GTA 6 is rated: M in the US, PEGI 18 and “sex scenes” in Australia, plus an in-game purchases label

The ESRB rates it M with seven descriptors, including strong sexual content, plus the in-game purchases label. In Australia the store mentions sex scenes and the rating is R18+. And the online interaction label is missing.

Seven weeks from launch, GTA 6's PlayStation Store and Xbox Store listings now show its ratings, and Rockstar's official site displays the US one. Nobody expected anything but "adults only", but the details have got people talking.

The ratings, one by one

The US rating appears on the official GTA VI site, where we checked it. The European and Australian ones come from PlayStation Store listings, according to Eurogamer and GTA BOOM. Eurogamer notes they can't yet be looked up on the rating boards' own sites, probably because the information is still embargoed.

Sex scenes in GTA? What we know

The Australian listing saying "Sex Scenes" has many outlets recalling Hot Coffee: the sex minigame Rockstar cut from GTA San Andreas before its 2004 launch, which a mod later restored, causing a huge scandal. If confirmed, GTA 6 would be the first GTA to feature explicit sex scenes on purpose.

But it's worth not overstating it. According to GTA BOOM, the ESRB's GTA V record for PS4 and Xbox One lists exactly the same seven descriptors, Strong Sexual Content included. The rating doesn't say which scenes or which characters either: it could refer to Jason and Lucia's story, things found in the open world, or both. It fits a game where the couple's relationship is central, as we covered in the second part of Game Informer's story.

The "In-Game Purchases" label

This has raised the most questions, because Rockstar said in August that story mode would launch without microtransactions. The ESRB applies this label to any game that lets you buy additional content without leaving it, whether expansions, upgrades or currency (ESRB). So on its own it doesn't mean microtransactions in the story. Rockstar hasn't explained what it refers to here.

The label that isn't there

Just as interesting is what's missing. Rockstar's site does not show "Users Interact", the notice the ESRB uses when players can talk or interact online. That's consistent with what Rockstar has said: GTA 6 launches as a single-player experience, with online coming later, in 2027 according to Twitch's CEO.

And Australia's "X 18+"

Last week an Australian PlayStation ad with an "X 18+" label went around. We explained in our rumours tracker that it was impossible, since that category only exists for films. The Australian store listing now shows R18+, the same rating GTA V got.

FAQ

How old do you have to be to play GTA 6?

It's an adult game: M (17+) in the US, PEGI 18 in Europe and R18+ in Australia.

Will GTA 6 have sex scenes?

The PlayStation Store listing in Australia and New Zealand mentions "Sex Scenes", and the ESRB flags Strong Sexual Content. Which scenes isn't known. GTA V already carried the same ESRB descriptor.

Will GTA 6 have microtransactions?

It carries the ESRB's In-Game Purchases label, but that label covers any additional content you can buy. Rockstar said story mode would launch without microtransactions and hasn't explained the label.