Sony Removes GTA 6 Parody Game from PS Store; Now Available on Steam

The creators of the controversial parody game Grand Taking Ages, which playfully mocks the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6, have made a comeback with a new Steam page following its removal from the PlayStation Store by Sony. Grand Taking Ages is billed as a parody management simulator where players take on the role of running a game development studio.

Last month, despite using seemingly AI-generated art and a list of whimsical gameplay features, along with fictitious awards from gaming websites, Grand Taking Ages VI managed to appear on the PlayStation Store with a slated release date of May 2025. Users were even able to add it to their wishlists. However, Sony quickly pulled the game from its store. Now, after making significant adjustments, the game has found a new home on Steam, as confirmed by its developers, Violarte, who told IGN that the game underwent a thorough review and was approved for publishing on the platform.

The Steam page for Grand Taking Ages now features a new trailer and updated screenshots, emphasizing its parody nature. Key changes include dropping the "VI" from the title, altering the logo, and revising the game's descriptions and overall presentation to clearly distinguish it from GTA 6 and highlight its unique direction. While the game still incorporates generative AI, particularly for voice overs as disclosed on the Steam page, the art style has been adjusted to be less reminiscent of Rockstar's iconic GTA imagery.

The new description on the Grand Taking Ages Steam page reads:

Coming Soon Since Forever! Start your game dev journey in mom's garage! Battle angry fans, dodge ruthless journalists, and perfect the art of "creative" deadlines. Survive on pizza and energy drinks while building your dream studio into... a slightly better garage!

Violarte explained that their approach with Valve was different from their strategy with Sony. They engaged with Valve's team about the game's concept before officially submitting it, which helped ensure alignment with Steam's guidelines. Violarte also cited other parody projects like Grand Theft Hamlet as examples of how parody can be both celebratory and engaging within existing genres.

With these updates, Violarte is now pushing to have Grand Taking Ages reinstated on the PlayStation Store. They have reached out to Sony, highlighting the changes that led to Valve's approval, and expressed confidence that there will be no issues this time around.

The brief appearance of Grand Taking Ages VI on the PlayStation Store raised questions about Sony's curation process. In contrast, Valve's more open policy on Steam is well-known, with the platform hosting a variety of games, including those utilizing generative AI. Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S in the fall of 2025.