WarGames (1983)

WarGames parents guide

Of what we could confirm, nothing runs past a PG: mild language and nothing scary.

Scare

Not scary

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

No gore

Violence

Some violence

Some fighting or peril.

Sex and nudity

None flagged

It is a PG from before PG-13 existed, when a PG could carry more, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is WarGames scary?

No. WarGames is not a scary watch.

How gory is WarGames?

No gore and some violence. Squeamish viewers are fine here.

What is WarGames rated, and is it OK for kids?

It is rated PG and nothing we tagged runs past mild, but a PG from 1983 could carry more than one does now. Check the guide first.

What is WarGames about?

High school student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Department of Defense's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his friend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

Cast and crew

More like WarGames

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• Argo (2012)Tense · emotionally heavy · briskA CIA specialist races against time to free six Americans trapped in a gritty, suspenseful international crisis.
• Tetris (2023)Tense · briskA brisk, gritty thriller unfolds as a salesman navigates Cold War corruption to share a revolutionary game.
• Whiplash (2014)Gritty · emotionally devastating · relentlessA young drummer's pursuit of perfection under a ruthless instructor becomes a relentless, gritty battle for his soul.
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)Bleak · full attention · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA petty criminal fakes insanity, sparking a gritty, suspenseful battle against a domineering nurse.
• Blade Runner (1982)Melancholy · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA gritty, atmospheric Los Angeles detective hunts artificial humans while confronting his own melancholy existence.
• Fight Club (1999)Gritty · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingAn insomniac and a soap salesman unleash primal aggression, igniting a darkly comic, surreal spiral toward oblivion.

WarGames is on our AI and robots, Video games and 1980s lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “scary but not gory”
• “a movie that will make me cry”

Lists with the same feel: Stressful.