Rockstar Games has published a heavily censored version of the Grand Theft Auto 6 extended look reveal for China.
As shared by @videotech on X/Twitter, the studio behind the game that is convincing publishers to steer clear of November published its 27-minute gameplay reveal on Chinese social media platform Bilibili last week – but some things are just a bit different from other uploads (via Kotaku). It doesn’t take long to realize that large portions of the GTA 6 trailer have been blurred out, including dancing, drug-related content, and sexual content.
Considering this is a Grand Theft Auto game, there’s quite a bit you can’t see. Footage of protagonists Jason and Lucia at a nightclub, for example, basically turns the screen into a giant purple blur. A later scene blurs out Jason’s hand when he’s smoking, while brief shots of the beach censor some of the crowd. While most corpses seem unblurred, footage showing close-ups of bloodied dead bodies has also been completely censored.
It’s a very different look at GTA 6, but the video wasn’t originally the blurry mess we see here. As spotted by GTAForums user BDF, this reportedly isn’t the same video Rockstar originally uploaded following GTA 6: Extended Look’s Netflix premiere.
The first upload supposedly didn’t have the same censoring it does now. Rockstar is said to have altered the video around August 31. The reasoning behind the delayed adjustments is unclear.
BDF noted that the changes have split users on China’s Reddit-like platform, Tieba, and other online communities. While some suspect Rockstar censored GTA 6 to keep younger users from viewing the trailer’s contents, others believe the move reflects prejudice from Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive. BDF also reported that Rockstar and Take-Two have issued DMCA takedowns for those reposting unblurred content on Bilibili.
Censored or not, the floodgates for GTA 6 seem to officially be open ahead of its November 19 launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S. New Vice City-themed PS5 controllers were revealed just yesterday, additional screenshots were posted on Rockstar’s website earlier this week, and fans are still combing through every detail from last week’s big gameplay reveal.
There will surely be plenty more to show before that release date finally rolls around. Until then, you can see IGN’s coverage, including our preview and interview with the team at Rockstar.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).