52 games measured by Sony’s audio standards group averaged -17.78 LUFS, 5.35 LU louder than the 32 films in the same comparison (Fast-and-Wide, report on the Develop 2012 session; -17.78 minus -23.13 equals 5.35). Sony’s response became a written target that now reads -24 (±2) LKFS for home platforms, and the Game Audio Network Guild adopted the same console number. A separate nine-game test by sound designer Stephen Schappler in 2013 still found an average of -18.5 LKFS, and in 2025 a WHO-ITU safe listening document offered -23 LKFS/LUFS as its own example ceiling. We aggregated data from Sony’s ASWG-R001, the Game Audio Network Guild (GANG), the WHO and ITU, BMJ Public Health, the EBU, and working audio directors at Crytek and Clockwork Fox. Music and TV normalization have their own numbers, covered in our streaming audio loudness normalization statistics; this roundup covers only games.
A short glossary: LUFS and LKFS are two names for the same ITU-R BS.1770 loudness measurement, and 1 LU (loudness unit) is a difference of 1 dB on that scale. “True peak” is the highest level the waveform reaches between digital samples. “Loudness range” (LRA) describes how far loudness moves during a programme. “Integrated” loudness means the average over the whole measured stretch.
TL;DR
- 52 games averaged -17.78 LUFS, against -23.13 LUFS for 32 films and -22.50 LUFS for 24 TV shows (Fast-and-Wide, Develop 2012 report).
- Sony’s written target is -24 (±2) LKFS for home platforms and -18 (±2) LKFS for portable platforms (Sony ASWG-R001 v1.10, 2013).
- GANG’s reference sets -24 LUFS for consoles but -16 LUFS for mobile and handheld titles (GANG IESD v03.02, 2015).
- The WHO-ITU example ceiling for game software is -23 LKFS/LUFS averaged over 30 minutes (WHO-ITU Global Standard 2025).
- Nine games measured over about 45 minutes each averaged -18.5 LKFS (Schappler 2013).
- 7 of those 9 games peaked above -1 dBTP, and only 2 sat inside the -24 (±2) window (our count from Schappler 2013).
- Four shooter games averaged between 85.6 dB and 91.2 dB, with impulse sounds reaching 119 dB (BMJ Public Health 2024).
- ITU-T H.872 tracks adult exposure against 80 dBA for 40 hours per week (AIHA summary, 2025).
- Around 50% of users listen to PlayStation titles through TV speakers, per Sony’s Garry Taylor (Designing Sound, 2015).
1. Platform Loudness Targets: Who Asks for What
The console number is settled and the mobile number is not. Sony and GANG agree on -24 for consoles, yet they sit 2 LU apart for handheld games: -18 (±2) LKFS in Sony’s ASWG-R001 against -16 LUFS in GANG’s IESD reference (-16 minus -18 equals 2). Their tolerances overlap, so a title at -17 could pass both.
“Compliance” here means meeting a recommendation, not passing a test. In 2012, Sony’s Garry Taylor said the working group had no plan to enforce its numbers as Technical Requirement Checklists, the certification lists console makers apply to games (Designing Sound, 2012). The WHO-ITU 2025 document also states that its software examples are not mandatory.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sony average loudness target: home-based platforms / portable platforms | -24 (±2) LKFS / -18 (±2) LKFS | Sony ASWG-R001 v1.10, 2013 |
| Sony maximum true peak for titles and associated media | -1 dBTP | Sony ASWG-R001 v1.10, 2013 |
| GANG average loudness for console titles (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) and true peak limit | -24 LUFS, tolerance of + or - 2 LU; true peak not above -1 dBTP | GANG IESD v03.02, 2015 |
| GANG average loudness for mobile and handheld titles | -16 LUFS, tolerance of + or - 2 LU | GANG IESD v03.02, 2015 |
| WHO-ITU non-mandatory example for game software | average over a 30-minute period not above -23 LKFS/LUFS, variation of ±2 LUs; highest peak not above -1 decibel true peak | WHO-ITU Global Standard 2025 |
| Meta Quest standalone apps / PC VR apps through Meta Quest Link | -16 LUFS / -18 LUFS | Meta Horizon documentation (archived page) |
Context note: the WHO-ITU example is 1 LU above the -24 console target (-23 minus -24 equals 1), so a mix can sit at Sony’s number and clear the health-based example. Game platforms are thinly documented in public: RTW’s worldwide delivery table, compiled by a metering vendor in October 2024, lists Sony’s two ASWG-R001 rows and no Microsoft or Nintendo row.
2. What Games Actually Measured
Measured data is scarce, and that is the main finding of this section. We found no published audit of LUFS compliance across commercial games, so the two public samples below, from 2012 and 2013, remain the most recent available data. Both show games running well above the target that was later written down.
The Sony working group comparison charted average loudness against dynamic range for films, TV and games. Schappler’s test is one person’s sample of nine titles with default audio settings, so it shows spread, not a market average. That spread is wide: 14.2 LU separates the loudest game from the quietest (-11.8 minus -26.0 equals 14.2).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Items in the Sony working group comparison | 120 games, films, trailers and TV shows, in stereo and 5.1 surround | Fast-and-Wide, Develop 2012 report |
| Average loudness: 52 games / 32 films / 24 TV shows | -17.78 / -23.13 / -22.50 LUFS | Fast-and-Wide, Develop 2012 report |
| Average gap between the 52 games and the 32 films | 5.35 LU (-17.78 minus -23.13) | Calculated from Fast-and-Wide figures |
| Reported comparison of Gran Turismo 5 with the film No Country For Old Men | ’16 times louder’ | Fast-and-Wide, reporting Garry Taylor |
| Average integrated loudness of 9 games, about 45 minutes of play each | -18.5 LKFS | Schappler 2013 |
| Loudest vs quietest of those 9 games | BioShock Infinite -11.8 LKFS vs Skyrim -26.0 LKFS | Schappler 2013 |
| Games inside the -24 (±2) LKFS window (from -26 to -22) | 2 of 9: Dishonored and Skyrim | Our count from Schappler 2013 |
| Games with a true peak above -1 dBTP / above 0 dBTP | 7 of 9 / 5 of 9 | Our count from Schappler 2013 |
Outlier note: Dishonored shows why loudness and peaks are separate checks. It sat near the target at -23.1 LKFS yet had the highest true peak in the sample, 1.7 dBTP. Loudness range was the one test all nine passed: values ran from 10.6 LU to 18.3 LU, under the 20 LU maximum in section 3. These counts apply the current Sony numbers to games Sony did not necessarily publish, and Schappler does not say which platform each title was measured on.
3. Measurement Windows: What a Compliance Reading Actually Means
A game has no fixed running time, so the rule has to invent one. The 30-minute minimum in ASWG-R001 is 4,500 times longer than the 400 ms momentary window on a meter (1,800 seconds divided by 0.4 equals 4,500). That choice means a compliant reading describes a long average, and says nothing about one loud boss fight.
Which 30 minutes you pick can move the result. Sony’s guidance asks for a representative cross-section of gameplay (Designing Sound, 2012), and Schappler called about 45 minutes the bare minimum. Gating also shapes the number: the meter drops quiet passages before averaging, so long silences do not flatter a loud mix (KitPlus, 2011). Headset users hear those same mixes through a different chain; our gaming headset and virtual surround statistics cover that side.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum length of audio per Sony measurement | 30 minutes, measured as a whole | Sony ASWG-R001 v1.10, 2013 |
| Fallback when a full playthrough is not possible | several measurements of at least 30 minutes each, then averaged; splash screens and credits measured separately | Sony GDC 2013 slides |
| Sony’s recommended maximum loudness range | 20 LU | Sony GDC 2013 slides |
| GANG loudness range for mobile and handheld titles | between 15 and 10 LU (as written in the source) | GANG IESD v03.02, 2015 |
| Gating blocks used by the BS.1770 meter | 400 ms values overlapping by 75%, so a new value every 100 ms | KitPlus on ITU-R BS.1770-2, 2011 |
| Absolute gate | -70 LKFS | KitPlus on ITU-R BS.1770-2, 2011 |
| Relative gate, changed in August 2011 | from -8 LU to -10 LU | EBU R 128 publication page |
| Momentary / short-term meter windows | 400 ms / 3 seconds | Designing Sound, Loudness and Metering Part 2, 2013 |
Context note: ASWG-R001 calls for loudness and true peak under ITU-R BS.1770-3, and loudness range under EBU Tech 3342, now at version 4 (November 2023). Game audio writer Anne-Sophie Mongeau argued in 2016 that the short-term and momentary windows may be too short for accurate game measurements (Mongeau, 2016).
4. How the Game Targets Evolved
Game loudness guidance borrowed from television, then changed to match it. Sony’s written target moved 1 LU quieter, from -23 to -24 LKFS, specifically to align with the ATSC and ARIB broadcast standards (Sony ASWG-R001 v1.10, 2013). ATSC is the US broadcast standards body and ARIB its Japanese counterpart, so the change moved games away from the European -23.
The speed is the notable part. Sony’s targets went public in July 2012, and Japan’s developers held their own session in November 2012, weeks after national TV rules began (GameBusiness.jp, 2012). Leads from Activision, EA Sports, Sony and Microsoft then shared a stage at GDC 2013 to argue for a console standard, and GANG posted its latest reference document in June 2013 (GANG news post, 2013).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sony targets as first described publicly, July 2012: PS3 / PS Vita | -23 LUFS / -18 LUFS, tolerance +/-2 LU | Designing Sound, Garry Taylor interview, 2012 |
| GANG IESD recommendation as reported in February 2013 | -23 LUFS, tolerance of +-2dB, under ITU-R 1770-3 | Designing Sound, Loudness in Game Audio, 2013 |
| ASWG-R001 revision, version 1.10, August 2013 | target changed from -23 to -24 LKFS | Sony ASWG-R001 v1.10, 2013 |
| GANG mix monitoring reference: large stage / rooms under 1,499 cubic feet | 79 dB SPL / 76 dB SPL | GANG IESD v03.02, 2015 |
| PS4 mastering suite target (SDK update 2.500, 2015) | -24 LKFS over a period no shorter than 30 minutes | Designing Sound, Sulpha interview, 2015 |
| BS.1770 revision named in guidance vs current revision | BS.1770-2 (March 2011) and BS.1770-3 (August 2012) vs BS.1770-5 (November 2023) | ITU-R BS.1770 version list |
| Japan TV loudness rule cited to game developers | -24 ±1 LKFS from October 1, 2012 | GameBusiness.jp, 2012 |
| IGDA Japan loudness study session, November 16, 2012 | nearly 90 attendees | GameBusiness.jp, 2012 |
Context note: the speakers at that Japanese session warned against chasing the number, since a mix forced to fit can make quiet sounds hard to hear. No game document we read cites BS.1770-4 or BS.1770-5, so the public game targets lag the current revision.
5. Safe Listening: From LUFS to Decibels at the Ear
LUFS targets were written for consistency, and health bodies now reach the same subject from another side. A BMJ Public Health review found four shooter games averaging 85.6 dB to 91.2 dB, and impulse sounds as high as 119 dB (BMJ Public Health 2024). The review covers 14 studies, and only 2 from the past 10 years objectively measured game sound levels (BMJ Group, 2024), which makes it another thin evidence base.
The two scales do not convert directly. A LUFS figure describes the file or the output signal, while a dBA figure depends on the volume the player chooses and the headphones in use. That is why ITU-T H.872, dated October 2024 and announced by WHO in February 2025, tracks a weekly dose. Dose counts exposure over time, as musicians know from a related problem covered in our musician hearing loss and noise exposure statistics.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence reviewed on gaming and hearing | 14 studies, 9 countries, 53,833 participants | BMJ Public Health 2024 |
| Reported sound levels: mobile devices vs gaming centres | 43.2 dB vs 80-89 dB | BMJ Public Health 2024 |
| Average level of four shooter games; one racing game | 88.5, 87.6, 85.6 and 91.2 dB; 85.6 dB | BMJ Public Health 2024 |
| Peak impulse sounds in play vs permissible impulse limits | up to 119 dB vs about 100 dB for children and 130-140 dB for adults | BMJ Public Health 2024 |
| H.872 reference dose: adults / children | 80 dBA for 40 hours per week / 75 dBA for 40 hours per week | AIHA summary of ITU-T H.872, 2025 |
| Automatic volume reduction if a user ignores the weekly warning: adult / children mode | no more than 80 dBA / no more than 75 dBA | AIHA summary of ITU-T H.872, 2025 |
| Weekly listening time in adult mode at 92 dBA / 98 dBA | 2.5 hours / 37.5 minutes | WHO-ITU Global Standard 2025 |
| Upper limit for live esports venues | 100 dB LAeq,15 min (a 15-minute energy average) | WHO-ITU Global Standard 2025 |
Context note: the adult scale halves the allowed time for every 3 dB increase. If the 91.2 dB shooter reading is treated as A-weighted, it falls between the document’s 89 dBA (5 hours a week) and 92 dBA (2.5 hours) steps. The review does not establish cause and calls for more research.
6. Beyond the Console: TV Speakers, Trailers and Phones
One mix rarely serves every listening setup. Around 50% of users listen to PlayStation titles through TV speakers, according to research cited by Sony’s Garry Taylor (Designing Sound, 2015). Add trailers, phones and web video, and one game ships at several loudness levels.
Crytek’s approach shows the split: it mixes at -23 LUFS, then converts internet trailers to -17 LUFS (MCV, 2014). Crytek also credits statistical analysis of best-selling games, but publishes no data. On mobile, audio director Rob Bridgett describes changing loudness at runtime to suit the room (Audio Media International, 2015). Streaming rules do not fill the gap: AES TD1008 covers audio-only delivery and excludes sound-with-picture content (Production Expert, 2021). Streamers face a further layer, because game audio and live speech share one output; see our notes on voice effects for streamers.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Users listening to PlayStation titles through TV speakers | around 50% | Designing Sound, Sulpha interview, 2015 |
| Crytek broadcast marketing assets / internet trailers | -23 LUFS / -17 LUFS | MCV, Simon Pressey of Crytek, 2014 (company’s own practice) |
| iTunes Sound Check level used as a device speaker benchmark | -16.2 LUFS | Audio Media International, Bridgett 2015 |
| Mobile working levels on headphones: quiet room / louder background / very noisy setting | -24 / -18 / -16 LUFS | Audio Media International, Bridgett 2015 |
| Child-focused educational mobile content, working level | around -28 LUFS | Audio Media International, Bridgett 2015 |
| AES TD1008 window: loudest album track to speech content | from -14 LUFS to -18 LUFS | Production Expert on AES TD1008, 2021 |
| AES71-2018 target for online video when no prior agreement exists | -24 LKFS internationally; -23 LUFS in Europe | ITU-R BS.2434, 2018 |
| Spread of average levels seen across internet delivery of broadcast-originated soundtracks | -11 to -27 LKFS | ITU-R BS.2434, 2018 |
Context note: AES77-2023, built on TD1008, gives no recommendation for loudness range or device target playback loudness (Radio World, 2023). That leaves game trailers under video guidance and gameplay itself under none of the AES documents we read.
Summary: Game Loudness Standards and LUFS Compliance by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sony target, home-based / portable platforms | -24 (±2) LKFS / -18 (±2) LKFS | Sony ASWG-R001 v1.10, 2013 |
| Sony minimum audio length per measurement | 30 minutes | Sony ASWG-R001 v1.10, 2013 |
| GANG console target | -24 LUFS, + or - 2 LU | GANG IESD v03.02, 2015 |
| GANG mobile and handheld target | -16 LUFS, + or - 2 LU | GANG IESD v03.02, 2015 |
| WHO-ITU example for software, averaged over 30 minutes | not above -23 LKFS/LUFS, ±2 LUs | WHO-ITU Global Standard 2025 |
| Meta Quest standalone apps / PC VR through Link | -16 LUFS / -18 LUFS | Meta Horizon documentation (archived page) |
| Average loudness: 52 games / 32 films | -17.78 / -23.13 LUFS | Fast-and-Wide, Develop 2012 report |
| Average gap between games and films | 5.35 LU | Calculated from Fast-and-Wide figures |
| Average of 9 games, about 45 minutes each | -18.5 LKFS | Schappler 2013 |
| Games inside the -24 (±2) LKFS window | 2 of 9 | Our count from Schappler 2013 |
| Evidence reviewed on gaming and hearing | 14 studies, 53,833 participants | BMJ Public Health 2024 |
| Average level of four shooter games | 85.6 to 91.2 dB | BMJ Public Health 2024 |
| Peak impulse sounds during play | up to 119 dB | BMJ Public Health 2024 |
| H.872 adult reference dose | 80 dBA for 40 hours per week | AIHA summary of ITU-T H.872, 2025 |
| Upper limit for live esports venues | 100 dB LAeq,15 min | WHO-ITU Global Standard 2025 |
| Users listening through TV speakers | around 50% | Designing Sound, 2015 |
| Crytek internet trailer level | -17 LUFS | MCV, 2014 |
Methodology and Sources
We read every document below in October 2026 and quote values as each source prints them. Figures labeled “our count” or “calculated” show their working in the text. All standards and measurements here are the most recent available data, and several are older than 3 years.
- Sony Computer Entertainment, Recommendation ASWG-R001 v1.10, August 2013 (copy hosted by a third party), and Garry Taylor, GDC 2013 slides.
- Game Audio Network Guild, IESD Mix Reference Levels v03.02, March 11, 2015, and the GANG news post on the IESD document, June 12, 2013.
- WHO and ITU, Global standard for safe listening: video gameplay and esports, 2025, and the WHO news release, February 28, 2025.
- ITU-T H.872, Safe listening for video gameplay and esports, October 2024, and AIHA summary, March 13, 2025.
- ITU-R BS.1770 version list and Report ITU-R BS.2434, October 2018.
- EBU R 128 publication page and EBU Tech 3342, European Broadcasting Union.
- BMJ Group release on Dillard et al., BMJ Public Health, January 17, 2024, DOI 10.1136/bmjph-2023-000253, and the WHO summary of the review.
- Fast-and-Wide, Loudness Wars: Level Up, report on the Develop 2012 session.
- Stephen Schappler, Listening for Loudness in Video Games, July 26, 2013 (independent measurements).
- Designing Sound: Garry Taylor interview, July 30, 2012; Loudness in Game Audio, February 28, 2013; Loudness and Metering Part 2, February 14, 2013; Sulpha interview, June 4, 2015.
- GDC Vault, Game Loudness, Industry Standards, 2013.
- GameBusiness.jp report on the IGDA Japan SIG-Audio loudness session, November 29, 2012.
- KitPlus, The New ITU-R BS1770-2 Loudness Standard, July 1, 2011.
- Anne-Sophie Mongeau, Loudness and metering in game audio, July 27, 2016.
- MCV, Audio loudness for gaming: the battle against ear fatigue, December 10, 2014.
- Audio Media International, Mobile loudness: An adaptive approach, April 13, 2015.
- Meta Horizon documentation, Audio Loudness Meter, archived page.
- RTW, Worldwide loudness delivery standards, October 24, 2024 (vendor compilation).
- Production Expert on AES TD1008, September 23, 2021, and Radio World on AES77-2023, July 2023.
- Data watch: no source audits LUFS compliance across commercial games, so “compliance” counts here come from one nine-game sample by one person, applied by us to today’s Sony window. The Sony study items add up to 108 of the 120 reported (32 films, 24 TV shows, 52 games), and Designing Sound says “over 120”. Both 2012 figures reach us through trade reports, and the Sony study itself is not public. Older pages still quote -23 for Sony consoles (Sony’s own GDC 2013 slides and Mongeau 2016), while ASWG-R001 v1.10 says -24. BS.2434 calls -24±2 and -18±2 LKFS the ‘typical’ level of game software, but it cites the ASWG-R001 working document, so those are targets and not measurements. Bridgett attributes the -24 console agreement to Microsoft, Nintendo and GANG, yet we could read no public Microsoft or Nintendo loudness document. The IESD file header says v03.02 while its page title says v02.01, and its LRA is written as ‘between 15 and 10 LU’. Meta’s page is archived and flags both targets for verification. For children’s weekly time at 92 dB, BMJ’s release gives 45 minutes and the WHO-ITU table gives 48 minutes. H.872 is dated October 2024 by ITU, while one advocacy group reports May 21, 2025. We use the Production Expert summary of TD1008, not the AES document itself. Sony’s current guidance sits on its registered developer site, so newer revisions may exist that we cannot see.
Last updated: October 31, 2026. We update this roundup quarterly, and the next refresh is expected when WHO and ITU publish implementation data for ITU-T H.872.