GTA 6 Is Rated M: Set Parental Controls on PS5 and Xbox Before Nov. 19

1. Know what the rating actually says

The ESRB lists Grand Theft Auto VI as M for Mature 17+ on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. The content descriptors are Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, and Use of Drugs and Alcohol. The listing also includes In-Game Purchases.

That is the official rating, not a review. If a child in the house is under 17, the honest starting point is that this game is not rated for them. The rest of this guide is how to make the console agree with that decision, including for older teens whose playtime, spending or chatting you still want to limit.

2. On PlayStation, start with a family and a child account

Parental controls only work if the young person is signed in to a child account in your family, not to an adult profile. PlayStation's own pages start there.

You can add a child from the PlayStation Family app, from the web (sign in to Account Management, open Family Management, then Add a Child), or on a PS5: sign in, select the profile icon, then Switch User > Add User > Get Started > Create an Account, and follow the screens to set parental controls. Once a child is in the family, PlayStation says they cannot be removed from it.

On the PS5, go to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management, select the child, and set the controls. You can do the same in a browser or in the PlayStation Family app, which also lets you manage this from your phone. For the controls to stick, PlayStation says the child needs to have finished email verification and be signed in, and you should change the console settings so the child cannot edit the parental controls.

If you change a setting while they are in a game, have them sign out and back in so it takes effect.

3. Set the game age level, communication and spending on PlayStation

The setting that matters most for an M-rated game is the age level for PS5 games and apps. PlayStation also offers preset restriction levels:

• Late Teens or Older: PS5 games and apps can start if the age rating is the same as or lower than the child's age. Communication and user-generated content are restricted. The monthly spending limit starts at 0.
• Early Teens: Tighter game and Blu-ray ages, plus web browsing restricted, communication restricted, spending at 0.
• Child: Still tighter ages, PlayStation VR restricted, web browsing restricted, communication restricted, spending at 0.

If you edit a preset, the level changes to Customize. For a child under 17, an age level that follows the child's actual age will block an M 17+ title unless you later make an exception.

Also set, while you are there:

• Communication and User-Generated Content. If you choose Restrict, PlayStation disables text and voice chat with other players (pre-written in-game messages can still go out), sharing the child's own clips and screenshots, seeing other players' user-generated content, and linking some third-party communication apps.
• Monthly Spending Limit. Purchases on a child account come from the family manager's wallet. The default limit is 0. Leave it at 0 if you do not want store or in-game purchases on that account.
• Playtime Settings and, if you need it today only, Change Playtime for Today.

A child who hits a blocked game sees a screen and can send a request for an exception. The family manager and any appointed parent or guardian get a notification and an email. You can allow or decline that request in the PlayStation Family app, in Account Management under Allowed Games, or on the PS5 from Notifications or from Family Management > [child] > Allowed Games. The same kind of request exists for in-game communication features. You do not have to say yes.

4. On Xbox, add the child to a Microsoft family group

A family organizer signs in at account.microsoft.com/family and selects Add a family member. Choose Member for a child, then enter their email or phone number. They have to accept the invite by signing in. If they are already in another family group, Microsoft says they must leave it (or use a different Microsoft account) before they can join yours.

You can also add someone on the Xbox itself. Press the Xbox button, go to Profile & system > Settings > Account > Family settings > Manage family members > Add to family, and follow the path that matches their situation (new Microsoft account, an account already on the console, or an account that is not on the console yet). Microsoft's support page walks all three.

Microsoft Family Safety is the app and website for limits and permissions. Organizers can add money and spending limits to a child's Microsoft account, set screen-time limits, and block apps and websites. Privacy and online safety settings for Xbox are also linked from that setup page at xbox.com/user/settings/privacy-and-safety.

To block a specific game or app, sign in at account.microsoft.com, open the child's card, choose the Xbox tab, open Apps, features, and games, then use Block app. Only organizers can do this, and you repeat it for each app, device and child. You can unblock the same way.

We did not open a current Microsoft page today that spells out an age-rating slider for Xbox games, so this draft does not name one. If that control is in Family Safety under a child's Xbox or apps settings, add the exact path before this page is published. Blocking the GTA 6 app or tile for a child who should not have it is the step we can document now.

5. Set this before Nov. 19, on the account they actually use

Controls that live on your adult profile will not help if the child signs in as you, or if Console Sharing lets them start the game on a profile that is not limited. Put the child on their own account, set the age and spending limits there, and then decide, separately, whether your copy of the game is shared with other people on the console. A family console-sharing guide is coming soon.

Do the setup on a quiet evening this week. Thursday night is a poor time to invent a family PIN.