Beast Games

What’s it about?

Beast Games is a 2024 reality competition series, in the style of the fictional show Squid Game, created by Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, Tyler Conklin, Sean Klitzner, and Mack Hopkins. Beast Games follows 1,000 contestants as they compete for the prize of $5 million, which is advertised as one of the largest single prizes in reality television history.

The facts

• Directed by Tyler Conklin and Kate Douglas-Walker
• English language
• Hosted by Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast)
• Runtime: 40-60mins per episode
• 10 episodes, dropping weekly from 19 December 2024
• Amazon Prime original

Why did it get this rating?

This series was self-rated by Amazon’s Prime. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Beast Games is a reality show featuring adults playing games and making morally difficult decisions in order to win $5 million. It is rated PG with a content warning for coarse language and we highly encourage parental guidance when viewing because of the mature themes on display.

Coarse language

During intense competition situations, some players use coarse language when they get frustrated at the decisions of others, or the tactics being used. The most noticeable language is a “f*ck you guys” which is audibly beeped out.

Content that may disturb

In the first episode there is a stressful opening sequence as we see adults upset, crying and hugging, as people must choose to ‘self-sacrifice’ from the game. This self-elimination will save the rest of their team or row of players. Once eliminated the floor opens up beneath the player and they rapidly drop away: we don’t see how they exit or how they land, and younger children may worry that they have died or come to harm when they fall.

Cruelty

In episode three a challenge involves teams of three being handcuffed together and placed in a small room where they must decide which one of the three will be eliminated. We witness a variety of approaches to this challenge including lying and cheating, bullying, and in two separate scenarios women are manipulated or pressured to sacrifice themselves by the men in their group. In one room a player is laughing about his emotional female teammate, making cut throat gestures to the camera. The power play and imbalance of gender dynamics is interesting to observe but may need to be explained to younger viewers.

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Mr Beast’s ‘Beast Games’ hits 50 million viewers in 25 days, Amazon’s biggest unscripted show ever (Variety)
• The cruel abstraction of Beast Games (The New Yorker)
• Should my children be watching Squid Game? (blog)