Rockstar cools Hot Coffee with new GTA patch

Publisher Rockstar Games has released a new patch for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas which disables and removes the controversial Hot Coffee minigame - preventing the hack that enabled it in the first place from functioning.

"The Hot Coffee scenes were not intended to be part of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas experience," according to a statement from the firm, which recommends using the patch "if your copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PC has been altered by the unauthorised Hot Coffee download circulating on the Internet, or you wish to prevent your version from being so altered."

It's something of an exercise in closing the stable door after the horse has bolted - Rockstar has already been forced to withdraw stock of the game in North America after the ESRB re-rated it as AO (Adults Only).

The Hot Coffee minigame has also turned out to be accessible on Xbox and PS2 versions of the game.

Here in the UK, however, the game has retained its original 18 rating, with the BBFC describing the Hot Coffee content as falling within the bounds of what is acceptable for an 18-rated title.