Halloween has been banned in Australia and New Zealand for a reason you’d never imagine
Halloween: The Game, a video game adaptation of the classic slasher franchise, has been denied a classification rating in Australia, effectively banning its sale there ahead of its September launch. The developers say the refusal was not due to the game's violence or its depiction of killer Michael Myers, but because it features cannabis use as an in-game mechanic, which regulators classed as a "controlled substance".
The developer's official account revealed that the Australian Classifications Board rejected the game specifically over a feature allowing characters to smoke weed for a gameplay buff, such as revealing the killer's location. Commentators have noted the apparent inconsistency of a board that accepts graphic depictions of murder but not drug use. Halloween: The Game is due for release on 8 September 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and it remains unclear whether developers will alter the content for affected regions, including New Zealand, or challenge the decision.
- Halloween: The Game banned in Australia over in-game cannabis use, not violence
- Smoking weed grants players a gameplay buff, angering classification board
- Game still set for global release on 8 September 2026
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Halloween: The Game is a video game based on the long-running horror film franchise, in which players try to survive or evade the masked killer Michael Myers. It was due to launch worldwide on 8 September 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, but its sale in Australia has been blocked because the country's official ratings body would not give it a classification.
Video games in Australia and New Zealand cannot legally be sold without a rating from the relevant classification authority, and a refusal effectively acts as a ban. The developers say this refusal is not linked to the game's violent content, which is common in horror titles, but to a specific feature that lets characters use cannabis as part of the gameplay.
The situation matters because it highlights how classification rules in these countries can treat drug references more strictly than depictions of violence, prompting debate about whether the standards are applied consistently.