Grand Theft Auto VI may include realistic sex scenes. This claim stems from the game's rating information on the PlayStation Store—on the New Zealand and Australian store pages, the game is explicitly labeled as containing "sex scenes."
If true, this would mark the first time the Grand Theft Auto series directly depicts sex scenes. More accurately, it would be content actively created and included by the developers. Many may recall the notorious "Hot Coffee" scandal from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where a mod restored a sex mini-game that Rockstar had removed before launch, causing the company significant trouble.
Although subsequent entries in the series have included sexual themes such as soliciting prostitutes and some nudity, most actual sex scenes are not explicitly shown. The Grand Theft Auto IV DLC "The Ballad of Gay Tony" featured a brief sex scene, but it only briefly showed two characters intimately engaged while mostly clothed. The games contain other depictions of passion, but these are also largely handled with subtlety.
However, the rating descriptions discovered by IGN may not be entirely accurate. Although the PlayStation store pages display ESRB, PEGI, and Australian Classification Board icons, corresponding individual rating information cannot be found on the official websites of these rating bodies. It is speculated that this may be because the complete listing information is still under embargo.
Even if the rating information is accurate, mentioning "sex scenes" does not necessarily imply explicit, full-length sexual footage. However, the UK PlayStation Store listing does label the game with "Sexual Content" and includes a "Sex" rating icon. Games featuring explicit sexual scenes, such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, carry similar labels. In fact, the presence of PEGI's "Sex" icon itself suggests significant content intensity—after all, games like Bloodborne, which include some nudity and sexual themes, do not carry this specific label.
Is this surprising? GTA VI centers on the couple Jason and Lucia, with their relationship forming the core narrative. Given that the official trailer already featured an opening snippet疑似 depicting a sex scene (at the 1:12 mark), claims of sex scenes being present hold some credibility.
Moreover, intimate scenes have become increasingly common in games since the release of GTA V in 2013. Similar open-world RPGs like Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3 feature numerous such scenes, as does Bloodborne, with many other examples available. In the current landscape, including explicit sex scenes in GTA VI would hardly be considered outrageous.
Grand Theft Auto VI is set for official release on November 19. In recent weeks, news about GTA VI has been everywhere, following Netflix's broadcast of an extended gameplay trailer and a massive leak of game assets by hackers just before the trailer's release. Meanwhile, Rockstar is embroiled in a labor arbitration lawsuit in Scotland: last year, the company suddenly laid off 31 employees, officially citing violations of non-disclosure agreements, while former employees allege this was an attempt to suppress unionization.