This page gives an overview of the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) age ratings for Fortnite islands, how creators can obtain and manage ratings for their islands, and how those ratings appear for players and parents in Fortnite.
IARC & Ratings Overview
All experiences published in Fortnite require IARC-assigned age ratings.
The International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) gives creators a way to obtain ratings using a streamlined system that makes it simple and effective to get a rating for their islands. With IARC, the system enables creators to obtain age ratings from different regions around the world by reducing the process to a single set of questions that cover an island's content and interactive elements.
For more information, visit the IARC site.
Age Ratings are for Players and Parents
Age ratings are useful to players and parents to help players of all ages choose the content that is right for them when playing Fortnite island. Ratings also help parents to set age-appropriate restrictions on what islands their child can access in Fortnite.
Age Rating Display on Island Pages and Discover
IARC assigned age ratings will automatically be applied and prominently displayed to players in each respective region prior to accessing Fortnite islands to help them understand and choose the content that is right for them. Content sensitivities vary by region, and IARC's scalable global solution provides parents and players with trusted guidance from ESRB (North America), PEGI (Europe), ACB (Australia), USK (Germany), ClassInd (Brazil), and more, depending on where they live.
Fortnite Parental Controls - Content Rating
Parents and guardians can use new options in Epic's existing Parental Controls to set content age rating limits based on their family's preferences. These controls can be used to universally block islands above a certain rating. Parents can unlock specific islands that exceed the set ratings threshold using their Parental Controls PIN. There will also be an option to turn on/off the ability for children to design their own games in Creative Mode.
At launch, parents can set these controls in Fortnite, or they can log into the Epic Account Portal to modify their content rating settings.
Getting Age Ratings from IARC
As a creator, when you are ready to publish your island to Fortnite, you will complete the IARC content-rating questionnaire before submitting your island to moderation.
Once you have read and understood the expectations and requirements for answering the IARC questionnaire, you will need to follow the steps in Publishing from the Creator Portal.
You must provide an email address to receive communications from IARC. You are also required to provide a public customer service email address as part of the rating process. You can use the same email address provided for IARC, or provide an alternate email as a public customer service address.
Responding to the IARC Questionnaire
The IARC questionnaire includes questions regarding factors that each participating rating authority considers most pertinent when assigning ratings. When the questionnaire is complete, creators will automatically receive an age-based IARC rating for the content of their island, along with region-specific ratings from IARC-participating rating authorities.
When answering the questions in the IARC questionnaire, your responses must be complete and accurate, taking into account all content in the island submitted for rating. This includes but is not limited to visual content, dialog, references to rating-relevant themes, and music (including lyrics).
Components of an Age Rating
Age Ratings, as defined by IARC, for each region are comprised on the following three parts:
- Rating category: indicate the age-appropriateness of a game. For example, Teen.
- Content descriptors indicate the reasons (e.g., violence, sexual content, language) that a game was assigned a particular age rating. For example, Mild Fantasy Violence.
- Interactive elements indicate interactive aspects of a game (e.g., if it displays the player's location to other players or allows the player to make in-app purchases, interact with other players or have unrestricted access to the Internet). For example, Users Interact.
After a creator completes the questionnaire, IARC will assign the appropriate age ratings and content descriptors by region, and the assigned rating will display on the ratings tab of the publishing flow in Creator Portal.
Upon publishing, the rating information will be displayed to parents and players before they access an island in Fortnite.
Maximum Age Ratings in Fortnite
As explained below and per the Fortnite Island Creator Rules, content that exceeds Fortnite's maximum rating is not allowed.
If the region's assigned IARC rating exceeds the maximum Fortnite age rating allowed in the region, a message will display on Creator Portal indicating that it will not be available in that region.
Islands that exceed the maximum Fortnite age rating in all regions will not be able to proceed with publishing until the content has been adjusted, at which point the creator must complete the IARC questionnaire again for the updated version.
Fortnite Maximum Age Ratings
Rating Authority | Region | Maximum Age Rating Category |
---|---|---|
ESRB | North America | Teen |
PEGI | Europe and UK | PEGI 12 |
ACB | Australia | Mature |
ClassInd | Brazil | 12 |
USK | Germany | 16 |
GRAC | South Korea | 12+ |
Russia | Russia | 12+ |
IARC General | Rest of World | IARC 12+ |
Considerations When Responding to the IARC Questionnaire
UGC in the IARC Questionnaire
Several questions in the IARC questionnaire reference "User Generated Content" or "UGC". For example, "Please note that this question does not refer to user-generated content."
Fortnite Creative Islands and Fortnite UEFN Islands are not considered user generated content for the purposes of this questionnaire. Any questions referring to the "Game" or "App" are referring to your island.
Fortnite-Wide Standards for Interactive Elements
Some of the interactive element capabilities in Fortnite are not configurable in Creative islands. The first question is related to whether or not you are developing a single-player (Max Player Count of 1) or multiplayer island:
- Does the game natively allow users to interact or exchange content with other users through voice communication, text, or sharing images or audio?
If the answer is No--you are developing a single-player island--then you can answer No to the following questions.
If you are building a multiplayer island and respond to the question with Yes, then you need to answer additional questions with these specific responses:
- Does the game natively allow users to interact or exchange content with other users through voice communication, text, or sharing images or audio? Yes.
- Does the game include the ability to block users or user-generated content? Yes.
- Does the game include the ability to report users or user-generated content? Yes.
- Does the game include chat moderation? Yes.
Fill out the rest of the questionnaire as follows:
- Does the game share the user's current and precise physical location with other users? No.
- Does the game allow users to purchase digital goods? No.
- Note: While digital goods are purchasable in the Fortnite ecosystem, they are not purchasable within Fortnite islands.
Updating an Island Rating
Maintaining the correct IARC rating is important to maintaining trust with players that the rating accurately reflects the content of the island.
If you, as a creator, update island content that results in different answers on the IARC ratings questionnaire, you are required to retake the questionnaire to update the IARC rating. You can change an island rating by selecting the Retake Questionnaire button on the Ratings tab when publishing the new version with the updated content, which will redirect you to the IARC questionnaire.
After re-taking the IARC questionnaire, you can complete the remainder of the publishing process and submit for content review.
To publish an island update, follow the steps in Publishing from the Creator Portal.
You do not have to update your island rating everytime you update your island. You should only update your island rating if the updates will result in different answers to the IARC ratings questionnaire that you provided when initially publishing your island.
Appealing a Rating
If you disagree with the ratings assigned to your island, you can make an appeal to re-rate the island after it is published. Upon publishing, you will receive a notification via email from IARC that the rating certificate is published. This email will include information about how you can appeal any of the ratings assigned to the published island.
Appeal Process 1: IARC Rating that Exceeds Fortnite
If the rating for the island exceed the maximum Fortnite age rating allowed in all regions, you will not be able to proceed with publishing. If you disagree with the rating assigned for the unpublished project, you must submit a ticket with Epic Player Support.
Appeal Process 2: IARC Rating for a Published Project
If you disagree with any of the ratings assigned to the published project, you have the option to appeal.
The project must be published with the assigned rating in order to appeal. Upon publishing, you will receive a notification via email from IARC that the rating certificate is published. This email will include information about how you can appeal any of the ratings assigned to published product.
IARC FAQs
What is IARC?
The International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) is a ground-breaking rating system administered by many of the world's game rating authorities that globally streamlines the age classification process for digitally delivered games and apps. IARC enables the consistent accessibility of trusted and locally relevant guidance to help today's digital consumers make informed decisions. The participating rating authorities collaboratively developed and maintain a single, comprehensive IARC questionnaire that incorporates each rating system's unique criteria and generates localized ratings for their respective regions. All participating rating authorities monitor rating assignments to ensure accurate ratings, and the system enables the prompt correction of ratings when necessary.
Use of IARC is limited to games, apps, or standalone content that are exclusively available via digital distribution.
Are ratings mandatory to publish an island on Fortnite?
Yes, ratings are required for all islands on Fortnite.
How much time will it take me to obtain a rating from IARC?
If an island has minimal content pertinent to the ratings, the IARC submission process could take less than 5 minutes. For islands with more pertinent content, the IARC questionnaire will take a little longer to complete, perhaps 10-15 minutes. In both cases, if no additional materials are required from participating rating authorities, you will receive confirmation of the rating assignments immediately.
If I receive an IARC rating for the first time here, can I use it on another storefront?
Yes! In most cases, ratings obtained by using the IARC rating system can be transferred to other storefronts that have also deployed IARC. You receive an IARC certificate ID and, assuming no pertinent content or features have been added to or removed from the island, this ID will allow you to use the rating on other IARC-participating storefronts. However, in the case of Fortnite, it is not clear if or when your island will be eligible for publication on other platforms or storefronts. For more information on this, reach out to Epic support. For more information on the current list of participating storefronts, refer to About IARC.
How much does it cost to use IARC?
There is no cost to creators. Epic Games pays the IARC licensing fee.
What happens if a creator or developer answers the questions incorrectly, either deliberately or not, and ends up with a rating that does not actually represent the content in island?
When submitting your IARC Age Rating Questionnaire, you are required to accurately disclose relevant content within your Island in order to receive age appropriate ratings. Inaccurate questionnaire responses may result in your content being rejected, and repeated violations risks further action, including potentially having your monetization and publishing privileges suspended or permanently revoked.
The IARC rating system includes a process in which each participating rating authority monitors to ensure accurate ratings. When necessary, this system also enables the prompt correction of ratings on Fortnite. In the event that an IARC assigned rating is corrected, you will receive an email notification and the new rating information will be updated on the store.
How will I know if a rating has been changed?
IARC will notify you of any rating changes by email, and the rating displayed by the storefront will be updated.
What if I disagree with a rating?
You have an opportunity to review all of the ratings to be assigned to your product following the completion of the questionnaire and prior to finalizing your IARC rating. Should you have a concern with any of the pending ratings, you can check your answers prior to finalization, and make corrections to the questionnaire where errors have been made.
You can also submit a rating check request, which can be found via a link in the official rating certificate email sent to you upon release of the island. Click the link, select the rating(s) being contested, and include a brief explanation of why the rating(s) should be different. In response to a rating check request, IARC may contact you for supporting evidence, such as video clips or a build of the island.
How do we update old maps in the creator portal to have an IARC rating?
You can publish a new release for an existing map and get a rating in that process.
What do players see when looking at an island that is rated what their parent or guardian allowed them to play?
If a game is above the maximum rating their parent or guardian set for their account, the island will display a lock icon, and will need to be unlocked with a parental pin in order to play.
Many games feature weapons, but there is no blood or gore, and the violence is cartoonish. Would we then say yes there's violence even if there's no blood or gore?
There are many different questions in the Violence / Gore section of the questionnaire. By answering all of these questions, you will be able to give granular answers about the degree of violence in your island. For example, for Battle Royale we would answer that it contains violence against human and non-human characters, but does not contain blood or gore.
Does Epic check to ensure an experience is age-rated correctly?
Yes. Epic reviews all submissions to ensure that they follow the creator rules, and will reject your island if we find that you incorrectly answered questions on the IARC questionnaire. Additionally, participating IARC rating authorities periodically check island content to ensure that the correct rating was applied, and override with corrections if necessary.
Does the presence of weapons in a game automatically mean that the game is violent?
While the presence of weapons alone are not necessarily violent, the context in which weapons are used in gameplay matters greatly to the degree of violence in an experience. There are many different questions in the Violence / Gore section of the questionnaire. By answering all of these questions, you will be able to give granular answers about the degree of violence in your island.
Additional Questions
Creators who have additional questions about IARC may contact the agency at the following page: IARC Contact Us.