A credible industry insider has found evidence that suggests Rockstar Games is gearing up to add a new age verification system to Grand Theft Auto Online. It's unclear which Grand Theft Auto Online players will be affected by the potential feature, but it's likely going to roll out to UK users first, given that the country recently implemented a new age verification law on July 25.
The UK has thrown around the idea of an online age verification system for adult content for many years now. But in 2023, the country passed the Online Safety Act, which allows the UK to regulate online content more efficiently. Then, on July 25, 2025, a new age verification law came into effect, forcing users to verify their age when accessing adult content on the internet. There are numerous methods for users to verify their age, such as a photo ID, a credit card, or a facial age estimation that uses AI to determine the age of the individual. Unfortunately, the system has proved to be easily bypassed, as some users are already successfully using Death Stranding's photo mode to bypass the age verification system on platforms like Discord.
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With plenty of platforms, websites, and video games now abiding by the new UK law, it looks like Grand Theft Auto Online could be the next big name to follow suit. According to industry insider and data miner TezFunz2, Rockstar is currently working on adding "age assurance checks" to Grand Theft Auto Online. Details surrounding the feature are still unknown, but Tez speculates that users will likely need to verify their age to access Grand Theft Auto Online, or some of its most beloved features, such as phone messages, text chat, and Snapmatic. There's also no word on when this feature will be rolled out, or which regions it will affect, but with new Grand Theft Auto Online updates released regularly, its release could be imminent.
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The implementation of an age verification system for Grand Theft Auto Online is likely to be massively controversial among the gaming community, but Rockstar would not be the first to introduce such a system. Earlier this week, Xbox rolled out a new age verification system within the UK, with plans to expand to other regions in the future. Users with an Xbox console will now need to verify their age with the developer using a third-party verification software in order to continue accessing certain features, such as custom clubs, the Looking for Group function, and other communication methods.
Activision is another studio that has begun implementing similar restrictions into its games. Last month, the studio introduced an age verification system to Call of Duty. Although it doesn't appear to be as strict as Xbox's age verification, the feature still requires all players to input their birth date to play games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and more. Those who are underage will need to seek parental consent, or their entire Activision account risks being deleted.
- Released
- October 1, 2013
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
