A Rockstar title called 'Bonaire' has been refused classification in Australia

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It's among a spate of newly 'RCed' games in Australia.

(Image credit: Rockstar)

A Rockstar project called 'Bonaire' has been refused classification in Australia, which means it's effectively banned in the country. That's not necessarily interesting, because as you'll see, a bunch of stuff has been "effectively banned" in Australia of late. What's interesting, is that we don't know what 'Bonaire' is.

Kotaku spotted it first, and speculates convincingly that it's probably a Red Dead Online expansion or update: it wouldn't be the first time (spoilers) a part of the game has been set on a Caribbean island (/spoilers). Of course, Red Dead Redemption 2 isn't even out on PC yet, so if it is indeed an expansion for the online component of that game, well... damn, I guess.

The Australian Classification Board has issued a handful of 'Refused Classification' statuses of late: We Happy Few has been newly banned, despite a 2018 ban being overruled by the Classification Review Board. That ban's probably associated with the new Lightbearer DLC, which obviously involves drugs (I mean look at the launch trailer). DLC is proving problematic elsewhere as well, with Kingdom Come Deliverance being newly banned, most likely thanks to the recently issued A Woman's Lot expansion.

It follows the recent banning of DayZ, which struck many as amusing since it's been on Steam seemingly forever. But the game has since been removed, with the ban relating to the forthcoming inclusion of marijuana in the game, which Bohemia Interactive has promised it will remove.

Here's the rating entry for 'Bonaire', for posterity:

(Image credit: Australian Classification Board)
Shaun Prescott
Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.