Halloween: The Game banned for 34 million people for 'absolutely ridiculous' reason

While horror video games never really went away, 2026 looks like it'll be another bumper year for things that go bump in the night. Away from the record-breaking success of Resident Evil Requiem, some fan-favorite IPs are getting their time to shine in the pale moonlight.

Alongside Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival and Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, Halloween: The Game brings another horror icon back to gaming on console and PC.

Releasing on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC on September 8, Halloween: The Game is a stealth survival horror in the vein of Dead by Daylight. We've seen this formula redressed with beloved horror franchises before, with Friday the 13th: The Game being the most famous example.

Halloween: The Game has been banned

Illfonic claims the game's drug use is the reason for the ban (Illfonic)

Illfonic returns to the idea with Halloween: The Game, but unfortunately, millions of players are potentially being locked out of playing.

Horror games aren't exactly afraid to chuck buckets of blood at us, but when it comes to classifications in certain countries, a variety of reasons can get your game refused. Multiple sources claim that Halloween: The Game's use of cannabis could be why it's been refused classification in Australia, with players partaking in the Devil's lettuce supposedly getting a gameplay buff that pings Michael Myers' location on the map.

Posting on social media, Illfonic wrote: "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."

Australia's strict classification has previously come under fire (Illfonic)

The team also claims that, due to being refused classification in Australia, the game also won't be sold in New Zealand...despite it being a different country.

If this is the case, it suggests that 34 million players will actually be locked out of the stealth horror.

It's important to note that the Classification Board's public register hasn't confirmed the reason behind the ban, although we saw a similar situation with 2025's Silent Hill f.

As reported by IGN, the issue seems to revolve around the incentivised use of illicit drugs, which apparently caused hurdles for several games in Australia over the past few years.

The outlet reminds us that "the presence of a controlled substance" isn't banned under Australia’s classification guidelines, so attributing the ban to this could be an 'oversimplification' of the situation.

Australia's MA15+ classification permits strong impact drug use, while high impact drug use is allowed under R18+ classification, and incentivized drug use is prohibited. However, the guidelines specifically prohibit the use of illicit drugs in regard to incentives or rewards.

Players brand Halloween: The Game ban 'absolutely ridiculous'

The idea that millions will be unable to play Halloween: The Game has left fans rightly vexed. One person on Reddit called out the situation in a post they captioned with: "It’s ridiculous since we allow medical cannabis in this country in the first place."

Others agreed, with another adding: "They say killing people in brutalized ways is fine, but smoking and drinking is not fine."

A third said: "U.S. here, and I’m sorry they’re doing this to you guys. Absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. 😞."

With the uproar rumbling on, there's already a Change.org petition calling for reclassification. Sadly, with just over 700 signatures at the time of writing, we're not sure it's going to get much notice. Even then, a Change.org petition seems unlikely to get a government to reconsider its stance.

Responding to the whole debacle, a Classification Board spokesperson reiterated its stance and told IGN: "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."

When it comes to playing Halloween: The Game, it looks like the unkillable Michael Myers has been put in the ground for good over in Australia.