


Due to the new AO rating, many major retail outlets, including Sears, Hollywood Video, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Blockbuster Video, Target and GameStop, have pulled the PC and console versions of the game from their shelves. Rockstar has halted production of all versions of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and plans to release a censored version of the game, which is intended to conform to the initial "M" rating, later that year. On July 20, 2005, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was re-rated as "AO" (Adults Only) by the ESRB. However, this claim was undermined when codes were released on web forums for the PlayStation 2 Gameshark and AR Max cheating devices that demonstrated that the controversial content was, indeed, built into the console versions.Ĭonfusing the issue is a recent version of the Hot Coffee mod which replaces the semi-nude girlfriends' textures with unclothed bitmaps that cannot be seen without the mod.This could be seen as the 'hardcore' hot coffee mod. Initially, Rockstar released a statement that strongly suggested that the Hot Coffee content was entirely created by "hackers". In the middle of July 2005, the ESRB, as well as various politicians including Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), launched an investigation into the Hot Coffee mod. Rockstar was forced to permanently remove this feature and they soon released a non-modifiable 2nd edition of GTA San Andreas, which regained the M rating. This led to the game being pulled from stores across the U.S., and re-rated as AO (Adults Only) by the ESRB (already an 18 in the UK). Jack Thompson and other anti-gaming advocates denounced the Hot Coffee mod in the media, as if it were an existing feature of the game that children could easily stumble across. "Coffee" is usually offered once Carl reaches a certain relationship percentage, although if he collects all the oyster pick-ups, coffee is offered automatically, even after the first date. Since the camera is outside the house, all these sounds are severely muted.

In the unmodified game, the player takes his girlfriend to her front door and she asks him if he would like to come in for "some coffee." He agrees, and the camera stays outside, swaying back and forth a bit, while moaning sounds are heard and various comments from Carl and his girlfriend. The name "Hot Coffee" refers to the way the released game alludes to the unseen sex scenes.
