These Hit Rockstar Games Were Banned - How Will 'Grand Theft Auto VI' Fare?

At a certain point, gamers began asking, "Will it ever hit the shelves?" Yes, we're talking about Grand Theft Auto VI - which is officially coming soon, at long last.

Trailers have dropped, details have surfaced, and rumors have swirled about just how many boundaries will be pushed this time around. After all, multiple GTA installments were quite literally taken off the shelves in years past due to their extremely violent nature - and how it may have led to dangerous real-life behavior.

In July 2005, for example, Australian officials effectively banned Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and ordered it removed from stores because it contains hidden sex scenes that can be viewed with a special download, CBS News reported at the time.

Then in 2008, copies of Grand Theft Auto IV were pulled in Thailand after a teenager confessed to murdering a taxi driver, per the BBC. The 18-year-old high student was accused of stabbing the cab driver to death by trying to copy a scene from the game.

More recently, the GTA franchise has remained in the spotlight despite the fact that GTA 6 is a long time coming. Just last year, it was announced that the University of Tennessee, Knoxville was offering a new course called Grand Theft America: U.S. History Since 1980 Through the GTA Video Games - and it's exactly what it sounds like.

The class, officially listed as HIST 150, uses GTA's fictional cities and satirical chaos to dig into what the University of Tennessee faculty page calls "the major social, cultural, political, and economic transformations that remade the United States since Ronald Reagan's election in 1980."

Looking ahead, and judging by the latest intense trailer (see below), it's possible GTA 6 will top the previous games in terms of M-for-mature-rated violence, sex and more. Rockstar has confirmedGTA 6 is set in the fictional state of Leonida, with Vice City at the center of the world. Official marketing copy describes the state as "home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond," per Forbes.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 2:44 PM.