What is GTA VI rated? ESRB Mature, PEGI 18 and every rating so far

A Grand Theft Auto game being rated for adults surprises nobody. The details are more useful: what each board flagged, which countries are still waiting, and what one small label does and doesn't mean.

Verdict: Confirmed, from the official store listings and Rockstar's own page: GTA VI is rated Mature 17+ by the ESRB, PEGI 18 in Europe, R18+ in Australia and R18 in New Zealand, 19+ in South Korea and 21+ in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. As of 2 October 2026, Japan, Germany and Brazil had no final rating yet. The ESRB listing carries an "In-Game Purchases" notice, which doesn't by itself mean microtransactions.

What is GTA VI rated in the US?

Mature 17+. Rockstar replaced the "Rating Pending" badge on its site and the console stores with the ESRB rating on 1 October 2026. The ESRB lists seven content descriptors:

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

They're the same seven GTA V carries. Canada and Mexico use the same ESRB rating.

What is GTA VI's age rating in the UK and Europe?

PEGI 18, the highest band, flagged for drugs, sexual content, extreme violence and nudity, with an in-game purchases notice. The UK, France and Spain store listings all show it.

What is GTA VI rated in Australia and New Zealand?

R18+ in Australia, for drug use, high-impact violence and sex scenes. R18 in New Zealand, for drug use, graphic violence, nudity, offensive language and sex scenes.

The words "sex scenes" got attention, because GTA V's 2013 Australian rating said "sex". Board wording changes over time, though, so the phrase alone doesn't show that GTA VI is more explicit.

Where is GTA VI's rating still pending?

Japan, Germany and Brazil, by their store listings on 2 October: Japan's CERO shows "Under Review", Germany's USK and Brazil's ClassInd show "Rating Pending". All three countries already take pre-orders. Rockstar's support page says GTA VI will reach more countries "as allowed by platform policies, regional regulations, and age ratings", but it hasn't said anything specific about these three. Elsewhere: South Korea rates it 19+, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE 21+.

What does "In-Game Purchases" mean for GTA VI?

That something in or around the game costs real money, and no more than that. The ESRB and PEGI apply the notice to any paid digital content, and GTA VI already has some: the Ultimate Edition Upgrade, sold separately for $20.00 on the Xbox Store. The notice doesn't say whether there are microtransactions in the single-player game. By the most direct account so far, Rockstar says there aren't, which we grade as an inference; the money briefing has the detail.

Does GTA VI's rating say anything about online play?

Indirectly. The ESRB listing has no "Users Interact" notice, the label boards add when players can talk to or play with each other. That fits what Take-Two and Rockstar have already said: GTA VI launches as a single-player game. It doesn't tell you anything about a later online mode.

Is GTA VI more explicit than GTA V?

The ratings can't answer that. The ESRB gave both games the same descriptors, and the ESRB hasn't published its longer written summary for GTA VI, which would say which scenes earned each one. Until then, the honest answer is "rated the same as GTA V".

What changes this: Japan, Germany or Brazil issuing their ratings, or the ESRB publishing its detailed summary of GTA VI's content.