Newgrounds has several ratings for the content on the website. They are heavily based on the ESRB's ratings.
The ratings apply to games, movies, art, audio, blog posts, collab entries, series, collections, albums, playlists and the BBS.
E - Everyone (All Ages)[]
Suitable for everyone.
- The content is generally suitable for all ages.
- There is little to no violence.
- Bad language is limited to mild terms like damn, hell, crap and turd. Acronyms can be used in certain cases (example: BS).
- Equivalent to G and PG.
T - Teen (13+)[]
May be inappropriate for kids under 13.
- The content is generally suitable for ages 13 and above.
- There may be intense violence without too much blood, including death. This is prevalent in action movies.
- There may be bad language, such as "shit", "asshole", "dick" and derogatory slurs. Strong language (example: "f**k" and its derivatives) may also be permitted depending on the frequency and context.
- Equivalent to PG-13.
M - Mature (17+)[]
Mature subject matter. Not for kids!
- The content is generally suitable for ages 17 and above.
- There may be graphic and realistic-looking depictions of violence and gore.
- The strong terms of explicit language can be used more frequently.
- They can contain mild, non-sexualized nudity (example: butts). Genitals and female nipples are nowadays rare in M-rated content, due to expanding state AV laws.
- Equivalent to R.
A - Adult (18+)[]
Adults only! This is NSFW and not for kids!
Main article: Adult Content
- The content is only suitable for ages 18 and above.
- There is a strong, heavily sexualized depiction of sex, explicit pornography, or animated nudity.
- Fetish content, or other non-nudity content with sexual undertones, are also given this rating.
- An A rating can also apply to extreme gore, and extreme adult themes.
- Equivalent to NC-17 and X.
Since 2022, a Newgrounds account is required to view A-rated content, provided the user has confirmed they are at least 18 years old.
Content descriptors[]
These descriptors apply only to Game, Movie, and Art submissions, except "Explicit Audio", which doesn't apply to the Art Portal. Audio Portal, Blog, Collabinator, Playlist and BBS ratings are applied without descriptors.
| Content descriptor | Corresponding ratings | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nudity/Sexual | M, A | Instances of nudity containing exposed breasts and genitals. Content with strong sexuality (including pornography) and nudity goes into the A rating. Overly graphic sexual content and child pornography are not permitted on Newgrounds. Was referred to as just "Nudity" prior to 2023. |
| Violence | T, M | Includes images containing gore. |
| Explicit Audio | T, M | The spoken dialogue may contain swear words or crude sexual references. This descriptor is originally known as "Audible Explicit Language." |
| Explicit Text | T, M | Text containing swear words. This descriptor is originally known as "Textual Explicit Language." |
| Adult Themes | T, M | Any mature subject matter. |
Trivia[]
- Unlike ESRB's rating system, the use of the F-word does not usually result in an M rating. Instead, it can accommodated within the T rating as long as it is not prevalent throughout.
- In exceptional cases though, the infrequent and discreet use of the F-word can be allowed in video games rated T by the ESRB (e.g., One Last Breath).
- Newgrounds' content rating system used to be much lenient on pornographic content, causing submissions like Ganguro Girl 1.5 to get an M rating.