An age rating in Australia and New Zealand has confirmed GTA 6 will feature sex scenes, according to a description on the PlayStation Store.
Age rating details
The description next to the 18 rating reads: 'Drug use, graphic violence, nudity, offensive language, sex scenes.' The PEGI rating description for GTA 6 on the PlayStation Store in the UK describes it as 'sexual content' rather than 'sex scenes', while the ESRB in the US uses 'strong sexual content', the same term used for GTA 5.
The Australian ratings board is known for being extremely strict, so it's unclear whether this 'sex scenes' distinction differs from past GTA games. For GTA 5, the same board did not use that term and instead went with 'sexual material' and 'sex', suggesting GTA 6 might be going further.
Series context and marketing
GTA has long faced controversy over its handling of sex. While the games have largely avoided showing sex explicitly, players have always been able to pick up sex workers. The biggest sex scandal in the series was the Hot Coffee mod for GTA: San Andreas, a hidden minigame showing the protagonist having sex with his in-game girlfriend.
For the first time in the series' history, GTA 6 is led by a romantic couple, Jason and Lucia, raising questions about whether Rockstar will push the envelope regarding sexual content. GTA 5 features a brief sex scene where Trevor is seen with Johnny Klebitz's girlfriend in his trailer.
The full extent of GTA 6's sexual content won't be known until the game launches on November 19, but marketing has started to ramp up in the US. Earlier this week, a Vice City sign on top of Miami's Kaseya Center was lit up for the first time, and a giant mural is underway in Brooklyn, New York, likely to be completed later this month.
It's unclear if Rockstar will release another trailer for GTA 6 ahead of its launch, but it seems likely – if only to show off the 170 animal species.
