South Korean ratings board almost blocked GTA 6 over too much ‘out-of-context’ nudity
Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI nearly got banned in South Korea for showing too many penises without a good enough reason, according to reports from IGN and Kotaku.
Per detailed minutes obtained by Inven Global and reported by multiple outlets, the country's Game Content Rating Board (GCRB) held three separate meetings to debate the game, with its "out-of-context genital nudity" cited as the main sticking point. The initial vote on September 10 ended in a deadlocked 3-3 tie over whether to grant an Adults Only rating or refuse classification entirely.
PC Gamer reports the debate was heavily informed by leaked footage from hacker Cyberleek, which showed protagonist Jason fully nude in a nudist colony area. Committee members argued that male nudity appeared too frequently without narrative justification, with one member claiming it was "sufficiently explicit and excessive" to potentially disrupt social order.
The board postponed its decision until it could examine an official playable build. After receiving the build in late September and conducting further review, the GCRB finally voted 8-1 on October 18 to grant the game an Adults Only rating for its November 19 release.
Interestingly, the final review concluded that in the official version, scenes with heavy nudity were not sexual, and explicitly sexual scenes between protagonists Jason and Lucia did not expose genitalia. Kotaku notes this indirectly confirms players likely cannot strip the characters completely naked in the retail game, contrary to the leaked developer build.
The game's South Korean rating now carries content descriptors for Sensuality, Violence, Crime, Drugs, and Language.
