The ESRB has rated Grand Theft Auto VI M for Mature 17+, with seven content descriptors and an In-Game Purchases notice — despite Rockstar saying the game launches with no microtransactions.
Grand Theft Auto VI has its rating. At the start of October the Entertainment Software Rating Board listed the game as M for Mature 17+, and Rockstar replaced the “Rating Pending” badge on its own pages with the rating and its descriptors. Nobody expected anything else; what is worth reading is the detail.
The seven content descriptors
Blood and Gore. Intense Violence. Mature Humor. Nudity. Strong Language. Strong Sexual Content. Use of Drugs and Alcohol. GTA V carried a similar set; the explicit “Nudity” and “Strong Sexual Content” pairing matches what Rockstar's own trailers have already hinted at.
The interactive element: In-Game Purchases
This is the line that has drawn questions, because Rob Nelson of Rockstar North told the Kinda Funny podcast in August that the game launches with no monetisation. The two are not necessarily in conflict. The ESRB's label covers any option to buy digital content inside the game, including future add-ons — it is not a statement that microtransactions exist on day one. Rockstar has not said what it refers to, and has said nothing about monetisation after launch or in a future online mode.
Platforms on the listing
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. No PC listing, which is consistent with Rockstar never having announced a PC version.
Elsewhere
The game has been reported as PEGI 18 in Europe and the UK. Reports from Australia have been less consistent, so we are not listing a classification there until it can be checked against the Australian Classification Board's own register.
What this closes
A missing rating was one of the open questions in our July round-up of what Rockstar had not announced. It is now answered.
