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Every PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo release must apply to the ESRB for a parental advisory rating, and none of them want to get the dreaded Adults-Only label. Although never especially common, AO-rated games have become basically non-existent nowadays, and that seems likely to remain the case moving forward. Looking back, this ESRB rating has a fascinating history and resume of games, including a few of the biggest-ever projects.
Adults-Only video games continuously push the envelope not only in what they are willing to show but also in the themes they tackle. Some of the most ambitious titles earned this rating, although that descriptor certainly cannot be used for every AO game. Let's take a walk on the wild side.
Click on a game's title to visit its ESRB page.
A Quick Look Into ESRB's Adults-Only Rating
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Infamous Hot Coffee
Now, this one was all but inevitable. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas received an AO rating due to a piece of content called "Hot Coffee". This was a removed minigame that, while not officially playable, could be triggered through mods. This dialed up the already adult content of the game to the limit, and so San Andreas was slapped with the AO rating since Hot Coffee was part of the game's files rather than just an adult-oriented mod created by fans.
Curiously, though, that rating was rescinded later. Rockstar responded by deleting all traces of Hot Coffee from the title, and, in turn, the game’s rating was revised to Mature. Of all the awful things someone can see and do in a GTA title, it’s interesting to think that it was Hot Coffee in particular that pushed a series entry over the edge.
How To Play GTA: San Andreas
Fortunately, compared to a few other games in this article, San Andreas is a pretty easy game to play nowadays. However, you might struggle to find the original version, as it has mostly been superseded by The Definitive Edition, which is pretty notorious. That version is playable nowadays, but it isn't perfect. Naturally, Hot Coffee isn't in any currently available version of San Andreas.
Should You Play GTA: San Andreas in 2026?
Of course, San Andreas is arguably the best Grand Theft Auto game, making it one of the top 5 open-world masterpieces of all time. Now, if somebody is only familiar with GTA 5, they might find elements of San Andreas to be antiquated, and they might not fall in love with it as intensely as people who grew up with the game. However, even in 2026, it is still a lot of fun, way more so than something like GTA 3.
Conan Exiles
Console Versions Are A Bit More Covered Up
Conan Exiles is a hardcore survival game set in, naturally, the Conan the Barbarian universe. Anyone familiar with the comics knows that the franchise specifically targets an adult audience, and Funcom's game does a pretty good job of replicating the tone and setting of the source material. Conan Exiles also casts a surprisingly wide net, catering to people who want a single-player experience through a story campaign AND folks craving multiplayer. The latter is the main selling point, and both co-op and PvP are options.
PC is arguably the best way to play Conan Exiles, but the title is also available on consoles. Before its PS4 and Xbox One release, the game was expected to receive an Adults Only rating from the ESRB due to it featuring full-frontal nudity. Funcom knew an AO rating was coming and, consequently, removed some of the nudity, allowing the game to receive a Mature rating instead. Players in areas like Europe can download a patch that adds this content, but the option is not available (on consoles) in the United States.
How To Play Conan Exiles
Readily available on most modern platforms.
Should You Play Conan Exiles in 2026?
While not for everyone, Conan Exiles has more than proven its staying power over the years, and it is nowadays well-established as a minor but still popular part of the multiplayer scene.
Singles (Or Singles: Flirt Up Your Life)
Sims But No Kids Allowed
Coming in multiple versions, Singles: Flirt Up Your Life is an M-rated social sim that puts players in charge of two characters who are living together. The main goal is to build up their relationship so they eventually go all the way. A simple premise that sells itself, the game executes this concept well enough, although it is hardly worth seeking out in this day and age.
Now, the standard North American version is fairly tame, but there used to be a downloadable AO alternative that added nudity back to the game. This version brought the content in line with the European iteration. In 2005, a sequel was even released, although it did not receive an ESRB rating. As far as can be confirmed at this point, it seems like Singles 2: Triple Trouble might have remained a Europe exclusive.
How To Play Singles: Flirt Up Your Life
Like a number of the games in this article, Singles: Flirt Up Your Life is abandonware nowadays, so you cannot just jump on Steam or GOG and buy a copy. It is on GOG's dreamlist, though.
Should You Play Singles: Flirt Up Your Life in 2026?
There isn't any reason to seek out Singles nowadays. The basic North American version is, frankly, quite boring; meanwhile, the AO version is also dull, but at least it has some novelty factor. Just play any of The Sims games or one of the thousand dating sims on Steam.
Manhunt 2 (PC Edition)
Blood-Soaked Murder Spree
As many people know, Manhunt 2 is one of the most controversial video games in history. Created by Rockstar (no strangers to this sort of notoriety), the stealth game is filled to the brim with astonishingly gory and brutal content. Players control Daniel Lamb, a guy who escapes from an Asylum and goes on a rampage that involves graphically executing a plethora of people. The game even features a three-tier murder system, with the violence escalating with each level.
Manhunt 2 is an unusual case, as it was rejigged by the team to meet the standards of a Mature rating (executions were changed to be less graphic, and the system that glorified more theatrical assassinations was removed). It was the uncut PC release that pulled no punches and was condemned. While the console iteration earned an M rating, the PC iteration went the extra mile and received an AO score, although the content descriptors of all versions are the same.
How To Play Manhunt 2
Except for finding physical copies of the console versions, Manhunt 2 cannot be purchased legally nowadays. As far as I know, the game has never been on platforms like Steam or GOG, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. Rockstar doesn't really reference Manhunt 2 all that much, and it is basically abandonware.
Should You Play Manhunt 2 in 2026?
The censored version of Manhunt 2 isn't worth playing, in my opinion; however, the uncut PC version is a relatively one-of-a-kind experience, even with the existence of its predecessor. Despite sharing many similarities, they have very different atmospheres and level design, while the sequel is far easier than the first. We just don't get AAA-level games like Manhunt 2 nowadays.
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut And Uncensored
Larry's Wildest PC Adventure
Leisure Suit Larry has always reveled in debauchery and adolescent humor. Debuting in 1987, the series is known for its sexually-charged humor and penchant for irreverence, and it accumulated a fairly respectable following during the '90s. Sure, the games were not high art, but they did their jobs well. In 2004, Larry needed a makeover, which came in the form of a 3D adventure called Magna Cum Laude.
Presenting quite a bit of freedom compared to its predecessors, this release drops players on campus and allows them to mingle and take part in minigames. There isn't all that much depth here, and the jokes are immature, but some fun can be had if a player is in the right mindset. As with most multi-platform releases, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude's AO version is only available on PC, with the PS2 and Xbox receiving an edited version. If someone wants to try out the unfiltered Leisure Suit Larry experience, the Uncut and Uncensored! edition is the one players will want to pick up.
How To Play Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
Along with a plethora of other entries in the franchise, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude was removed from Steam in 2025. However, it is still readily available on sites like GOG.
Should You Play Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Uncut And Uncensored in 2026?
A few Leisure Suit Larry games are worth checking out, but Magna Cum Laude is not among them. This might be the worst entry in the franchise, offering minimal, repetitive gameplay and an awful story. The AO rating is the only interesting thing about this game, and that is nowhere near enough of a reason to try it out.
Hatred
Mass Murder Sim
While GTA will always be the most controversial franchise in gaming, Hatred is arguably the most infamous individual game in existence, one that not only got negative attention from the general media but also did not go down all that well within the gaming community. Now, to be fair, the game's reputation has improved somewhat on Steam after years of support from the developer, and it is nowadays sitting with a "Very Positive" score. Still, it is hard to know how many of those scores are sincere and how many are from people who are just trolling.
So, what is Hatred? Well, it is an isometric shooter where you play as a mass murderer. Technically, most of these types of shooters feature protagonists who end up killing a small country's worth of people, but none of them are specifically sold as a simulation of mass killing. More importantly, Hatred really went all in on the brutality of the kills, making them pretty uncomfortable to watch. While not necessarily praising his actions, and even calling him "The Antagonist," the game doesn't really say anything all that interesting about the main character's actions. Also, Postal walked Hatred's road about a decade earlier.
How To Play Hatred
It is waiting for you on Steam.
Should You Play Hatred in 2026?
Hatred isn't as bad as its reputation suggests, at least from a gameplay perspective. It mostly comes across like a worse version of the original Postal, and Hotline Miami covered similar ground far more effectively. There are just so many superior twin-stick shooters that should be prioritized above this game, and that is without even going into its subject matter.
Thrill Kill
Vicious Fighter
One of the earliest games to be given an AO rating for violent content, Thrill Kill, ultimately never saw release at all as a result of its notoriety.
Paradox Development’s fighter revolved around the idea of a group of damned individuals, who had been vicious killers, battling for a chance to be reincarnated by the Goddess Marukka. Thrill Kill promised four players could hop in simultaneously, but bad press ultimately led to the title being canceled. For an idea of how the experience may have been, imagine Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style with demonic characters and some of the most hideously brutal execution moves imaginable, and that's basically Thrill Kill.
How To Play Thrill Kill
Thrill Kill was never released, so there is no way to legally play the PS1 game.
Should You Play Thrill Kill in 2026?
It is kind of, ahem, thrilling to play a game that was never officially released, and Thrill Kill isn't awful by any stretch of the imagination. It just isn't particularly good, and the novelty wears off pretty quickly. The gameplay is quite frustrating and, unsurprisingly, the characters aren't well-balanced. Just play Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style.
Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two
A Rare Visual Novel Asks For An ESRB Rating
MangaGamer is a prolific adult visual novel publisher that has been around since 2008, usually releasing multiple projects per year. Although the vast majority of these games would garner AO scores if they were submitted for an ESRB rating, that step is unnecessary and largely unheard of, and that goes for most visual novels that incorporate mature content. However, Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two was a unique case. Along with debuting on PC, the game made its way to the PS2, with a United States release also being on the cards. That took a few years to materialize, but the visual novel officially debuted in 2014 in the USA; consequently, MangaGamer did submit Ef for an ESRB score, which saw it naturally receive an Adults Only rating.
A Fairy Tale of the Two is a compilation containing The First Tale and The Latter Tale, two visual novels that can be purchased separately on Steam. Now, while one of the selling points of these types of projects, adult content is not their only reason for existing, and there are instances when that sort of material is added to an otherwise complete visual novel to increase its commercial appeal. For example, Fate/Stay Night started as an eroge visual novel, but it is hardly defined by its adult content. Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two is similar and tells a pretty great story.
How To Play Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two
The all-ages versions of The First Tale and The Latter Tale are on Steam, so you can go down that route. If you want the standard version, you will probably need to find a physical copy.
Should You Play Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two in 2026?
If you enjoy visual novels, Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two is a cult classic.
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director's Cut
An AO Version That Might Or Might Not Exist
Now, this is a special case since this rendition of Quantic Dream's game seems impossible to find in the wild, at least not with this specific subtitle. Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director's Cut does, however, have a dedicated ESRB page, so it was clearly submitted at some point. It seems like the Director's Cut is basically the original game's European iteration, which included scenes that were cut from the North American version to allow for a Mature rating. It should be noted that ESRB only lists PC as a platform, so if this cut was made public, it was not on consoles.
Therefore, is it impossible to play the uncensored version of Indigo Prophecy? Thankfully, the answer is "no." In 2015, the game was remastered by Aspyr, and this version of Fahrenheit is based on the international release. Consequently, it is uncut. Funnily enough, the remaster only received an M17+ rating from the ESRB board, despite having nearly the same content descriptors as the Director's Cut.
How To Play Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director's Cut
The original version isn't easy to find, but Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered is based on the Director's Cut and has all the cutscenes. Therefore, you can just play that one.
Should You Play Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director's Cut in 2026?
You know what, yes, you should play Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy. The story starts interesting but progressively grows more absurd and unhinged, and I mean that as a compliment. While not necessarily good, the game is entertaining as heck. That said, the gameplay is a mixed bag, and the controls aren't great on PC either. Still, play the remaster.
