The official ESRB rating for Elden Ring has been released, and with it comes details of the extreme levels of gore that will be in the game, keeping in line with the other FromSoftware games. The Soulsborne series is known for its horrifying enemies, with Bloodborne especially leaning heavily into body horror and Lovecraftian monstrosities, all of which have the ability to destroy the player in all manner of disturbing ways.
Warning: This article contains mild spoilers for Elden Ring.
All but one of the Soulsborne games earned a Mature rating from the ESRB, with Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin earning a Teen rating. It's unclear how Dark Souls 2 managed to earn a lower rating than the other FromSoftware games, but it's possible that it was due to the darker blood that appeared throughout the game. The further from realism a game is with its gore and blood, the likelier the chance of receiving a lower age recommendation rating. The dark blood in Dark Souls 2 prompted people to mod the PC version of the game, in order to change its color for more realism. Dark Souls, Dark Souls: Remastered, Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice all earned Mature ratings, thanks to their high levels of blood and gore.
The release of Elden Ring is only weeks away and the ESRB age rating for the game has now been revealed. According to the age rating website, Elden Ring has been deemed Mature, meaning its content is recommended for ages 17 and up. One of the reasons for this is due to the extreme levels of gore and violence in the game, which the rating reveals will include blood splatter caused through wounding, cries of pain, severed limbs which function as in-game collectibles, a boss who removes their own arm, and severed arms hanging from the ceiling in areas. Elden Ring also received a Mature rating equivalent in South Korea in October. The game also has partial nudity/suggestive themes, and swear words.
Elden Ring's ESBR rating aligns with what fans have already seen of the game. Some of the gory attacks have already been tested by lucky players thanks to the Elden Ring closed network test, which gave limited access to a playable build of the game ahead of its launch. Even the game's nudity doesn't come as a surprise, as it's something that has been in previous FromSoftware games, for example, with Dark Souls boss Chaos Witch Quelaag, who has Godiva hair over her torso.
Previously released Elden Ring footage has already revealed the Lands Between is a dark and dangerous world, and a lack of gore and violence likely wouldn't work in such a setting. While the upcoming title doesn't bear the Dark Souls name, Elden Ring has the same team behind it, as well as George R.R. Martin of A Song of Ice and Fire fame, so fans weren't expecting anything less than M for Mature in terms of violence or gore.
Elden Ring hits PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S platforms on February 25, 2022.
Source: ESRB