GTA 6 is rated 18, and not just for the violence

GTA 6 is rated PEGI 18 in Europe and M (Mature 17+) in the US, for realistic violence, drug use, sex scenes and strong language. On 1 October, Rockstar Games swapped the "rating pending" badge for the final certificates on its website and on the PlayStation and Xbox stores. Nobody expected anything else from a GTA, but PEGI's report, which was visible for a few hours before vanishing, goes into far more detail than usual. Here's what's inside, what it means for younger players and how to lock it down on your console.

What does PEGI 18 mean for GTA 6?

PEGI is the age rating system for video games across most of Europe and the UK. Its labels run from 3 to 18, and 18 is reserved for games with extreme violence, explicit sex or drug use presented in an appealing way. GTA 6 ticks all three boxes with room to spare, so it gets the same rating as GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Alongside the number, PEGI adds icons explaining why. For GTA 6, these are the ones that matter:

PEGI's report also mentions harm to animals, though in less detail than to people.

The report PEGI published (and deleted)

The juiciest part isn't the icons but the text. PEGI accompanies its ratings with a short report, and GTA 6's was online just long enough for players to screenshot it. Shortly afterwards, the page returned an error. Neither PEGI nor Rockstar has explained why.

From what could be read, GTA 6 goes further than GTA V in realism: the violence affects civilians, criminals and authorities alike, drugs are taken straight from the inventory with no menus in between, and in the clubs the game lets you move your character's hands during private dances. In Australia and New Zealand, the PlayStation Store listing explicitly mentions sex scenes, where GTA V's simply said "sex".

In-game purchases? The detail that doesn't add up

Rockstar said over the summer that GTA 6 would have no microtransactions at launch. Yet both the PEGI and ESRB labels carry the in-game purchases notice, and the company hasn't clarified why.

Hot Coffee: why Rockstar now declares everything

Rockstar has good reason to leave nothing out of the report. In 2005, fans discovered a hidden sex minigame in the code of GTA: San Andreas, the infamous Hot Coffee. The ESRB bumped it up to "Adults Only", shops pulled the game from the shelves and Rockstar had to release a new version without the content. Ever since, its games arrive with everything properly declared.

GTA 6's rating around the world

In the US, the ESRB lists blood and gore, intense violence, mature humour, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content and use of drugs and alcohol: the same seven descriptors GTA V had.

Can under-18s play GTA 6?

It depends on where you live. In the UK, PEGI 12, 16 and 18 ratings are legally enforceable, so selling GTA 6 to someone under 18 is illegal. In the US, the ESRB rating isn't law, but major retailers voluntarily check ID for M-rated games. Either way, whether a teenager plays it at home is a family decision, and the rating is there to make it an informed one.

If there are kids in the house, it's worth knowing that GTA 6 isn't cartoon violence: it's a very realistic game with explicit scenes, and the player is the one doing many of those things.

How to restrict GTA 6 with parental controls

Both consoles let you block games by age rating:

• PS5: under Settings > Family and Parental Controls, each child account can be limited by age. A PEGI 18 or M-rated game won't open without the adult's permission.
• Xbox Series X|S: with the Xbox Family Settings app on your phone, you set the maximum age rating for each account and get a request when a child tries to open a game above it.

Both also let you limit play time and spending in the store.