GTA 6 Age Rating: PEGI, ESRB, USK and ACB Status

As of 6 October 2026, one rating board has decided: the ESRB's database lists GTA 6 as M for Mature 17+ for PS5 and Xbox Series, matching the badge on Rockstar's own site (our earlier post). PEGI (Europe) and the USK (Germany) show no entry for Grand Theft Auto VI on 6 October. The Australian Classification Board had none when we last checked on 29 September 2026, and its site did not load for us on 6 October.

So any page telling you "GTA 6 is rated 18" as a settled fact is ahead of the European and German boards. What exists today is the ESRB's decision for North America, store labels for the other regions, which we list below, and GTA V's ratings, which are a strong hint but not the same thing. The game launches on 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the ratings have to land before then.

Only the ESRB lists GTA 6 so far

Each board publishes its decisions in a public database. Here is what each one returned for GTA 6 (ESRB, PEGI and USK on 6 October, Australia on 29 September):

Sony says the same on its own GTA VI page. Its FAQ states that "at the time of writing the age ratings for Grand Theft Auto VI are unconfirmed."

What the stores show: one US rating, otherwise placeholders

The PlayStation Store and the Xbox Store already display a rating field for GTA 6. Since 2 October the US listings show a final ESRB rating, in line with Rockstar's own page and, since then, the ESRB's own entry. Every other region still shows a placeholder. This is Reported: store metadata, not a decision listed by a rating board.

The ESRB's ratings guide defines "Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+" as a game that has no final rating yet but is expected to get M. Australia's "Check the Classification" means, in the Classification Board's words, that the title is still unclassified. Apart from the two US rows, which the ESRB entry now backs, every label in that table says the same thing: the final rating is expected, and it is not in yet.

What GTA V was rated

This section is about GTA V, not GTA 6. These are the ratings each board gave GTA V, taken from the same databases:

• PEGI 18. The PEGI database lists the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions (15 March 2022) at PEGI 18, "not suitable for persons under 18". It cites violence against defenceless characters, motiveless killing of innocent characters, graphic violence, encouragement of gambling and strong language.
• ESRB M (Mature 17+). The PC, PS5 and Xbox Series version is rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, and use of drugs and alcohol.
• USK: keine Jugendfreigabe (USK 18). The PS5 and Xbox Series versions were rated on 1 February 2022 as "keine Jugendfreigabe gemäß § 14 JuSchG", meaning no release for minors.
• Australia: R 18+. The Classification Board rated GTA V R 18+ in July 2013, with Rockstar Games as the applicant. GTA Online was rated R 18+ in February 2022.

GTA 6 comes from the same studio, and every store label above points the same way. Rockstar's ESRB descriptor list is the same seven as GTA V's. Still, a rating is a decision on the finished game. Until a board publishes one, GTA V's rating is only a comparison.

What each label means

• PEGI 18: the adult classification. PEGI applies it when a game shows gross violence, apparently motiveless killing or violence towards defenceless characters.
• ESRB M: content generally suitable for ages 17 and up. It can include intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and strong language, per the ESRB.
• USK 18 (keine Jugendfreigabe): no release for anyone under 18 in Germany.
• ACB R 18+: legally restricted to adults. The Classification Board says buyers may be asked for proof of age.

Parents in any region can also set age limits on the console. Sony's GTA VI page points to the PlayStation Family app for restricting PlayStation accounts.

Australia: the rating decides whether age checks apply

In August we took apart the viral claim that Australians would have to hand over ID to play GTA 6 on launch day. That claim is still unfounded: our debunk explains why the trigger is an R 18+ classification, and GTA 6 has none.

One thing has changed since. Sony now requires age verification for Australian adult accounts. Its Australian support FAQ says that without it, you "won't be able to add Restricted (R 18+) rated games" from PlayStation Store to your library. Verification is done once per account, by facial scan or ID, through a provider called Yoti. You can keep playing games you already own without verifying.

What that means for GTA 6 depends on a rating nobody has issued yet. If the Classification Board rates it R 18+, Australian PS5 players would need a verified account to add it. If it gets a lower rating, this rule would not apply to it.

A warning about the Australian database: searching it for "GTA 6" turns up dozens of entries with names like "GRAND THEFT AUTO 6 (GTA 6)". They are automated IARC ratings for third-party titles, listed under producers such as "0pingking" and "Xbox God". None of them is Rockstar's game, and their G, PG, M or MA 15+ labels say nothing about GTA 6.

When this page will update

We check all four databases regularly. The day a board lists Grand Theft Auto VI in its database, this page will name the rating, link the entry and give the content descriptors the board lists. Until then the status stays: Rockstar shows ESRB Mature; no board database lists the game.

Players in Germany, Austria and Switzerland will find the USK status, prices and language details in our German guide for the DACH region. For everything else that is confirmed, see everything we know about GTA 6, and the countdown shows how long is left.