GTA 6 rated 18 by PEGI, with unusually detailed content descriptions quickly deleted

[Louise5]

Grand Theft Auto 6 has received its age ratings ahead of its console launch on 19 November, PC Gamer reports. The ESRB rated it Mature in the US, and PEGI gave it an 18 certificate. What made headlines is that PEGI also published unusually detailed content descriptions, then deleted them from its website. These said the game contains "strong graphic violence, strong sexual themes, and use of illegal drugs"

On violence, PEGI wrote: "Violence is bloody with a high degree of realism, with certain weapons being able to cause greater damage such as detailed decapitation and dismemberment." It described drug use as "frequent and prominent", with players able to use illegal drugs directly from their inventory. The sexual content includes scenes of intercourse, and there is a strip club minigame. None of this is surprising for a Grand Theft Auto game, but the detail is unusual for a ratings body

Why PEGI removed the descriptions is not clear from the article. It may have been a matter of timing, with Rockstar preferring to control what is revealed about the game before launch. Rockstar is famously secretive, and the game has been one of the most anticipated releases in years. Every scrap of information gets picked apart by fans

An 18 rating for GTA is no surprise, and it will not stop the game selling in enormous numbers. It does raise the old question of how many under 18s will end up playing it anyway, as happened with earlier GTA games. Ratings are only as effective as the parents and shops enforcing them. Rockstar has not yet confirmed a PC release date

Are you planning to buy GTA 6 at launch? And do age ratings make any difference, or do most parents ignore them?

Grand Theft Auto 6 featureswww.pcgamer.com