   Is ESRB mandatory for non-boxed game?
  Is ESRB mandatory for non-boxed game?Thanks   
  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.Sourcehttp://www.esrb.org/ratings/faq.jsp#2   ;  I think you just answer your own question. :) It's not required unless you want to sell the game in a store that requires a rating or have it sanctioned/publish for one of the major consoles. They'd probably run into constitutional issues (in the U.S at least)if they required every game to be submitted to the ESRB.   ;  I think it depends on the country.I've heard that all games being sold in Australia for example (whether boxed or digitally distributed) need to be rated by the classification board. Don't really know if that's true or not.   ;Quote:Original post by Sc4FreakI've heard that all games being sold in Australia for example (whether boxed or digitally distributed) need to be rated by the classification board. Don't really know if that's true or not.From what I've read, in my distinctly-not-a-lawyer-so-don't-take-this-as-legal-advice perspective, it's against OFLC regs to sell an unclassified game if the seller is in Australia (whether retail or digital download), but it's okay for an overseas digital distributor to sell games to Australia (or at the least it's a grey area. This Massively article explains it a bit more.) It's something I'm going to check in more detail if I try to sell a game myself, though.In practice it's something I suspect the authorities wouldn't try to clamp down on because it's almost impossible to enforce. Australian authorities can't dictate what overseas digital shopfronts do, so the only approach they could take would be to prosecute Aussie buyers, which wouldn't exactly be popular with voters. It's not worth the cost to enforce. However it's not something I'd try to risk abusing, like specifically making a game designed to be as offensive and unclassifiable as possible and then deliberating trying to market it to Australia over digital channels.To the OP: if you're planning on selling your own games but aren't sure if a formal rating is worth it, you can try using TIGRS. It's a self-serve rating system I've seen used in a few places by indies.   