Steam's IGRS Rating Goes Viral on the Internet, Here's the Explanation

Steam's IGRS Rating Goes Viral on the Internet, Here's the Explanation

The Indonesian gaming world is currently being enlivened by the controversial IGRS Steam rating owned by the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi), an official Indonesian government agency.

What exactly is the issue? What are the details, and how did it go viral? So, to save you even more curiosity, let's check out the detailed review!

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What is IGRS?

Before delving into the controversy, VCGamers will first explain what IGRS is. So, Vicigers who may not be familiar with it can still follow the discussion.

And because this is discussing government institutions (generally "sensitive", so you need to be careful) for that reason VCGamers will launch from IGRS official website and social media just.

From the statement stated there, IGRS (Indonesia Game Rating System) is a public service organization tasked with regulating all regulations in the domestic gaming industry.

As an institution, they are still relatively new: founded on October 11, 2025. Their existence is intended as a "breakthrough" from new leadership in the digital field.

IGRS operates under the legal umbrella of Komdigi regulations, including No. 2 of 2024 concerning Game Classification, whose primary function is to provide game ratings.

Simply put, they will review various game titles (both foreign and domestic). Based on the results of this review, each game's rating will be released and assigned.

There are several rating levels, starting from those that are for all ages, to the most “risky” ones, namely a distribution ban (even adults are not allowed to play it).

IGRS Rating

Now, let's move on to discussing ratings, as they're closely related to this issue. There will be two sections: capacity and category:

Game capacity

From the results of the VCGamers study, each rating is distinguished by several specific capacities that can be indicators in determining the suitability of the game content:

• The lowest level of reference is to "reference" something that is prohibited. This includes talking about, implying, describing, illustrating, etc. For example, if a character in a game says they have experienced bleeding (without needing to show a scene/footage of it), this falls within the capacity of referencing blood.;
• Moving up a level is "showing." In this capacity, the game already displays prohibited elements within certain limits. For example, in a detective game, photographs of the bodies of victims of murder cases are shown as forensic evidence.;
• And at the highest level is "using." Games of this caliber are characterized by blatantly incorporating prohibited elements into their gameplay and main selling point (a lot of repetition). Examples include games in the gore, horror, thriller, and other genres, which often feature characters with blood, injuries, missing limbs, and so on.

IGRS Age Rating

Based on this capacity, IGRS has defined several game categories. So far, they have only introduced at least six of them that are applicable in Indonesia:

• “"3+" is the lowest rating, suitable for children aged 3 and up—and is also applicable to all ages. Games seeking this rating must not contain any references to prohibited content;
• “"7+" is suitable for school-age children. This is where fairly rigid regulations begin to emerge regarding prohibited elements that may not be referenced, shown, or used.;
• “The "13+" rating tightens the age range (at least for teenagers) because some prohibited aspects are introduced and incorporated into the gameplay. Furthermore, online interaction with other players is also permitted for this rating—though with strict parental controls and filters.;
• “15+” are games for teenagers that tend to be full of action, gore, measured violence, etc. Here, the online interaction filter is also “stuck” at the language filter only;
• “"18+" is used as a cover for those considered adults. Games with this rating contain a variety of prohibited content, so IGRS is obligated to limit them to adults only.;
• “A "Refused Classification (RF)" is equivalent to a haram label. Games with this rating will not be permitted for distribution due to the various prohibited elements they contain. There are only two options: remove the censored parts (which is usually impossible) or refuse to enter the domestic market.

Forbidden things

Besides these two aspects, equally important are the things that the IGRS considers prohibited from appearing in a game. Here's a detailed summary:

• Substances that are considered addictive and harmful: these include cigarettes, alcohol, and narcotics;
• Inappropriate things: some of these include swearing, violence, use of weapons (realistic or fictional), hate speech against certain things/groups, and horror;
• Immoral acts: such as sexual connotations in any form, adult humor, nudity, and pornography;
• Gore: namely blood, mutilation, and cannibalism;
• Digital environment suitability: including access to online interactions and gambling/gacha facilities.

IGRS vs PEGI

Veteran gamers have likely seen similar ratings, like PEGI, for example. Given this controversy, the two are often compared.

PEGI (Pan European Game Information) is a game rating system that applies in Europe and is embedded across various platforms. IGRS, on the other hand, is specific to Indonesia.

In addition, there are significant differences in several other aspects. These are closely related to the regional context and target demographics of each rating system:

• Areas covered: Although the issue is for the European market share, PEGI is already valid globally, while IGRS is only valid locally in Indonesia;
• Implementation: PEGI has been a standard on many global platforms for a long time (over two decades). In some cases, like Steam, they've even used it since its inception;
• Assessment standards: Because PEGI has been around for a long time, it is more stable, while IGRS is still developing;
• Restrictions: While most IGRS ratings are consumer recommendations, some ratings are absolute. For example, games with this rating are considered "forbidden" and will not be available on official platforms. This differs from PEGI, which does not restrict distribution.

IGRS Polemic on Steam

After the detailed explanation above, it's time to get into the main discussion regarding the IGRS Steam controversy. The origins of this issue date back to early April 2026.

This emerged as a public reaction to the implementation of IGRS in Steam. This means that every game will have an age rating according to Indonesian standards, rather than a global system like PEGI.

The goal is actually clear: to comply with Indonesian regulations, provide age ratings for players, and support the global gaming industry ecosystem on the national stage.

However, this implementation hasn't gone smoothly. Many gamers have noticed several inconsistencies in its implementation across various game titles, resulting in inconsistencies.

For example, adult games featuring nudity and sexual content can receive child-friendly ratings. Furthermore, many popular games also receive RC ratings.

This is because IGRS is still based on self-declaration, not full official verification. As a result, each developer will provide their own personal opinion about their game.

The public considers that this could be a serious issue, such as potential restrictions on game access, inaccurate information, concerns about overly strict regulations, etc.

It is not surprising that gamers (who are essentially digital generation netizens) immediately united in echoing this issue massively in various organic echo chambers.

The aftermath of the IGRS Steam polemic

As this issue became increasingly prevalent among Indonesian gamers, policymakers immediately took strategic action to quell public unrest.

Quoted from the page Compass, Government officials have finally issued a statement regarding this issue. According to them, a Steam error caused the system to become "premature.".

Yesterday's rating was still entirely the result of a review by the party. Steam and has not yet been verified by the government. Therefore, there are still administrative steps that have not been completed.

Automatically, the IGRS rating should not be published yet because the government requires all platforms to test the system after receiving the "green light.".

This controversy ended with Steam apologizing to the government for this error and the commotion it caused, as well as the removal of the IGRS ratings for various games on their platform.

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So, that concludes the complete discussion of the IGRS Steam controversy. If you found this article helpful, don't forget to share it on social media and with your friends!

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