According to the Australian Classification Board, the upcoming survival horror game Halloween: The Game has been refused classification, effectively banning its sale in Australia due to a gameplay mechanic where players use cannabis to detect the character Michael Myers. Developer Illfonic designed the title around brutal killings, but regulators flagged illicit drug use linked to a gameplay advantage rather than the gore.
Why Australia Banned Halloween: The Game Over Cannabis
The Australian Classification Board issued a refusal of classification for Halloween: The Game because “Halloween: The Game contains illicit drug use that is linked to an incentive or reward, in that use of the drug provides a gameplay advantage to the player.” Regulators stated this is required under the Code and Guidelines. Illfonic and the game’s co-publisher Gun Interactive did not respond to requests for comment.
The Interactivity Debate and R18+ Classification History
The decision reignited long-standing criticism of Australia’s video game regulations. According to Dan Golding, professor of media at Monash University, regulators operate on two assumptions: that games have always been regulated based on the assumption there is something more impactful about doing, in a game, than there is about watching, in a film, and that the regulation system exists to protect kids. Ron Curry has battled these assumptions in skirmishes with the Classification Board over his nearly two decades as CEO of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA). Alongside a dogged public campaign and a cadre of journalists, the IGEA helped introduce an R18+ category for video games in 2013, the absence of which had stopped several games being released in Australia before.
Did you know?
Australia has previously banned several high-profile titles—including State of Decay, Wasteland 3, and Saints Row IV—over incentivized drug use. All of these games were later reclassified after censoring aspects of their gameplay.
Inconsistencies in the National Classification Scheme
Academics have shown the current classification system isn’t just preventing access to games, however. Often, the standards are incoherent. Marcus Carter, founder of the Sydney Games and Play Lab at the University of Sydney, recently led a study – yet to be peer reviewed – that showed inconsistencies across the classifications of mobile games in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, where in 18 separate cases across the 31 top-grossing mobile games, four different age ratings were included for a single game. Claire Henry, associate professor in screen at Flinders University and an Australian Research Council Decra fellow, says the board enforced the guidelines correctly but the controversy around the decision highlights “a mismatch between the community standards and the classification standards”.
Ongoing Government Reviews and Future Releases
The Australian government is undertaking a review of the classification guidelines with the aim of delivering a simpler, more consistent approach across films, games and publications. Among a raft of proposals – including introducing a PG13 rating and adjusting the MA15+ classification to MA16+ – one idea is to “remove the harsher judgement of video games’ interactivity”. Margaret Anderson, a former director of the Classification Board, argues that the system remains unfit for adults, stating, “Can we stop pretending that the way we classify games in this country, in 2026, is appropriate for adults? Because it’s not.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Halloween: The Game banned in Australia?
The Classification Board refused to rate the game because it contains illicit drug use that is linked to an incentive or reward, in that use of the drug provides a gameplay advantage to the player.
Can Illfonic modify the game for release in Australia?
Illfonic has shown no sign it will censor Halloween: The Game and have its classification reviewed in Australia.
Are video games judged more strictly than films in Australia?
According to experts, games have always been regulated based on the assumption there is something more impactful about doing, in a game, than there is about watching, in a film.
What are your thoughts on Australia’s video game classification rules? Let us know in the comments below, and subscribe to our newsletter for more gaming industry updates.
Related reading