GTA 6 gets 18+ PEGI rating with graphic violence, substance use, and sexual content

European ratings board PEGI briefly pulled back the curtain on Grand Theft Auto VI, slapping the title with an uncompromising 18+ rating before swiftly scrubbing the listing from its database. The leak, which landed right on the heels of the game's official ESRB "Mature" classification offered a surprisingly explicit preview of Rockstar’s upcoming November release.

Among the standout revelations were mechanics allowing players to freely snort cocaine on demand, along with depictions of decapitation, graphic violence, and fetish-heavy sexual content.

Deleted European classification offers a surprisingly detailed look at Vice City's graphic gore

Before the page was wiped, the detailed summary also offered rare narrative confirmation; Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos have been named as the central duo. The plot reportedly centres on the pair spiralling deeper into Vice City’s underworld following a botched heist, pairing familiar franchise chaos with an unprecedented level of unfiltered mature themes.

The rating board didn't pull punches when categorising the title's violence, labelling it explicitly gory with high-fidelity realism. Certain weapons boast devastating lethal force, giving players the ability to inflict extreme harm, up to and including detailed dismemberment and decapitation.

Rockstar has also doubled down on explicit drug mechanics this entry. Substance use is integrated directly into gameplay, giving protagonists Jason and Lucia total freedom to indulge. Vice City's trade takes center stage, allowing players to carry cocaine in their personal inventory and snort it directly from their hands on demand.

Beyond the violence and narcotics, the board flagged explicit sexual content. The game's adult rating accounts for full nudity, graphic sexual encounters, and depictions of niche sexual fetishes.

"This game contains frequent depictions of violence; due to the free roam nature of the game the player can harm all other characters inhabiting the environment," PEGI said. "This includes civilians, criminals and the authorities. Violence is bloody with a high degree of realism, with certain weapons being able to cause greater damage such as detailed decapitation and dismemberment.

"Drug use is frequent and prominent with the player being able to partake in drug use with others and to use illegal drugs directly from their inventory. Most notably, cocaine can be carried around by the player and snorted directly from their hand at any time.

"There are also strong sexual themes, including nudity, scenes of intercourse and occasional scenes of sexual fetishes. In various night clubs the player can also pay for private dances, during which, the game allows the player to move their hands onto the dancers’ breasts and buttocks."

The age rating listed "other issues", noting that players can harm domestic animals, though the violence against them lacks the explicit detail shown with human targets. The summary also pointed out that "discriminatory language can be heard in the TV shows and on the radio channels."

Additionally, GTA 6 indicates that players can buy optional digital content, though the exact nature of these purchases remains unspecified. This comes despite reports from August suggesting Rockstar would exclude both microtransactions and generative AI from the title.

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