GTA 6 came within one vote of being refused a rating in South Korea, which would have blocked its release there. Meeting minutes of the Game Content Rating Board (GCRB), obtained by Inven, show the first vote on September 10 ended in a 3-3 tie between Adults Only and refusal. The sticking point was not violence or drugs but frequent male nudity in the background of the game. After two postponements and hands-on play of the build, the board gave GTA 6 an Adults Only rating by 8 votes to 1 on October 16. Here is the full timeline, what the board found in the game, and what it means for players.
Last checked on November 12, 2026. Reported Everything below comes from the GCRB minutes as published and translated by Inven Global, and was confirmed by Polygon, IGN and Push Square. The GCRB has not published the minutes itself, and Inven says Rockstar had asked for the result to stay private until launch. Rockstar has not commented.
Timeline: from application to Adults Only
| Date (2026) | What happened | Result |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 | Rockstar’s rating application submitted | – |
| September 10 | First review, no playable build yet; about 30 minutes on sexual content | 3-3 tie, decision postponed with a recommendation to modify |
| September 28 | Playable build delivered (late “due to security concerns”) | – |
| October 2 | Second review after a researcher played the build | Postponed again for “sufficient gameplay examination” |
| October 8 | Meeting scheduled | Cancelled, no quorum |
| October 16 | Third review, all nine members present | Adults Only, 8 votes to 1 |
| November 19 | GTA 6 launch | Released in South Korea as planned |
Why GTA 6 nearly got refused
Reported According to the minutes, the board agreed that violence, crime and drugs were “not significantly different” from GTA 5, which Korea rated Adults Only in 2013. The problem was sexual content, and specifically male genital nudity appearing often in the background without any sexual context. One member who voted for refusal said it was not that genital exposure is “completely forbidden, but it has never appeared this frequently without context”. A member on the other side argued that “scenes with heavy exposure are not particularly sexual” while sexual scenes keep exposure limited, so the game had to be judged as a whole.
The board’s own rules had also just changed. A September 2025 revision softened the wording that used to make any genital exposure an automatic refusal. Inven describes GTA 6 as the first big-budget game to test the looser rule.
What the board found in the actual game
- Reported Nudity scenes are mostly one-off mission backgrounds. Players cannot have any sexual interaction in them; the researcher could only hit another character, which ended in an arrest.
- Reported The location with these scenes was only found after asking Rockstar for maps several times, because Leonida is so large.
- Reported Scenes seen in the leaked footage, with characters fully undressed or a camera that could be moved to view genitals, were not found in the build the board played. The minutes do not say whether Rockstar removed them or they were never in this build.
- Reported Romantic cutscenes between Jason and Lucia show nudity only “up to the breasts”.
- Reported Rockstar told the board the main story alone takes “dozens of hours”. For a longer estimate, see how long GTA 6 is.
Why the vote swung from 3-3 to 8-1
Reported The minutes point to three things rather than to a changed game:
- Hands-on play. Members only saw videos at the first vote. Playing the build showed the nudity came with no sexual interaction.
- Legal grounds. A refusal blocks sale in the country, so members said it needs a clear article of law, not internal guidelines. The board’s own handbook has no legal force, and there are no refusal criteria at all for crime or drugs.
- Every other country had rated it. By October 16, ten rating bodies had given GTA 6 an adult rating. One member warned that if Korea alone refused, “it will become a massive controversy”.
The single remaining vote for refusal warned that allowing background nudity could lead to it “frequently” appearing in future RPGs. Several members proposed new internal rules on non-sexual nudity after this case.
GTA 6 vs GTA 5 in Korea
| GTA 5 (2013) | GTA 6 (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | Adults Only | Adults Only |
| Content descriptors | Sexual content, violence, language, drugs, crime, gambling | Sexual content, violence, crime, drugs, language |
| Gambling descriptor | Yes | No (dropped during review) |
| Close to refusal? | No reports of it | Yes: 3-3 on the first vote |
Reported Horror and gambling were flagged in the preliminary report but dropped by the committee. Korean store prices are in our GTA 6 price by country guide (89,800 won for Standard on the PS Store).
Ratings around the world as of October 16
Reported The minutes list ten bodies that had already issued adult ratings: the ESRB (North America), PEGI (Europe), Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Africa and Brazil. Saudi Arabia and the UAE rated it 21+. Japan’s CERO had not decided at that point. Our GTA 6 age rating guide lists every rating we could confirm on the boards’ own sites.
Is GTA 6 censored anywhere? Rockstar has not confirmed any regional edits. Reported Korean outlet Gameple, cited by Push Square, claims the Japanese version may be modified; treat that as unconfirmed. See also is GTA 6 censored in Australia.
What it means for players
- Nothing changes for launch. GTA 6 is rated and releases in South Korea on November 19 with everyone else.
- Parents: the Korean minutes are the most detailed public description so far of how much nudity is in the game. If you are setting up a console for a teenager, use the steps in our age rating guide.
- Spoilers: the minutes describe scenes, not story. If you want to go in blind, read our spoiler policy and mute keywords until launch.
FAQ
Was GTA 6 banned in South Korea?
No. The Game Content Rating Board gave GTA 6 an Adults Only rating on October 16, 2026, by 8 votes to 1, so it releases in South Korea on November 19 as planned.
Why did South Korea almost refuse GTA 6 a rating?
According to the board’s minutes reported by Inven Global, members objected to frequent male genital nudity in the background without sexual context. Violence, crime and drugs were judged similar to GTA 5.
What was the first GTA 6 rating vote in Korea?
On September 10, 2026, the vote was tied 3-3 between Adults Only and refusal, and the decision was postponed with a recommendation to modify the game.
Did Rockstar change GTA 6 for Korea?
It is not known. The minutes do not say how the recommendation to modify was handled. Scenes from leaked footage were not found in the build the board played.
Is GTA 6 censored in other countries?
Rockstar has not confirmed any regional edits. Reports about a modified Japanese version are unconfirmed.