When it reviewed Manhunt 2, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) initially refused to rate the game, due to graphic and callous violence. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) initially awarded the game an "AO" (Adults Only) rating, a rating that would prevent most stores from stocking the game. Rockstar Games, the premier label of Take-Two Interactive, made some changes, including blurring some of the killing scenes. As a result, the ESRB revised its rating to an "M" (Mature). The BBFC, however, isn't budging.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC, said, "We recognise that the distributor has made changes to the game, but we do not consider that these go far enough to address our concerns about the original version. The impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone, or the essential nature of the gameplay, is clearly insufficient. There has been a reduction in the visual detail in some of the 'execution kills,' but in others they retain their original visceral and casually sadistic nature.

"We did make suggestions for further changes to the game, but the distributor has chosen not to make them, and as a result we have rejected the game on both platforms. The decision on whether or not an appeal goes ahead lies with the distributor."

Unless the game's distributor further revises the game, or succeeds in an appeal, the game cannot be distributed in the UK.