{"id":1723610,"date":"2019-06-13T15:59:37","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T13:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usk.de\/?page_id=1723610"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:24:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:24:38","slug":"standard-procedure","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/usk.de\/en\/home\/age-classification-for-games-and-apps\/standard-procedure\/","title":{"rendered":"Standard Procedure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you want to offer games to the public on a physical medium in Germany, you can apply for an age rating here and find out about the costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

General Policies<\/h2>\n

The German Youth Protection Act<\/a> (JuSchG) is the legal basis. The USK General Policy Statement<\/a> regulates the examination procedure. You can find further information on the obligations for content here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Submission and examination process<\/h2>\n

How to acquire a rating:<\/p>\n

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  1. Submission form:<\/strong> Download the submission form and fill it out. As of January 1, 2023, the USK will only accept applications with a new submission form.
    Submission Form<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/li>\n
  2. Information about the object of review: <\/strong>Send us the complete game in terms of content together with the completed and signed submission form and all available and printed materials such as the manual, cover, fact sheet, achievement\/trophy list, walkthrough, cheats, etc. For games that contain a multiplayer mode, we need a way to review this mode: Additional versions\/accounts, video footage of gameplay, and a detailed description of the MP mode.<\/li>\n
  3. Additional Information on interactive elements and online features<\/strong>: More detailed information and materials on the planned integration and design of interactive elements or online features (e.g., Communication functions, purchase functions, gambling-like mechanisms, location sharing, negative consequences of not playing, push messages), must be provided.
    \n


    For In-Game Purchases and In-App Purchases:<\/span> Most of these transactions don\u2019t technically occur \u201cin-game\u201d. Instead, many games redirect users to external storefronts (like the PlayStation Store, Steam, or similar platforms), because the games don\u2019t have their own infrastructure to process purchases. For us and parents, every purchase of content intended for use within a game or app is an In-Game Purchase or In-App Purchase.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    They don\u2019t need to be linked from the main menu either. What matters is that they include, for example, expansion packs, cosmetics, or downloadable content (DLC) that is specifically intended to be purchased and used within the game or app itself.<\/p>\n

    The following are considered \u201cIn-Game Purchases\u201d:<\/p>\n