How HalalGamer screens video games for Islamic content compliance — transparently, respectfully, and backed by scholarly sources.
HalalGamer is the world's first halal video game screener. We analyse every game across 12 content categories that matter to Muslim gamers — from nudity and gambling to sorcery and music. Each category is rated on a 0-3 severity scale, giving you a clear, detailed picture of what's in a game before you buy or play it.
We use a simple traffic-light system so you can tell at a glance whether a game aligns with your values:
No significant concerns found in this category. Safe to play.
Some content present — severity depends on your strictness level.
Significant haram content present. Avoidance recommended.
Muslims follow different schools of thought, and scholars disagree on some topics. Rather than imposing one view, HalalGamer lets you choose a strictness preset that matches your personal practice:
Based on positions from IslamQA.info and classical Hanbali scholarship. Flags fantasy magic, all music, and polytheistic lore as concerns.
Aligned with SeekersGuidance, AMJA, and mainstream Hanafi/Shafi'i positions. Distinguishes fantasy magic from real sorcery; tolerates background music.
Based on Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah and permissive Maliki-Shafi'i opinions. Most relaxed on fictional contexts, music, and narrative polytheism.
Every game is screened across these 12 categories. The first five are flagged regardless of strictness level (scholarly consensus). The remaining seven are toggleable based on your chosen strictness preset.
Explicit or suggestive imagery, character designs, and sexual themes.
Always flaggedReal-money gambling mechanics, gacha systems, and paid randomised rewards.
Always flaggedGameplay requiring the player to worship false gods or perform acts of polytheism.
Always flaggedRomantic relationship mechanics, dating sims, and relationship-building gameplay.
Always flaggedGameplay involving consumption, trade, or crafting of intoxicants for in-game benefits.
Always flaggedExplicit depictions of real-world sorcery, jinns, or occult rituals versus fantasy spellcasting.
Toggleable by strictnessCharacter options or storylines involving cross-gender presentation.
Toggleable by strictnessDemonic imagery, occult symbols, satanic references, and extreme horror themes.
Toggleable by strictnessLevel of graphic violence, dismemberment, and realistic bloodshed.
Toggleable by strictnessNon-realistic magical abilities, superhero powers, and elemental spellcasting.
Toggleable by strictnessGames set in mythological worlds (Greek, Norse, etc.) as storytelling backdrop.
Toggleable by strictnessProminence of musical instruments in gameplay and whether music can be disabled.
Toggleable by strictnessHalalGamer takes a multi-madhab approach. We do not endorse a single school of thought as “correct.” Instead, we present the spectrum of scholarly opinion and let users decide which standard suits their practice.
Our category definitions and severity thresholds are informed by published rulings and educational resources from:
We cite specific rulings in each category's detailed documentation. Our goal is transparency, not prescription.
HalalGamer was built by a Muslim developer who wanted a trustworthy, scholarly-backed tool for their own family. Finding reliable Islamic content guidance for video games meant trawling forums, asking scholars individually, and often getting inconsistent answers — HalalGamer exists to solve that problem at scale.
The rating methodology was developed with reference to published scholarly resources (see the Scholarly Framework section above).
This is an independent project — not affiliated with any mosque, Islamic organisation, or game publisher. Ratings reflect our best effort to faithfully represent scholarly positions; they are not fatwas, and they carry no institutional authority.
We are actively seeking a scholar advisory board. If you are a scholar interested in contributing your expertise to this project, please get in touch via our Contact page.
No single reviewer can play every game. That's why HalalGamer combines AI-assisted screening with community voting to build the most accurate database possible.
Registered users can submit their own severity ratings for any category on any game. Once a category receives 3 or more community votes, the community average is displayed alongside the AI-generated rating — giving you two independent data points.
Our top 500 most-searched games also undergo manual expert review to ensure the highest accuracy where it matters most.
Have questions about our methodology? See our FAQ →