Halloween: The Game Banned in Australia and New Zealand Over In-Game Cannabis Use
A game about Michael Myers stalking the streets of Haddonfield has been blocked from sale in Australia and New Zealand — not because of the killing, but because players can smoke weed in it.
Developer IllFonic confirmed on 10 August 2026 that Halloween: The Game has been denied classification by the Australian Classification Board, effectively banning both physical and digital versions from sale in Australia and New Zealand. According to IllFonic, the refusal was based on the presence of a controlled substance, not on the game's violence or its iconic slasher villain VGC.
A Bloody Disgusting report, citing the Slash 'N Cast podcast, said a player character in the game can smoke cannabis to gain a gameplay advantage — specifically, revealing Michael Myers's location pings across the map. That mechanic, not the machete, triggered the boards' refusal.
Halloween: The Game is an asymmetrical multiplayer title — one player controls Michael Myers, while four others play Haddonfield residents trying to survive. The game also includes a single-player mode where players take on the role of Myers himself, and it is executive produced by John Carpenter, the director of the original 1978 film.
The game is scheduled for release on 8 September 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, as confirmed in IllFonic's developer update from September 2025 and reaffirmed in the company's August 2026 statement IllFonic. Australian outlet Press-Start independently reported the classification refusal on 10 August 2026 Press-Start.
For players in the affected regions, the situation is straightforward: without a classification rating, retailers cannot stock the game and digital storefronts cannot list it. Whether IllFonic will modify the cannabis mechanic to seek a new rating remains unaddressed in the company's statement.
Players elsewhere — including the US, UK and Europe — are unaffected by the ban. The September launch proceeds as planned in those territories.
What makes this stand out is the irony that has already started circulating among fans: a game built around one of cinema's most famous murderers runs into trouble not for its violence, but for a gameplay perk involving a joint. The boards' concern, as stated, is the depiction and reward of controlled substance use — a category Australia's classification system treats with particular strictness, especially when drug use is shown as providing benefits.
IllFonic has not yet announced any changes to the game's content in response to the ruling.
