The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has temporarily blocked access to GoreBox in the Philippines following the Tacloban school shooting that left three students dead and 20 others injured.
According to the initial findings, one of the 14-year-old suspects regularly played the game, prompting a review of its possible influence on the incident. However, investigators have not established a direct causal link between GoreBox and the shooting.
Released in 2023, GoreBox is a sandbox game developed by F2 Games, which allows players to create scenarios involving weapons, explosives, and combat while featuring realistic physics and graphic depictions of injury, dismemberment, and destruction.
It also carries an R18+ age rating and has been downloaded more than 10 million times on Google Play as of June 24, 2026.
The game has drawn comparisons to Roblox because both platforms allow users to create worlds, role-play, and interact with others. But the thing is, GoreBox is primarily centered on violent and graphic gameplay compared to Roblox which hosts a wider variety of user-generated experiences and employs moderation systems and age restrictions.
The temporary ban from the CICC comes as authorities examine whether exposure to violent content may have played a role in the Tacloban shooting. Experts generally caution that no single video game can fully explain acts of real-world violence, which often involve multiple social, psychological, and environmental factors.
Officials are now assessing the game’s content and accessibility to minors, and reviewing online safety and age-appropriate digital content.
