GTA 6's Online Mode Will Officially Be Unplayable For Millions

4 hours ago 3

Published Mar 10, 2026, 7:52 AM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

Grand Theft Auto VI is finally set to launch in November of this year, with anticipation for its release after a couple of delays at an absolute fever pitch right now.

In the first instance, it's going to be all about the single-player and the story mode experience, as we finally get to see what Rockstar has been cooking up over all these years. What we've seen so far in the trailer looks very promising, so fingers crossed this initial salvo delivers everything players are expecting.

After that, it's quickly going to become all about the multiplayer, which will launch on an as yet unspecified date, after the game's initial release. Unfortunately, new laws could stop a whole host of players from getting in on the action at all, and it affects players in multiple countries across the world.

GTA 6's Online Mode Will Be Unplayable For Millions

As first reported by PC Gamer, Australia has introduced a new set of age verification laws that require users to verify their age in order to play 18+ games that support multiplayer, in other words, GTA Online in both its current and future forms.

It is important to note that these changes don't affect anything that's exclusively single-player, so players of games like DOOM don't need to worry about losing access to the games they have already purchased.

All of that comes as part of the new Age-Restricted Material Codes, which touch upon a ton of different areas of the online experience, with gaming no exception in this case.

It's important to note that similar laws now also exist in the United Kingdom, and it's highly likely that when the new GTA does finally drop, potential players of the online modes will also be beholden to verifying their age through official channels.

This Is A Major Blow For GTA 6 Fans

There are plenty of reasons that this will likely come as a blow to potential GTA players, who should legitimately be able to play all facets of the game. Concerns over privacy and the use of biometric data (including face scans) are legitimate, and there will be those who aren't willing to sacrifice that to play GTA VI (or any other game that requires it).

Things are changing across the board in this regard, with Discord set to roll out changes in March that will require face scanning and ID checks for those who don't want to be locked to a "teen-appropriate" experience.

GTA VI will inevitably be an enormously successful game, regardless of what laws countries bring in, but it will certainly come as a major blow to those who were hoping for seamless access to the online modes.