The upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI is genuinely set to be a monumental event in the history of video games, with most analysts and experts expecting it to blow past a ton of existing records in its first few days out in the wild. That means there are literally millions of players waiting in the wings to get it on day one, with the big day seemingly finally set in stone for November 19.
That said, there’s plenty going on in the real world right now that has a significant effect on a lot of different aspects of our lives. Sadly, that extends out to the escapism of video games, and there are all sorts of questions globally for what could easily become the biggest and most successful game of all time.
As first reported by SVG, politicians in Russia are scrambling to ban GTA VI before it releases in November, as part of the country’s larger political consternation with other nations who have criticized their recent actions, and the content of the game itself. Whilst this would obviously mean that nobody in Russia would get to buy or play the game, the ban is actually a lot less significant than it may first appear.
The reason for that is Take-Two Interactive’s decision to pull sales of their games in Russia back in 2022, as a response to the country’s invasion of neighboring Crimea and Ukraine more generally. That makes the ban more performative than anything else, but it doesn’t change the fact that millions of gamers will be left out in the cold.
Bryansk Oblast Duma regional parliament member and deputy chairman of the World Russian People’s Council Mikhail Ivanov, said “The creators of ‘GTA VI‘ deliberately go to include destructive and vulgar content in their product, [which is] completely unacceptable to the moral health of society.”
He then went on to specifically name the inclusion of male strippers and other series staples as the reasoning for his contention.
GTA VI is going to be a great time for all (over the age of 18), regardless of the contention of politicians or anyone else who feels it isn’t conducive to the moral good of society. At the same time, while GTA V did sell around 1 million copies in Russia, it did far better outside of that, and the next game in the series will manage just fine without a country as large as that banning sales, as demonstrated by Take-Two’s proactive approach to pulling their games.
- Released
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November 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+
- Engine
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Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer