Rockstar is said to be planning an age verification system for GTA Online, with GTA 6 rumoured to be following suit for its online mode.
While GTA 6 is expected to come with its own dedicated online multiplayer mode, it’s currently unknown whether that will be something separate from GTA Online or just an extension of it.
Will GTA Online be shut down and you’ll be forced to hop over to GTA Online 2? Or is the playerbase substantial enough for Rockstar to keep supporting both?
Hopefully, Rockstar will have an answer before GTA 6’s launch in May 2026, although a new rumour suggests that big changes are coming to the way GTA’s online features are accessed, particularly in the UK.
The rumour comes from noted Rockstar dataminer Tez2, who believes they’ve found evidence of age verification for GTA Online within the game’s files.
‘Rockstar is planning to implement age assurance checks in the near future, rolling them out by region,’ Tez2 writes on X.
‘You may need to verify your age to access GTA Online, or certain features, like phone messages, text chat, Snapmatic, may be restricted until you verify your age.’
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While GTA Online (and by extension GTA 5) has an age rating of 18, there is technically nothing stopping you from playing the game regardless of age, should an older relative buy it for you.
However, if this age verification is implemented, adult players will need to provide proof that they are old enough to play GTA Online, while younger players would be locked out entirely.
Tez2’s claims sound perfectly believable considering recent changes made across the internet thanks to the UK’s Online Safety Act. While a lot of focus has been on porn sites needing to ask users for their ID, social media sites have been affected too.
Bluesky, for instance, now demands you either provide your credit card details or a scan of your face to send direct messages. Any businesses that don’t comply with the law not only face fines from Ofcom, but also the possibility of being shut down and unable to operate in the UK.
The changes have proved unpopular enough to prompt over 400,000 people to sign a petition to have them repealed, citing concerns over cybersecurity and restrictions on free speech.
Rockstar has not formally commented on the matter but considering GTA Online features a lot of mature content, including an in-game stirp club, it could very well be facing pressure to comply with the UK’s laws.
If age verification is implemented, then GTA 6 and its online mode would no doubt have to follow suit. GTA 6 is expected to make a lot – and we mean a lot – of money when it launches and Rockstar’s not going to want its game to be barred from sale in a big market like the UK.
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