Grand Theft Auto VI already offers a wide array of illicit activities, and it seems another one is being added. According to the latest rating information, following strip clubs, violent carjackings, and random killings, the game now includes "frequent and prominent drug use," which players can engage in "at any time."
Grand Theft Auto VI recently received a PEGI 18+ rating. Although this rating information was briefly posted on the Pan European Game Information website before being quickly removed, players had already saved and shared the detailed content from the rating list.
Most of PEGI's descriptions align with player expectations for the GTA series: murder, robbery, gun-related crimes, various illegal activities, and extensive profanity. The new addition in this sixth mainline entry appears to be the unrestricted use of hard drugs.
The now-deleted rating description stated: "Drug use is frequent and prominent in the game; players can use drugs with others and directly consume illicit substances from their inventory. Most notably, players can carry cocaine on their person and snort it directly at any time."
While the GTA series' narratives often revolve around drug trafficking to some extent, most protagonists show little interest in the contraband they handle. Although Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online feature interactive hookahs, these are typically found only in player-owned apartments and cannot be taken into the open world.
Earlier today, additional rating information suggested that Grand Theft Auto VI might be the first title in the series to directly depict sexual scenes, a point further supported by the current PEGI rating list: "The game contains strong sexual themes, including nudity, sexual scenes, and occasional depictions of sexual fetishes. In several nightclubs, players can pay for private dances, during which the game allows players to place their hands on the dancers' breasts and buttocks."
Finally, violent elements are naturally present, as they have always been a staple of Rockstar games. PEGI states that players can "inflict highly realistic harm on all other characters in the scene," with certain weapons causing "more impactful damage effects, such as clear depictions of decapitation and dismemberment."
Rockstar developers have consistently emphasized that Grand Theft Auto VI's "overhauled" weather system and overall enhancements in detail precision make more realistic depictions of violence a logical step, staying true to the series' longstanding tradition.