It's easy to forget, especially if you're an adult who can afford anything. However, each video game goes through the ESRB's rating process, and each game's rating is aimed at a specific audience. Final Fantasy 16, for example, pursued an M rating with a focus on exploring mature themes.
One brave user took to Reddit and wanted to know what the first M-rated video game was.
I don't think Grand Theft Auto 6 will be GOTY in 2026.
Success is not guaranteed.
The answer is a trip down memory lane. Gamers young and old share their experiences when their parents first allowed them to move beyond E- and T-rated games and into the very exciting M-rated aspects.
Do you remember the first game to receive an M rating?
“Halo 1” turns 25 in 2026, wrote the post's top comment, referencing Halo: Combat Evolved, which is scheduled for a remake in the form of Halo: Campaign Evolved.
“My mom didn’t let me play M-rated games until I was 13 and before that I always had to play at my friend’s house down the alley,” one commenter wrote. “Halo: Combat Evolved is also my first game. It was a great time.”
Of course, no thread on M-rated games would be complete without a mention of Grand Theft Auto, and Vice City or San Andreas were popular choices among commenters.
“I always thought it was funny how San Andreas was everyone’s childhood game when it was rated M,” one commenter wrote.
Others cited Conker's Bad Fur Day, but how would unsuspecting parents know that the same Rare that created Banjo was behind this?
“I wanted a late night blockbuster game with my dad, a game with an orange squirrel on the cover and the rest is history,” one gamer wrote. “Life has changed since then.”
We also can't forget all the versions of Mortal Kombat.
One lucky gamer responded: “I accidentally borrowed it when I was 7 or 8 because it looked like a regular fighting game (I don't know how they did that) and my mom found out and got upset.”
In perhaps the most recent example of parents allowing their children to play M-rated games, someone said they were able to get Elden Ring this year.
“Enjoy your trip kid,” someone wrote.
Personally, I, like many kids, was allowed to play Mortal Kombat in all its gory glory, but my parents drew the line at Grand Theft Auto. It wasn't until 2012(!) that I got to play GTA, when GTA IV came bundled with Max Payne 3 at Target. The first M-rated game I ever bought was Advanced Warfare. Yes, I know. It's a really good choice.
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