Reply #36: Found this on the ESRB site: [View All]

[gatorboy]

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/faq.jsp#2

Are all games required to have a rating?

The rating system is voluntary, although virtually all games that are sold at retail in the U.S. and Canada are rated by the ESRB. Many retailers, including most major chains, have policies to only stock or sell games that carry an ESRB rating, and most console manufacturers will only permit games that have been rated by ESRB to be published for their platforms.



How many games does the ESRB rate?

The ESRB typically assigns over 1,000 ratings per year. In 2008, ESRB completed 1,677 rating assignments. For a breakdown of ratings by category, click here.

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