel Lamb, a guy who escapes from an Asylum and goes on a rampage that involves graphically executing a plethora of people. The game even features a three-tier murder system, with the violence escalating with each level.
Manhunt 2is an unusual case, as it was rejigged by the team to meet the standards of a Mature rating (executions were changed to be less graphic and the system that glorified more theatrical assassinations was removed). It was the uncut PC release that pulled no punches and was condemned. While the console iteration earned an M rating, the PC iteration went the extra mile and received an AO score, although the content descriptors of all versions are the same.
Leisure Suit Larryhas always reveled in debauchery and adolescent humor. Debuting in 1987, the series is known for its sexually-charged humor and penchant for irreverence, and it accumulated a fairly respectable following during the ’90s. Sure, the games were not high art, but they did their jobs well. In 2004, Larry needed a makeover, which came in the form of a 3D adventure calledMagna Cum Laude.
Presenting quite a bit of freedom compared to its predecessors, this release drops players on campus and allows them to mingle and take part in minigames. There is not all that much depth here, and the jokes are the definition of immature, but some fun can be had if a player is in the right mindset. As with most multi-platform releases,Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude’s AO version is only available on PC, with the PS2 and Xbox receiving an edited version. If someone wants to try out the unfilteredLeisure Suit Larryexperience, theUncut and Uncensored!edition is the one players will want to pick up.
Most typical games try to avoid getting the AO rating, butHatredlooks like it was specifically designed with that goal in mind. This release is basicallyPostalwithout anything resembling a story or much in the way of nuance; it is a murder simulator, a game that unleashes players onto society and tells them to kill everyone.
Unsurprisingly,Hatredgarnered a pretty terrible reception upon release, but ultimately that hardly seemed to be the point of the game. This is a title that appeared to want people to be outraged and to react as loudly as possible. More often than not, the AO rating is given out to games that are obviously targeting adults, especially in the form of sexual content; amidst projects likeSeduce MeandWet: The Sexy Empire,Hatredstands out since it shares far more similarities with traditional games that one might find on most store shelves.
MangaGamer is a prolific adult visual novel publisher that has been around since 2008, usually releasing multiple projects per year. Although the vast majority of these games would garner AO scores if they were submitted for an ESRB rating, that step is unnecessary and largely unheard of, and that goes for most visual novels that incorporate mature content. However,Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Twowas a unique case. Along with debuting on PC, the game made its way to the PS2, with a United States release also being on the cards. That took a few years to materialize, but the visual novel officially debuted in 2014 in the USA; consequently, MangaGamer did submitEffor an ESRB score, which saw it naturally receive an Adults Only rating.
A Fairy Tale of the Twois a compilation containingThe First TaleandThe Latter Tale, two visual novels that can be purchased separately on Steam. Now, while one of the selling points of these types of projects, adult content is not their only reason for existing, and there are instances when that sort of material is added to an otherwise complete visual novel to increase its commercial appeal. For example,Fate/Stay Nightstarted as an eroge visual novel, but it is hardly defined by its adult content.Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Twois similar and tells a pretty great story.
One of the earliest games to be given an AO rating for violent content,Thrill Kill, ultimately never saw release at all as a result of its notoriety.
Paradox Development’s fighter revolved around the idea of a group of damned individuals, who had been vicious killers, battling for a chance to be reincarnated by the Goddess Marukka.Thrill Killpromised four players could hop in simultaneously, but bad press ultimately led to the title being canceled. For an idea of how the experience may have been, imagineWu-Tang: Shaolin Stylewith demonic characters and some of the most hideously brutal execution moves imaginable, and that’s basicallyThrill Kill.
Now, this is a special case since this rendition of Quantic Dream’s game seems impossible to find in the wild, at least not with this specific subtitle.Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director’s Cutdoes, however, have a dedicated ESRB page, so it was clearly submitted at one point or another. It seems like theDirector’s Cutis basically the original game’s European iteration, which included scenes that were cut from the North American version to allow for a Mature rating. It should be noted that ESRB only lists PC as a platform, so if this cut was made public, it was not on consoles.
Therefore, is it impossible to play the uncensored version ofIndigo Prophecy? Thankfully, the answer is “no.” In 2015, the game was remastered by Aspyr, andthis version ofFahrenheitis based on the international release. Consequently, it is uncut. Funnily enough, the remaster only received an M17+ rating from the ESRB board, despite having nearly the same content descriptors as theDirector’s Cut.
Seduce Me (Or Countless Other Similar Games)
A Badge Of Honor
Seduce Meis acting as a placeholder for the remaining AO games, most of which fall under the general category of “sex sells.” There is not all that much to say about titles likeLula 3D,Crystal Fantasy, andRiana Rougesince they do not try to hide what they are aiming to be.
These games wear the Adults Only label as a badge of honor, and an argument could be made that earning the usually undesirable ESRB rating actively helps them sell more copies. Due to only coming out on PC, they don’t need to even go through the age rating process.
M17+ Games That Tweaked Their Content To Avoid An AO-Rating
Generally, developers and publishers do not want an AO rating. Sure, sometimes it serves as a badge of honor, but that only holds value if a game only plans to be released on PC and has no desire to hit traditional store shelves. If it wants to target console players, a project simply cannot be labeled as Adults Only.
Consequently, if a developer learns that an Adults Only score is coming, they will likely alter and censor parts of their game to get the score down to M17+. As such, these titles never received an official AO rating since they made changes before their debuts.
Red Barrels’Outlast 2is an intense and uncomfortable horror game that threads into some rather deranged places. As far as ESRB’s site is concerned, the title did not register an AO rating; however,the developer did preemptively remove some content to ensureOutlast 2landed a Mature score. These scenes were eventually added back to the Steam version, as Valve’s platform is generally more lenient in what projects it accepts. While an Adults Only tag would stop a game from showing up on the PlayStation, Nintendo, or Xbox stores, that is not an issue with Steam.
Even if technically censored,Outlast 2’s console versions are still horrifying and designed with an older audience in mind. Still, if someone wishes to experience this release without restrictions or omissions, they will need to boot up Steam.
Born out of a Kickstarter campaign,Agonydrops players in hell and challenges them to make their way to the Queen in pursuit of salvation. Along the way, they will see plenty of horrifying visuals, all the while engaging in first-person gameplay revolving around stealth and possessing other inhabitants of hell.
Agonyhas a bit of a unique history in relation to the ESRB rating. Initially, the game earned itself an AO score, prompting Madmind Studio to tweak the project so that it could receive an M rating. The latter version is the one found on PC and consoles. However, towards the end of 2018, the studio releasedAgony Unratedon Steam, a version presumably closer to the one that garnered the infamous AO. Currently, this iteration is not available to purchase.
Agonyis not generally considered to be that great, but its spin-off,Succubus,is vastly better. Although it does not have a profile on ESRB, this side game could probably earn an AO or at least an M rating.
Conan Exilesis a hardcore survival game set in, naturally, theConan the Barbarianuniverse. Anyone familiar with the comics knows that the franchise specifically targets an adult audience, and Funcom’s game does a pretty good job of replicating the tone and setting of the source material.Conan Exilesalso casts a surprisingly wide net, seeking to cater to people who want a single-player experience through a story campaign AND folks craving multiplayer. The latter is the main selling point, and both co-op and PvP are options.
PC is arguably the best way to playConan Exiles, but the title is also available on consoles. Before its PS4 and Xbox One release, the game was expected to receive an Adults Only rating from the ESRB due to it featuring full-frontal nudity. Funcom knew an AO rating was coming and, consequently, removed some of the nudity, allowing the game to receive a Mature rating instead. Players in other areas like Europe can download a patch that adds this content, but the option is not available (on consoles) in the United States.
Hard as it is to believe, a Marvel game once was stamped with the AO rating; that said, anyone remotely familiar with Frank Castle would probably not be too surprised to learn that he stared in an unapologetically violent game. Now, to be clear,2004’sThe Punisherwas later toned down to an M rating, so the version on the market is not the one that was considered too much for consoles.
The developers did not change a great deal to get the game over the line, largely opting to present the death and torture scenes in black and white rather than color. Most of the brutality is still on display for the whole world to see, it just looks like an old Hollywood film now. Although far from a masterpiece,The Punisheris a pretty decent game and one of themore accurate adaptations of the Marvel character.
