GTA 6 Age Restrictions Have Been Set

Major global rating agencies have determined age ratings for GTA 6 and revealed details that were later removed from official listings. The minimum age is set at 18 in Europe and Australia, and 17 in North America. These ratings and their justifications appeared on digital store pages and the official Rockstar Games website before being adjusted.

ESRB (US and Canada)

North America has assigned Grand Theft Auto VI an M (Mature) 17+ rating. The ESRB page does not provide a detailed breakdown yet, but it lists the main content descriptors:

• Blood and Gore,
• Intense Violence,
• Mature Humor,
• Nudity,
• Strong Language,
• Strong Sexual Content,
• Use of Drugs and Alcohol.

PEGI (Europe)

The European regulator assigned an 18+ rating and published a full description of the game content before taking the page down. The listing revealed details about GTA VI that were not intended for early release.

• Certain types of weapons can be used to decapitate NPCs and dismember them.
• Animals can also be killed, but not with the same level of brutality and detail as human characters.
• Protagonists can use drugs stored in their inventory, such as snorting cocaine directly from their hand at any time, which is assumed to boost special abilities while negatively affecting health.
• The game features depictions of nudity, sexual acts, and sexual fetishes.
• During private dances at clubs, players can place their hands on strippers’ breasts and buttocks.
• Strong language, including the words “fuck” frequently and “cunt” less frequently, is heard throughout the game.
• Verbal discrimination is present in TV programs and on the radio.
• The game features in-game purchases, which it was previously stated would not exist in single-player, likely referring to options to upgrade the base version to the Ultimate Edition.

Australia

It was reported that the Australian government classification body assigned Grand Theft Auto 6 an X 18+ rating, but the rating was later changed to R 18+. The classification process concluded on August 27, the day of An Extended Look.

The Australian classification evaluates content impact across several categories:

• Themes — strong impact,
• Violence — high,
• Strong language — strong,
• Drug use — high,
• Nudity — strong,
• Sex — high.

Certain categories received more severe ratings compared with the initial release of GTA 5. In GTA 5, the highest rating of strong impact was assigned only to drug use, while all other categories received high impact ratings during the initial release before later upgrades resulting from GTA Online.