IllFonic’s upcoming Halloween: The Game has run into a major problem in Australia. The multiplayer horror game has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board, meaning it cannot currently be legally sold through Australian storefronts. Even stranger, IllFonic says the game will also not be released in New Zealand, despite New Zealand having its own classification system.
The reason for the Australian refusal appears to involve an in-game marijuana mechanic that rewards players for using the drug. While the Australian Classification Board has not yet published its official decision, the board has confirmed that games featuring illicit drug use connected to incentives or rewards cannot receive an R18+ rating and must instead be refused classification.
IllFonic announced the news through the official Halloween: The Game social media account, explaining that the Australian Classification Board had denied the game a rating.
“Despite every effort on our part, the Australian Classifications [sic] Board has denied ‘Halloween: The Game’ a rating,” IllFonic said. “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.”
It’s important to note that Australia does not prohibit games simply because they contain illicit drugs. Its classification guidelines allow drug use at the MA15+ and R18+ levels, depending on its impact. (For example, Grand Theft Auto V and Far Cry 3 both feature marijuana, but received ratings in Australia.) What the guidelines prohibit is illicit drug use that is connected to an incentive or reward.
According to reports about Halloween: The Game, players can smoke marijuana in the game as a gameplay mechanic, with the drug use providing a benefit by revealing Michael Myers’ location on the map. That connection between drug use and an in-game reward appears to be the issue behind the refusal.
The Australian Classification Board confirmed that point when asked about the game. “The Classification Board has not yet published a decision in relation to Halloween: The Game,” a spokesperson told IGN. “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.”
Why Was Halloween: The Game Refused Classification in Australia?
Halloween: The Game had already received an Australian R18+ rating for its pre-order content in July. That rating was obtained through the International Age Rating Coalition’s automated rating system, which is available for free. In Australia, IARC ratings can be automatically published to the country’s National Classification Database.
There is a limitation, though. Australia’s automated IARC system is intended for games distributed exclusively in digital form. If Halloween: The Game was intended to receive a physical release in Australia, it would have required submission to the Australian Classification Board for a human classification. It is unclear whether IllFonic or a local distributor submitted the full game to the board, and the Classification Board did not answer questions about that process. There is also an appeals process. Developers can appeal a refused classification decision to Australia’s Classification Review Board, which is a separate panel. It is not clear whether or not IllFonic has chosen to appeal.
Other Games Have Found Ways Around Australia’s Rules
State of Decay, released in 2013, was initially refused classification in Australia because it connected real-world prohibited substances with health boosts and other gameplay benefits. The developer subsequently changed the terminology, referring to the substances as “vitamins,” and the revised version received an R18+ classification. Bethesda took a similar approach with Fallout 3 in 2008. The game’s morphine was renamed “Med-X” for the Australian release, allowing the game to avoid the classification problem.
That history raises an obvious question about Halloween: The Game: Could IllFonic modify the drug-related mechanic for Australia rather than abandoning the market entirely?
Why Isn’t Halloween: The Game Being Sold in New Zealand?
Australia and New Zealand are separate countries with separate governments and separate classification systems. New Zealand’s Classification Office makes its own decisions regarding video games, meaning a refusal by the Australian Classification Board does not automatically constitute a ban in New Zealand. Nevertheless, IllFonic has stated that the Australian classification issue means Halloween: The Game will not be sold physically or digitally in either country.
The developer has not explained why it has chosen to treat Australia and New Zealand as a single market in this situation. It may be a business decision to avoid creating a separate version of the game for the region.
For players in both countries, the impact might be limited. In 2026, purchasing games through international digital storefronts is fairly easy, and a refused classification in Australia wouldn’t necessarily prevent determined players from obtaining a game through another market.
Still, Halloween: The Game now joins a long list of games that have run afoul of Australia’s unusually strict rules concerning drugs and gameplay rewards. And in this case, the situation has produced a strange result: a classification problem in Australia has also kept the game out of New Zealand, even though New Zealand has its own classification system.
What will the Halloween video game be like?
Halloween will offer a single-player mode, offline bot combat, and online asymmetrical PVP gameplay. It will also include multiple maps and “authentic locations” from the classic film. The teaser embedded above takes us to Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween night. As the residents of the sleepy town prepare for an evening of tricks and treats, we find a woman running for her life from door to door, hoping to get someone, anyone, to help her escape the masked killer following close behind. As she scambles to gain the upper hand, we hear the wise warnings of Dr. Samuel Loomis (thanks to a solid Donald Pleasence impersonator), warning us about the black-hearted Boogeyman who comes to Haddonfield.
John Carpenter is on board as an executive producer. The motion-capture performance for Michael Myers has been provided by Nick Castle, who played Myers in the original film, and stuntman TJ Storm, whose mo-cap credits include Deadpool (as Colossus), Captain America: Civil War (as Iron Man), The Predator (as the Predator), and Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, where he played Godzilla. Castle, who was absent from the Halloween franchise for decades before being brought back for cameos in the recent Blumhouse-produced trilogy of sequels, told the official website that being asked to do the mo-cap performance for Myers in the game made him “go watch the movie again to see just what the hell I did that contributes to the success of the character.”
In the recent Friday the 13th video game, counselors could radio for help from Tommy Jarvis, a character from the fourth, fifth, and sixth films – and, in the game, the only character capable of killing masked slasher Jason Voorhees. No one could choose to play as Tommy from the start; a player whose counselor character was killed by Jason early on during the match would be brought back into the game as Tommy. Sounds like that’s the same way Michael Myers’ iconic nemesis Doctor Loomis will be brought into matches of the Halloween video game.
Maps include Haddonfield Heights, the Haddonfield Town Center, and Orange Grove Estates.
What do you think of Halloween: The Game being refused classification in Australia, and also not being sold in New Zealand? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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