GTA VI now carries adult ratings in every major market, says GTABoom

Grand Theft Auto VI has now been rated for adults by every major rating board worldwide, according to a GTABoom report published ahead of the game's November 19 release. The site says South Korea's Game Content Rating Board was the final major market to clear the game, giving it a 19+ classification around October 16.

What we know

GTABoom lists the game's ratings across regions as follows:

• North America: M for Mature (ESRB)
• Europe and the UK: PEGI 18
• Germany: USK 18
• Japan: CERO Z
• Australia: R18+
• New Zealand: R18
• Brazil: 18
• South Korea: 19+
• Saudi Arabia and the UAE: a 21+ badge on storefronts

According to the site, each of these is the strictest adult category its board applies to games that Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo will permit on their platforms.

The content descriptors are more revealing than the ratings themselves. GTABoom reports that the ESRB cites blood and gore, intense violence, strong sexual content, nudity, strong language, and drug and alcohol use. Australia and New Zealand reportedly name sex scenes directly, while Germany's USK points to drastic violence, drugs and criminal role models.

Australia's board issued its R18+ rating on August 27, per GTABoom, with consumer advice covering high impact violence, sex scenes and drug use. The site notes that this is a step above Grand Theft Auto V, which was rated MA15+ there. GTABoom adds that the official rating settles an earlier X18 listing for the game, which it had described as almost certainly an error.

Japan's CERO Z rating reportedly came through around October 17 after a period under review, carrying crime and violence icons.

GTABoom's conclusion is that the regulatory side is finished, leaving retail age checks, which are strictest in South Korea and the Gulf states, as the remaining hurdle before launch.

What isn't confirmed yet

• Whether Rockstar will alter any content for Japan. GTABoom notes that earlier Japanese GTA releases sometimes shipped with changes, but says it is unclear whether that will happen this time.
• How in-game purchases will work. Most boards flag them, which GTABoom calls standard, though it says Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has suggested no recurrent spending is planned at launch.
• Rockstar has not commented on the ratings in the material provided, and the full list comes from GTABoom's reporting rather than an official announcement.