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Gone Home

Review · Adventure · Nintendo Switch · iOS · PlayStation 4

Gone Home

Reviewed: 30 Apr 2026

Nintendo Switch · iOS · PlayStation 4 · PC · macOS · Linux

The Fullbright Company · 2013

Ludograph rating

D

Caution

34 /100

Automated review

Gone Home is an adventure game that builds critical thinking and reading through an interactive narrative, exploring mature themes appropriate for older kids.

06010030Benefit →Low risk →B 21 · R 10
The Ludograph reading, plotted from the published benefit and risk sub-scores.

Growth (BDS)

21

Risk (RIS)

10

Daily limit

120min

Age guidance

9+

Developmental benefits

B1Cognitive
0.46
B2Social-emotional
0.03
B3Motor
0.10

Gone Home offers a rich, interactive narrative experience that significantly enhances critical thinking, reading comprehension, and spatial awareness. Players engage deeply with the story by piecing together clues and understanding character motivations, fostering empathy and analytical skills.

Design risks

R1Compulsion-loop pressure
0.00
R2Monetization
0.00
R3Social risk
0.00

Risks are minimal. The game contains mature themes appropriate for its ESRB T rating, which are handled sensitively within the narrative context. There are no manipulative design mechanics, monetization pressures, or social risks.

Content (not in risk score)

R4.1Violence Level
0.00
R4.2Sexual Content
0.33
R4.3Language
0.33
R4.4Substance References
0.33
R4.5Fear / Horror
0.33

Content risk is displayed separately and does not affect the time recommendation.

Regulatory design checks · DSA — Assessed: meets criteria·GDPR-K — Assessed: meets criteria·ODDS — Assessed: meets criteria

  • DSA:What Ludograph checks: whether the game's design gives minors the transparency the EU Digital Services Act expects: plain terms, honest defaults, and clear reporting routes.: Estimated from review data. No dark pattern or child-targeting concerns found.
  • GDPR-K:What Ludograph checks: whether age assurance and consent flows are designed for under-16s, in the spirit of GDPR Article 8.: Estimated from review data. No privacy or child-targeting concerns found.
  • ODDS:What Ludograph checks: whether paid random-reward drop rates are disclosed, as required in China, Japan and South Korea.: Estimated from review data. No paid random-reward mechanics found, so drop-rate disclosure requirements do not apply.

These reflect Ludograph's assessment of the game's design practices against each framework's criteria, not a legal compliance determination.

Avg playtime~3 hReviewedApr 2026Report a data error →How scores are calculated →

Parents ask…

Is Gone Home safe for kids?

Ludograph gives Gone Home a rating of 34/100, recommended for ages 9 and up. There are notable risks worth knowing before letting kids play.

What age is Gone Home appropriate for?

Ludograph's rubric recommends a minimum age of 9+ for Gone Home, based on benefits, risks, and content review. That is more lenient than ESRB T: industry ratings reflect content intensity, while ours also weighs how the game is designed to be played.

How long should kids play Gone Home?

Our session recommendation for Gone Home is up to 120 minutes per day. It is derived from the game's own structure (natural stopping points, compulsion-loop design, monetization pressure, and social dynamics), not from a universal screen-time dose.

Session recommendations are design-based heuristics. Evidence linking specific daily durations to child outcomes is limited, and context matters as much as time; treat this as a starting point for household rules, not a clinical threshold.

What are the main risks of Gone Home?

Risks are minimal. The game contains mature themes appropriate for its ESRB T rating, which are handled sensitively within the narrative context. There are no manipulative design mechanics, monetization pressures, or social risks.