Australia’s age verification laws mean people will need a real driver’s licence to play GTA 6, so don’t be shocked if the same rules apply in the UK.
Even with the game available for pre-order, Rockstar Games has said very little about GTA 6 so far, with no raw gameplay footage and no explanation of how any of its systems work.
Not that that’s going to put anyone off, as GTA 6 is easily the most anticipated game of all time, with pre-orders reportedly generating $1 million in just one hour, despite online backlash towards its lack of a real physical release.
Australian fans, however, will need to jump through an extra hoop before they can start playing, as Rockstar must comply with the country’s age verification laws or face a steep fine.
As a reminder, Australia implemented new online age verification laws last year as part of a social media ban, blocking access to websites like X, Snapchat, and TikTok unless you provide proof that you’re at least 16 years old.
This applies to online video games such as Roblox as well and, according to news.com.au, GTA 6 will be impacted, apparently regarding both the main single-player story and the inevitable online multiplayer mode.
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No online multiplayer has been announced for GTA 6, but even if it wasn’t widely rumoured, it’s guaranteed since GTA 5’s online mode, GTA Online, remains incredibly popular and is a major source of income for Rockstar.
Also, while GTA 6 has yet to receive an official age rating, a PlayStation email did slip up and confirm it as being M for Mature in the US, which would translate to an 18 rating in the UK and an R18 rating in Australia… not that that’s surprising.
Age verification is already in place on GTA Online in Australia, so there’s no reason to expect Rockstar won’t implement it for GTA 6. Not that it has a choice, since refusal to do so would net it a fine of up to AU$49.5 million (about £25.6 million), and that’s only for a single breach.
Will GTA 6 require age verification in the UK?
While the prospect of needing to supply a driver’s licence or passport details just to play GTA 6 will sound ridiculous to any grown adult, the odds of Rockstar needing to demand proof of age here in the UK aren’t zero.
The UK implemented its own social media ban earlier this year – one explicitly meant to emulate Australia’s – and although video games are considered distinct from social media, there have still been discussions of implementing bans on voice chat features for under 16 year olds.
Plus, evidence has already been found of Rockstar preparing to add age verification to GTA Online in the UK. Rockstar has never explicitly confirmed it, but this could be to cover its bases should it ever be required to.
GTA 6 is big enough that even those not attuned to gaming news are aware of its existence. So much so that when Rockstar was accused of union busting last year, prime minister Keir Starmer himself commented on the matter.
That all said, it’s been suggested that the UK’s social media ban might not be very effective, as Australia’s own ban reportedly fell apart in two weeks, with kids very easily coming up with ways to bypass the verification checks.
So, even if GTA 6 were to implement age verification in the UK, there’s every chance people will figure out how to circumvent it.
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