June 24, 2026
MANILA – The government on Tuesday ordered the temporary blocking of the online shooting game GoreBox as authorities intensified their investigation into whether exposure to the platform may have influenced one of the teenage suspects in the school shooting in Tacloban City that left three students dead and at least 20 others wounded.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said the “precautionary measure” was taken after police investigators found that one of the suspects, a 14-year-old Grade 9 student, had been playing GoreBox prior to Monday’s attack at San Jose National High School.
Undersecretary Alexander “Aboy” Paraiso, CICC executive director, said authorities could not ignore the possibility that online content may have contributed to the actions of the two minors involved in one of the worst school shootings in recent Philippine history.
“We are blocking GoreBox temporarily as a precautionary measure pending the investigation,” Paraiso said. “We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident.”
Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas Director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy confirmed that investigators had identified GoreBox as one of the online games played by the younger suspect before the attack.
“As per our investigation, it was GoreBox,” Capoy said, describing it as a highly violent shooting game featuring firearms and graphic combat scenarios.
The discovery has thrust the online game into the national spotlight and triggered renewed debate over violent content, youth behavior, parental supervision and gun access.
What is GoreBox?
Unlike mainstream gaming titles, GoreBox is built around graphic violence and unrestricted player interaction.
Available on mobile devices and PC platforms, GoreBox describes itself as a “chaotic, physics-driven sandbox game where creativity meets unrestrained destruction.” On the Steam gaming platform, it is marketed as an “extremely violent physics-based sandbox game” featuring gore effects, dismemberment and realistic ragdoll physics.
A central feature of the game is the “Reality Crusher,” a tool that allows players to spawn, manipulate and destroy virtually anything within the game environment.
Players can engage in firefights using a wide variety of weapons, trigger explosions, create custom maps and role-play in user-generated scenarios. The game also includes features allowing characters to smoke cigarettes, consume alcohol and use fictional syringes that alter gameplay.
Steam warns users that the game contains mature content, including realistic blood effects, severed limbs and graphic depictions of violence.
Investigators have not established any direct causal link between the game and the Tacloban shooting. However, officials said its violent content warranted closer examination as part of the broader inquiry into the suspects’ motivations and influences.
Socmed activity under scrutiny
The investigation has expanded beyond gaming activity to include the suspects’ online footprint.
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said one of the teenagers had allegedly posted gun-related content on social media before the attack.
PNP Public Information Office chief Col. Allen Rae Co earlier disclosed that investigators found videos involving firearms and shooting techniques on one suspect’s social media accounts.
Authorities have also determined that the 14-year-old suspect had previous exposure to actual firearms and had reportedly visited a shooting range before the attack.
Although investigators said the teenager was not highly skilled, he reportedly knew how to operate a firearm, remove a magazine and reload ammunition.
Calls for regulation
Police are also investigating how the suspects acquired the firearms used in the shooting. Initial findings indicate that the weapons may have originated from a police officer relative and a security agency.
The revelations have prompted calls for tighter oversight of violent online content accessible to minors.
Malacañang said President Marcos had been informed during a Cabinet meeting that one of the suspects was allegedly heavily exposed to violent online games.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said the administration is open to proposals to amend the 20-year-old Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, to lower the age of criminal responsibility.
RA 9344 covers the different stages involving “children at risk and children in conflict with the law from prevention to rehabilitation and reintegration.” It underwent amendments in 2013 via RA 10630, which states that any child 15 or under at the time of the offense shall be exempt from criminal liability.
The Palace is also urging Congress to urgently pass a law that would regulate or prohibit violent gaming applications for children.
As authorities continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting, lawmakers have begun discussing whether the incident should prompt changes to the country’s juvenile justice system.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said Congress should study whether minors involved in heinous crimes such as murder and rape should, under certain circumstances, face prosecution similar to adults while still ensuring due process and rehabilitation safeguards.
Sen. Robinhood Padilla reiterated his call to lower the age of criminal responsibility from the current threshold, reviving a proposal he has long advocated in the Senate.
However, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, one of the principal authors of the law, emphasized that minors who commit serious crimes are not exempt from accountability.
“There is really accountability under the law,” Pangilinan said during a Facebook livestream.
He cautioned against misinformation suggesting that minors involved in grave offenses are automatically released.
The CICC, meanwhile, stressed that the temporary blocking of GoreBox does not constitute a finding that the game caused the attack.
Rather, officials said the measure is intended to allow investigators to determine whether online influences played any role in the tragedy while protecting other young users from potentially harmful content.
The agency’s Threat Monitoring Center has begun coordinating with the Council for the Welfare of Children and other government bodies to monitor GoreBox and similar platforms more closely.
“Our priority is the safety and well-being of Filipino children exposed to the internet,” Paraiso said.
The CICC stressed that the temporary ban does not represent a final determination of the game’s role in the tragedy but is intended to allow investigators to assess whether any online influences contributed to the suspects’ behavior.
The agency likewise urged the public to report cyberbullying, online threats and other harmful online activities through its hotline and reporting channels.
As of Tuesday evening, developer F2 Games had not publicly responded to the allegations or the Philippine government’s decision to block access to the game.
Authorities emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing and that no definitive conclusion has yet been reached regarding whether GoreBox influenced the actions of the Tacloban school shooting suspects.