A credible industry insider has discovered indications that Rockstar Games is planning to introduce a new age verification system for Grand Theft Auto Online. It’s not clear which players will be impacted by this prospective feature, but it may initially target UK users, following the new age verification law implemented on July 25.

The UK has debated over an online age verification system for adult content for many years, but the passage of the Online Safety Act in 2023 allows for more effective regulation of online content. Following the new age verification law, users will have to provide verification—potentially a photo ID, credit card, or AI-based facial recognition—to access adult content.

Unfortunately, the proposed system has already faced criticism for being easily bypassed, with some users managing to use Death Stranding’s photo mode as a circumvention tool on platforms like Discord. With many online services now conforming to UK regulations, it seems Grand Theft Auto Online could also be next in line. According to industry insider TezFunz2, Rockstar is currently working on incorporating age assurance checks in the game, potentially restricting access to crucial features like phone messages, text chat, and Snapmatic for users who don’t verify their age.

This age verification system could be controversial within the gaming community, but it won’t be the first of its kind. Recently, Xbox introduced a similar age verification protocol in the UK, requiring users to use third-party verification methods to access features such as custom clubs and group functions.

Activision has also started implementing age restrictions, where players must submit their birthdates to access titles like Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, with severe consequences for underage users found playing without parental consent.