Pokemon Legends: Z-A is breaking years of tradition to get 10+ age rating, and I think I might know why

Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot of a Mega Lucario standing in a street.
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Pokemon Legends: Z-A is set to break years of tradition when it launches this year, as it's currently listed as the only main game in the entire 29-year-old series to have an ESRB rating of 10+.

Look, it might not be a shocking M rating, but it's still an unprecedented deal within the Pokemon series. Looking through all of the series' ESRB ratings, every single main game has been given an E for everyone – the only exceptions at all are the Pokemon Rumble spin-offs (apart from Pokemon Rumble U, for some reason).

Legends: Z-A's rating isn't actually on the ESRB website yet – it's currently viewable on the official Nintendo site. As such, we don't have a full explanation as to why this one is higher than usual, but we know it'll include "fantasy violence," which is a step up from the "mild fantasy violence" included in the likes of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, as well as Legends: Arceus.

We'll just have to stay tuned to see why this is the case, but I think it's worth keeping in mind the ratings of those aforementioned Pokemon Rumble games. The spin-offs feature real-time combat, allowing you to run around as toy Pokemon, firing attacks and charging into hordes of other toy Pokemon – the rating descriptions mention the "melee-style fighting that includes punching, kicking, slashing, biting, and scratching." In a very basic form, it's comparable to Pokemon Legends: Z-A's real-time battles in the way that Pokemon run around sending out attacks. Could this perhaps be a contributing factor to the upcoming RPG's higher rating?

It's also worth noting that the situation is slightly different outside of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In the UK, for example, where the PEGI ratings board is used, Legends: Z-A has a provisional rating of 7, which is actually very common for the series, and matches up with the likes of Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet (and, for what it's worth, the Pokemon Rumble games). Being a provisional rating, this could change between now and release, but it doesn't appear that The Pokemon Company thinks anything is included in the RPG that'll increase its rating as far as PEGI is concerned.

Be sure to check out our list of the best Pokemon games to find your next adventure.

Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of 12DOVE's news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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