Raising Call of Duty age rating: what parents should know
Call of Duty age rating: Black Ops 7 (November 2025) is rated M (Mature 17+) by the ESRB for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, suggestive themes, and drug use, and 18 by PEGI in Europe and the UK. Modern Warfare 4, released October 23, 2026, is also rated M. Call of Duty: Mobile is 18+ on Apple's App Store and Mature 17+ on Google Play, which lists random paid items. All versions include online play with other players and purchases with real money.
Call of Duty at a glance
- ✓Official rating above age 7
ESRB: M; PEGI 18 (Black Ops 7) - ✓Contact with other players or strangers
ESRB: Users Interact; voice chat - ✓Purchases with real money
ESRB: In-Game Purchases (COD Points) - ✓Paid random items
COD Mobile: Includes Random Items - ✓Violence or scary content in rating descriptors
ESRB: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence - –Government lawsuits, fines, or safety warnings
None found
Each flag is a yes-or-no fact from the sources on this page. The number is a count of flags, not a safety score. How we count.
| Type | First-person military shooter series by Activision, released yearly |
|---|---|
| Black Ops 7 (2025), ESRB | M (Mature 17+) — Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs; Users Interact, In-Game Purchases source |
| Black Ops 7, PEGI | 18 (no one under 18) — Violence, Bad language, In-game purchases source |
| Modern Warfare 4 (released Oct 23, 2026) | ESRB M — Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs source |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | App Store 18+ (contains loot boxes); Google Play Mature 17+, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items) source |
Checked October 2026. Ratings and settings change; check the official source before you decide. What do these ratings mean?
Facts for parents, not medical or legal advice. If you're worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician.
What is Call of Duty?
Short answer: A series of military shooting games from Activision, with a new title most years.
The newest game is Modern Warfare 4, released October 23, 2026, on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2; digital preorders could play the campaign from October 16. The one before it is Black Ops 7 (November 2025). Call of Duty: Mobile is a separate free game for phones.
Call of Duty age rating: what's in it
Short answer: Current games are rated M (17+) in the US and 18 in Europe and the UK.
- Black Ops 7, ESRB: M. The ESRB describes realistic, frenetic battles, execution moves, frequent dismemberment in zombie and hallucination sequences, player cards with sexualized imagery and cannabis imagery, and strong profanity.
- Black Ops 7, PEGI: 18, for violence and bad language.
- Modern Warfare 4, ESRB: M. Players can kill civilians; cutscenes show close-range shootings, a hanging, and a beating.
Online play, voice chat, and purchases
Short answer: Players talk to strangers and can spend real money.
- Online: the ESRB lists Users Interact. Since 2023, Activision has used an AI tool, ToxMod, to flag abusive voice chat for human review; players can turn voice chat off.
- Purchases: COD Points buy bundles and passes; on mobile they cost $0.99 to $99.99. Google Play says Call of Duty: Mobile includes random items.
- Terms: Activision's terms say players must meet the age in the game's rating.
The habit kids may copy: playing "shooting"
Call of Duty is about shooting enemies, and its clips and pretend weapons travel far beyond the game.
Try tonight: a game where everyone wins
When a pretend-shooting game starts, add one rule: "In our game, the hero rescues someone." Let your child pick who gets rescued and how. In our program, this is the lesson "Fair Play": a game is fun only when it's fun for everyone.
Why you can trust this page: the main facts link to their sources, a separate reviewer checks each page before it goes live, and the date shows when we last checked. How we review · Report an error
FAQ
What age is Call of Duty for?
Black Ops 7 and Modern Warfare 4 are rated M (Mature 17+) by the ESRB. PEGI rates Black Ops 7 18.
What is Black Ops 7 rated?
ESRB M for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, suggestive themes, and drug use; PEGI 18.
What is Call of Duty: Mobile rated?
App Store 18+ and Google Play Mature 17+, with in-game purchases that include random items.
Does Call of Duty have voice chat?
Yes. Players can talk to others online; Activision uses AI moderation on voice chat, and voice chat can be turned off in settings.
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