The Sims 4 rated as 18+ in Russia fearing same-sex relationships

Russia rated The Sims 4 for adults only due to the country's controversial law which prohibits the promotions of same-sex relationships to children. As a result, the law prohibits any retailer from selling this game to a minor.

The news broke out when the Russian Sims twitter account contained information about the game rating in the country. According to Google Translate, it said,"18 + has been assigned in accordance with the law number 436-FZ 'On the protection of children from information harmful to their health and development".

Russia's 435-FZ law effectively bans the promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights within the country. It is also known that the law encourages violence against the country's LGBT community, which also raised some concerns for some athletes who participated in Sochi Winter Olympics.

In the US, The Sims 3 was rated for Teen by the ESRB. Certain countries gave a lower rating as well. Germany rated the game for ages 6 and up by its USK rating board. During a press release, The Sims 4 did not receive an ESRB rating.

Russia is a valuable PC gaming market, but its also known for game piracy as well. As of now, there is no update from Electronic Arts.