GTA 6 age verification could become mandatory for Australian players once the game launches. Rockstar Games risks a fine of roughly $35 million USD, about $49.5 million AUD, if it skips the step. The requirement comes from Australia’s online safety laws. Those laws force publishers to confirm a player’s age before granting access to games rated for adults only.
GTA 6 is expected to carry the same mature ratings as its predecessor, GTA 5. That means an M for Mature rating from the ESRB, an 18+ rating from PEGI, and a Restricted classification under Australia’s Classification Board. The Restricted rating limits access to players 18 and older. GTA Online, the multiplayer side of GTA 5, already requires ID verification in Australia under these rules. GTA 6’s online mode is expected to follow the same path once it goes live.
What Australia’s GTA 6 age verification law requires
Under the country’s online safety framework, any platform distributing content restricted to adults must confirm a player’s age first. Publishers need accepted identification before granting access to that content. News.com.au first reported the potential penalty facing Rockstar. The BBC put the maximum fine at close to $49.5 million AUD. That figure applies if the publisher does not comply once GTA 6 arrives with an adult rating.
Rockstar has not said publicly how it plans to handle the requirement for GTA 6. The studio already applies the same ID verification process to GTA Online in Australia. GTA 5 carries an identical rating and has operated under the law for years without a reported penalty.
Other regions are introducing similar rules
Age verification requirements are not unique to Australia. The United Kingdom passed comparable online safety legislation in recent years. Discord introduced its own age verification system to meet those rules, requiring some users to confirm their age through a photo ID or facial scan. Steam has also rolled out region-specific restrictions tied to age ratings on certain titles, particularly in markets with stricter content laws.
Those parallel rules suggest GTA 6’s launch could bring identification checks to more players than just those in Australia. As more governments adopt similar online safety legislation, age verification for mature-rated games could extend to more regions over time. Rockstar has not commented on whether any changes are planned for markets outside Australia.
Why the fine matters for Rockstar
News.com.au and the BBC reported the potential penalty as the maximum fine available under Australia’s online safety law. It is not a figure tied to a specific violation. Australian regulators have not announced any enforcement action against Rockstar or GTA Online to date. The reporting instead flags what could happen if GTA 6 launches with an adult rating. Rockstar would then need to apply the same ID checks it already runs for GTA Online.
GTA 6 pre-orders are already active ahead of the game’s release, according to the same reporting that surfaced the fine. Rockstar has applied ID verification to GTA Online in Australia since that mode launched. The studio has existing infrastructure it could extend to GTA 6’s own online component once that mode goes live. Rockstar has not confirmed whether it will reuse the same verification system or build a separate one for the new game.