FAQs

IARC allows game and app developers to obtain ratings for multiple territories at once via a single streamlined system. The system is available to any developer that is distributing their game or app through a participating digital storefront.

Developers can only access the questionnaire through a participating digital storefront’s ingestion portal. The questionnaire is not available outside of those storefronts.

Storefronts must license IARC’s Software as a Service (SaaS) global solution for game and app ratings and integrate the system into their onboarding process for developers.

No, IARC does not host a centralized website for rating information. Regionally appropriate ratings are displayed for individual users when browsing for products on a participating digital storefront. Some participating rating authorities, however, are obligated to publicly post their local IARC-generated ratings. In such cases, that rating information is only made public after the product has been published on the storefront.

Obtaining ratings via IARC is free of cost to developers at this time. Storefronts and platforms pay IARC a license fee to integrate IARC’s Software as a Service (SaaS) global solution for game and app ratings.

The IARC rating process is designed to be as quick and easy as possible. Once a developer completes the questionnaire, the ratings are issued immediately. The questionnaire is programmed with unique algorithms that assign ratings for each of the participating rating authorities, reflecting their own distinct local standards about the age appropriateness of various content featured in the app. The length of time it takes to complete the questionnaire depends on how much ratings-pertinent content is in the game or app. For a game or app that contains very little pertinent content the questionnaire can be finished in a few minutes. If a game or app has more content – like violence, profanity, sexual content, nudity, gambling or other pertinent material – the questionnaire may take a few more minutes to complete.

In order to handle the high volume of digital games and apps, IARC utilizes an automated process which assigns ratings instantly without rating authorities’ review of the product prior to its release. As a result, certain rating assignments may require post-release modification, which is far easier to accomplish in a digital environment than it would be with physical product sold in packages. Certain regions may allow use of an IARC-assigned rating for a physical game upon further certification by the rating authority.

Developers can request a rating check for any of the ratings their game or app has been assigned by the IARC system. Developers will have to include a brief explanation of why the rating should be different and may be asked to provide supporting evidence – such as video clips or a build of the game or app – so that the rating check request can be evaluated by the rating authority(s) in question.

IARC is composed of representatives from numerous ratings authorities around the world, each of which plays a role in developing the questionnaire and programming the logic in the rating tool that developers complete when obtaining a rating. That logic is based on the distinct standards used by each rating authority, and the system generates a unique rating for each territory based on those localized standards.

Developers can only access the IARC system when submitting their game or app to any of the system’s participating storefronts.

If the other storefront participates in IARC, then in most cases the IARC certification code that was provided when the game or app’s rating was originally assigned can be used when submitting it to a new storefront. That will enable the new storefront to access the IARC rating information for that game or app and eliminates the need for developers to repeat the rating process. Otherwise, developers will have to utilize whatever content rating process that storefront offers, or, when required by law, may have to submit their game or app directly to a particular country’s rating authority. Unlike with physical game ratings, in most regions, IARC ratings cannot be displayed on storefronts or platforms that have not licensed the system. That is because of the possibility that IARC may need to modify the rating, which uses APIs that only IARC storefront licensees have implemented.

Any online or mobile storefront or platform that offers games or apps can utilize IARC to inform its users of their content, age-appropriateness and interactive features. The system is designed to be integrated into the on-boarding process by which these storefronts ingest games and apps from developers. This guarantees a seamless experience for the developer and enables IARC and participating storefronts to send and receive data that is critical to the display of accurate ratings in each region. Those interested in adopting IARC for their digital storefront should contact IARC for more information.