GTA 6 age rating: ESRB and PEGI

The ESRB rates Grand Theft Auto VI M for Mature 17+, and the UK PlayStation and Xbox store listings show PEGI 18. PEGI's own database returned no result for the game when we searched it. Grand Theft Auto V carries the same two ratings.

Checked 3 October 2026. We update this page when Rockstar publishes more.

By Vicedex, an independent GTA 6 reference. How we check and report a mistake.

The ESRB rating

The ESRB database has an entry for Grand Theft Auto VI on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. It says the game is rated M for Mature 17+, with these content descriptors: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, and Use of Drugs and Alcohol. The only interactive element it lists is In-Game Purchases.

The ESRB defines Mature 17+ as content that is "generally suitable for ages 17 and up", in its ratings guide.

The same rating is now on the storefronts. Rockstar's game page shows the ESRB Mature badge with those descriptors, and the Xbox store listing and the US PlayStation page read Mature 17+. This is a change. Our fact check recorded the US PlayStation page as Rating Pending on 27 September 2026.

The PEGI rating

The UK PlayStation page shows a PEGI 18 badge, and so does the UK Xbox store listing. We searched PEGI's database for the game on 3 October 2026 and it returned no result, so we cannot link a PEGI entry. The UK PlayStation page also has FAQ text saying the game's age ratings were unconfirmed when it was written. Treat PEGI 18 as what the stores show, not as a PEGI-published rating yet.

PEGI says its 18 rating applies when violence reaches gross violence, apparently motiveless killing or violence towards defenceless characters, and when illegal drug use is glamorised or sexual activity is explicit, on its page What do the labels mean.

What GTA V got

This section is about Grand Theft Auto V, not VI. None of it is confirmed for VI.

One difference sits in the ESRB entries. The Grand Theft Auto V entry for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC lists Users Interact and In-Game Purchases. The Grand Theft Auto VI entry lists In-Game Purchases only. We draw no conclusion from that. What Rockstar has said about online is on GTA 6 online.

Age verification

Rockstar and Take-Two have announced no age verification requirement for Grand Theft Auto VI, and none appears on Rockstar's game page or the store listings we read. Separately, Video Games Chronicle reported on 21 April 2026 that PlayStation says adult accounts in the UK and Ireland must verify their age from June 2026 to keep voice chat, messaging and sharing, including games' own built-in communication tools, while playing games and buying from the store stay available. That is a PlayStation account rule, not a Grand Theft Auto VI one.

What the rating means for buying

In the UK, a 2012 government press release said the system "gives legal backing to PEGI 12, 16 and 18 ratings". That concerns selling games. Editions and prices are on GTA 6 editions and price, and where to buy is on GTA 6 pre-order.