GTA 6 may require age verification in order to comply with the UK's Online Safety Act, claims one Rockstar insider

While primarily aimed at tackling content such as pornography, the Act has since impacted websites as Twitter and Reddit, with the latter's r/cider subreddit becoming a viral victim of the new system.

Now, video game companies are looking to comply with the act in current and future content, with Rockstar Games reportedly set to introduce age verification for GTA Online.

In a post from noted leaker Tez2 on Twitter, they detail that "Rockstar is planning to implement age assurance checks in the near future, rolling them out by region".

They go on to say that: "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 register your age."

GTA 5, and by extension GTA Online, has an age rating in the UK of 18, but currently has no age-based restrictions to gameplay.

However, should Rockstar introduce such a system, this would mean that adult players would be required to verify their age before accessing the game's online functionality, while players under the age of 18 would be unable to play online at all.

With the amount of adult content available in GTA games, such as the Vanilla Unicorn strip club in GTA 5, Rockstar may be looking to get its ducks in a row before it is forced to by communications regulator Ofcom.

Naturally, if Rockstar is planning to introduce age verification in GTA 5 Online, then it seems a given that the same would be the case for GTA 6 Online.

GTA Online has made a tremendous amount of money for Rockstar, and with GTA 6 reportedly set to make billions, the studio is unlikely to want to risk the game being restricted in a market as big as the UK.

Beyond this, the question remains of whether age verification would be required for players in other countries.

While unlikely, as the Act does not require companies to verify ages abroad, it is not out the question, with many reports surfacing of various websites requiring age verification for users in both the EU and US.

Neither Rockstar Games nor parent company Take-Two Interactive has acknowledged the potential implementation of age verification, but RadioTimes.com has reached out for comment.

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.