GTA 6 Age Rating: ESRB M, PEGI 18 and What It Means

GTA 6 is rated M for Mature 17+ by the ESRB in the US and Canada, and PEGI 18 in the UK and EuropeReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes. It's an adults-only game in every region where it has been rated so far. Here's what each rating means, what the content descriptors say, and what parents should know before November 19.

GTA 6 age rating at a glance

The ESRB rating covers both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

ESRB: Mature 17+

The ESRB rating is official and listed on the ESRB's own website. It carries seven content descriptors, from Blood and Gore to Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs and Alcohol. It also flags In-Game Purchases as an interactive element.

Rockstar's GTA VI website showed "Rating Pending" as recently as September. It now displays the same ESRB descriptorsReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes.

PEGI 18 in the UK and Europe

GTA 6 is rated PEGI 18, with Drugs, Sexual Content, Extreme Violence, Nudity and In-Game PurchasesReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes. The game's entry has since disappeared from the PEGI database, but the PEGI 18 badge still appears on PlayStation's European storeReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes.

The deleted PEGI summary

On October 2, PEGI briefly published a longer description of the game's content, then removed it the same dayReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes. Before it came down, it described:

• strong graphic violence, including detailed decapitation and dismembermentReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes
• scenes of intercourse and strong sexual themesReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes
• cocaine the player can carry around and snort at any timeReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes

PEGI hasn't explained why the summary was removedReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes. Treat these details as reported rather than final until the full summary is back online.

How explicit is GTA 6?

Going by the ratings, very. The ESRB lists Strong Sexual Content and Nudity alongside Intense Violence, and the deleted PEGI summary described sex scenes and drug use the player controls directly, not just in cutscenesReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes. This is a game made for adults, and the ratings say so in every regionReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes.

What parents should know

• The rating means adults. M means the ESRB considers it suitable for ages 17 and up; PEGI 18 and R18+ mean adults onlyReported2. gtaintel.com — GTA 6 age rating: M, PEGI 18, cocaine and sex scenes.
• It has in-game purchases. The ESRB flags them, so check your console's spending limits.
• Online features are limited at launch. See our GTA 6 Online guide for what's confirmed.
• Parental controls on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S let you block games by age rating and limit spending, both set up from the console's family settings.

For everything else you need before launch day, see our GTA 6 launch guide.