BBFC

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a film and video game classification system used in the United Kingdom. All Grand Theft Auto games have been scrutinized by the BBFC and each one has been given an 18 rating. No Grand Theft Auto games have ever been re-rated or considered for re-rating, unlike in Australia where the Australian Classification Board re-rated Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas after the Hot Coffee debacle. The first edition of the game was also re-rated in the USA where the ESRB decided that an AO rating was needed.

In 2007, the BBFC banned another Rockstar Games publication, Manhunt 2, from sale in the UK after refusing to give it an age rating. This is the only video game to have been banned by the BBFC. After lengthy legal battles, an edited version of Manhunt 2 was eventually given an 18 rating and released on PlayStation 2 and PSP in the UK in 2008.

On 30 July 2012, PEGI replaced the BBFC as the video games ratings system in the UK, whilst the BBFC maintains its role in rating films.

BBFC Ratings
The BBFC can give one of a number of graphical representations to a film or video game, all of which suggest a different age that is 'fit for viewing'. Its ratings are among the most easy to understand of all rating systems, as unlike the ESRB and CERO which use a lettering grade, the upper age limit ratings for the BBFC are simply numbers, making it obvious to the audience how old they should be.

18-Rated Games in the Grand Theft Auto series

 * Grand Theft Auto
 * Grand Theft Auto: London 1969
 * Grand Theft Auto 2
 * Grand Theft Auto III
 * Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
 * Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
 * Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
 * Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
 * Grand Theft Auto IV
 * Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars


 * Note 1: Grand Theft Auto Advance was not rated by the BBFC as it did not feature material which PEGI does not cover. PEGI gave the game a rating of 16+, making it the lowest rating GTA game.


 * Note 2: The Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 expansion pack does not have a rating as no retail version was ever made, it was never sold, only distributed for free via the official GTA London website.