Video Games Top Kids’ Wish Lists This 2024 Holiday Season 

Did I check the age rating and is it appropriate for my family?

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) assigns age and content ratings to video games and mobile apps to help parents decide which are appropriate for their kids. 


Rating Categories – Suggest age appropriateness. Ratings include E for Everyone, E10+ for ages 10 and older, T for Teen, M for Mature for ages 17 and older or AO for Adults Only. 


Content Descriptors – Highlight the content that led to the assigned age rating. ESRB has more than 30 Content Descriptors to let parents know when a video game contains language, humor, violence and more.  


Interactive Elements – Provide upfront notice about interactive features that may be important to parents. For example, the In-Game Purchases label lets parents know when a game offers the ability to spend money for additional in-game content; Users Interact lets parents know when a game allows user-to-user communication.

ESRB rating information is located on the front and back of all video game boxes and on product detail pages before purchase or download on digital storefronts. Parents can also look up rating information by conducting a search using a game’s title on ESRB.org and the ESRB mobile app. Search results include Rating Summaries that provide more detailed information about the content of a game and the context in which it is experienced by the player (rating summaries are only available for physical games sold in stores).

Have I set up parental controls on my game device?

Tools exist on virtually all game devices to help parents, caregivers and individual players easily and efficiently manage the gameplay experience for their family. Parents can set up parental controls for their home, giving kids permission to experience games in a way that makes the most sense for them. Parental controls can include: 


• Filtering games by ESRB age rating 
• Managing time spent playing games 
• Controlling – or preventing – spending  
• Limiting – or blocking – communication with other players 
• PIN and password settings to prevent unwanted changes 
• Regular playtime reports 

Have I had a conversation with my child about engaging with others online?

Video games are a positive and meaningful outlet for billions of players worldwide. Establish and communicate clear household rules around time limits (time of day and duration of play), types of games allowed and when it’s appropriate to spend money – and then set up parental controls around these rules.

Games increasingly allow interaction with others online. Decide if family members should be able to interact with other players and, if so, with whom. Parents can activate parental controls to block online communications. In some cases, parents can curate their kids’ friends list to only allow communications with people they know in real life. If children are allowed to interact with others online, remember to discuss appropriate behavior, including treating other players kindly and respectfully, and have conversations with children about interacting with strangers online. If allowed to talk to strangers, make sure children understand what to do if they encounter another player behaving inappropriately. Remember: kids can always mute, block and report a player, and if they’re unsure about someone’s actions, they should talk to an adult they trust for advice.

To learn more about initiating and continuing these important conversations around video games in your home, visit ESRB’s Family Gaming Guide and follow the ESRB blog.

“Start a conversation with your kids about how to play responsibly,” said Alanna Powers, Research and Program Specialist, Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). “You can check out FOSI’s Unlocking Video Games resource and Safer Gaming Guide for tips on how to initiate this conversation. I encourage parents to play games with their children to learn about their interests. When parents give their child a video game related gift for the holidays, they may also be giving the gift of family bonding. Check out our FOSI Holiday Gift Guide: Tech Edition for more tips on digital parenting during the holidays.”