Halloween: The Game Banned in Australia and New Zealand Over Drug Mechanic

Illfonic, the indie studio behind asymmetrical horror multiplayer games, has announced that Halloween: The Game has been refused classification in Australia, meaning it can't be sold there. Surprisingly, the studio also confirmed the game won't be available in New Zealand either, even though New Zealand is a separate country with its own classification system.

While the Australian Classification Board hasn't officially published a decision yet, IGN has learned the issue revolves around incentivized illicit drug use, a rule that has tripped up several games in Australia over the years.

Illfonic took to social media to explain: "Despite every effort on our part, the Australian Classifications [sic] Board has denied 'Halloween: The Game' a rating. The denial was not based on the presence of the iconic slasher, Michael Myers, or the outstanding kills that can be performed in the game, but rather the presence of a controlled substance. Unfortunately, to our disappointment (and certainly yours) this means that we cannot sell the physical or digital product in both Australia and New Zealand."

However, the mere presence of a controlled substance isn't against Australia's guidelines. Drug use is allowed at certain ratings (MA15+ for strong impact, R18+ for high impact). What's prohibited is tying drug use to incentives or rewards. Reports suggest Halloween: The Game lets players smoke marijuana to reveal Michael Myers' location on the map, which is exactly the kind of incentive-based drug use that's banned.

For comparison, games like Grand Theft Auto V and Far Cry 3 feature marijuana but don't link it to rewards, and they were rated without issue in Australia.

IGN reached out to the Classification Board for clarification. A spokesperson said: "The Classification Board has not yet published a decision in relation to Halloween: The Game. Games containing illicit drug use related to incentives or rewards cannot be accommodated within the R18+ classification category and must be Refused Classification under the Guidelines."

Interestingly, in July, Illfonic secured an R18+ rating for Halloween: The Game's pre-order content using the automated IARC tool, which is only for digital-only games in Australia. If the game was planned for physical release, it would have needed a human review from the Classification Board. The Board didn't confirm whether Illfonic submitted the game for that process.

Illfonic could appeal the decision to the Classification Review Board, but IGN received no response on whether they plan to do so.

The claim of "every effort" is questionable, as other developers have avoided this issue with simple tweaks. For example, State of Decay (2013) was initially refused for linking real drugs to health boosts, but a revised version calling them 'vitamins' was approved. Bethesda renamed morphine to 'Med-X' in Fallout 3 to dodge the rule.

That said, the ban may have little practical impact, as gamers in Australia and New Zealand can easily buy games from international stores in 2026.