GTA 6 players in Australia might need to use their real driver’s licenses to play the game thanks to the country’s new online safety laws.
Rockstar’s long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI is set to launch on November 19, 2026 and fans can already pre-order either a standard or Ultimate edition.
While the studio has kept gameplay details under wraps, leaks have revealed that the return to Vice City and the open world state of Leonida will be packed with advanced gameplay innovations, a ton of locations, activities, and an exciting story campaign.
However, for folks in Australia, experiencing GTA VI could be a massive pain and require players to prove they’re adults in order to even play the first mission.
Australia’s new online laws require IDs to play GTA 6
As reported by News.com.au, the country’s online safety laws, which came into effect in March, will require users to go through mandatory age verification to play games like GTA 6.
Even more severe is that because Grand Theft Auto 6 will likely have a rating of R18+, Rockstar will be required to prove its users are adults, so this would mean providing IDs or actual real-world licenses.
Rockstar would also face pretty major consequences, such as civil penalties up to $49.5m per breach for non-compliance.
While GTA 6 is not slated to launch with an online mode and has been advertised as a single-player game, the current iteration of GTA Online requires users to pass an ID check.
Rockstar GamesAustralia isn’t the only country where playing GTA 6 could be a headache. Anyone in Tajikistan will be completely prohibited from playing after the country banned the franchise for ‘inciting crime’ and encouraging “murder, theft and violence.”
Meanwhile, Russian politicians have urged Rockstar to release a sanitized version of VI and took issue with some of the game’s leaked inclusions, including male strippers.
So, while playing GTA 6 down under may not be ideal, it’s certainly not the worst option.
