Rockstar censored the GTA 6 extended look trailer for Chinese audiences on Bilibili

Rockstar Games quietly published a heavily censored cut of the GTA 6 Extended Look trailer on Chinese video platform Bilibili — and the differences are hard to miss. Dancing, drug use, sexual content, and close-up shots of bloodied bodies are all blurred out, turning several scenes into smeared purple or grey blocks.

According to GTAForums user BDF, this wasn't the version Rockstar originally uploaded after the trailer's Netflix premiere. The studio reportedly altered the Bilibili upload around August 31, though no explanation has been given for the delay between the initial upload and the censored revision. Rockstar and parent company Take-Two have also issued DMCA takedowns against users reposting the unblurred version on Bilibili.

The reaction on Tieba — China's Reddit-equivalent — is split. Some users think the censorship is aimed at keeping younger viewers away from the mature content, while others read it as a broader statement of prejudice from Rockstar and Take-Two toward Chinese audiences. China has notoriously strict content regulations for games and media, and titles with graphic violence, gambling, or sexual content routinely face cuts or outright bans — so some level of localized editing isn't unusual. What's drawn attention here is the retroactive nature of the change and the DMCA enforcement against unblurred reposts.

GTA 6 launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the marketing machine is clearly in full swing — new Vice City-themed PS5 controllers dropped yesterday, and Rockstar posted additional screenshots to its website earlier this week. Plenty more reveals are expected before launch day.