GTA VI Nearly Banned in South Korea, Inven Reports

GTA VI came very close to being refused a rating in South Korea before it received an Adults Only rating on October 16. Rockstar INTEL reported this on November 12, based on minutes from the Korean rating board (GCRB) obtained by the Korean outlet Inven.

A refusal of classification would have blocked the game’s official release in that country.

A tie in the first review

According to those documents, the board examined the game for the first time on September 10. The six members present split evenly: three backed the adults-only rating and three wanted to deny classification.

The debate was not about violence or drugs. The concern was the frequent appearance of male nudity with no sexual context. According to the researchers who tested the game, those scenes appeared mostly in the background.

New rules and two postponements

South Korea changed its rules on nudity and sensuality in September 2025. According to Rockstar INTEL, GTA VI is one of the first major games reviewed under that standard, which focuses more on whether the exposure is shown directly and explicitly.

The board postponed its decision twice. The playable build did not reach the evaluators until September 28 for security reasons, and the second review, on October 2, did not settle the matter either.

Eight votes to one on October 16

In the third review, with all nine members present, eight voted for the Adults Only rating and one held to the refusal. It weighed in the debate that ten organizations in other countries, including ESRB and PEGI, had already approved the game for adults.

The final rating includes these descriptors:

• Sensuality
• Violence
• Crime
• Drugs
• Language

One question remains open: the board requested changes after the first review, but the minutes do not clarify whether Rockstar modified any content.

What it means for you

If you play in South Korea, nothing blocks the November 19 launch anymore. Outside that country, nothing changes: the game launches that day on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, as we cover in our story on the release date.