GTA 5 is considered to be a legendary game! With the addition of GTA Online to the game, Rockstar managed to make the game relevant for a really long time. Originally released in 2013, almost every gamer has played the game atleast once. But well, did you know, the game got banned in Saudi Arabia and UAE a few years back? Up until today, as Rockstar has finally decided to re-release the game to these countries, so let’s check out what’s new!
Why Was The Game Not Available?
Well, for those unaware, it’s important to know why the game wasn’t available in the first place in these countries! Turns out, around 2018, when the infamous “Blue Whale” game gained a lot of popularity, the government in these countries decided to put up a ban on around 47 games. Out of all these games, GTA 5 had been added to the list as well!
Ever since then, it did become very hard for gamers in the Saudi and UAE to acquire a copy of GTA 5. Multiple user reports on Reddit have suggested that console players had to import copies of the game from different countries. While PC gamers had to use third-party services to get a key for the game, on their desired PC storefront.
GTA 5 in Saudi and UAE
But, it’s finally a good news for gamers in these countries. The announcement for the game releasing in Saudi Arabia and UAE was first made by the official PlayStation Arabia account on X. The post when translated reads, “Experience the ultimate entertainment with Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, rated +21 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Available on July 17 on PlayStation 5.”
The one big chance does in fact come in terms of the age rating! While the game is rated M i.e. 18+ in most of the countries, boards in UAE and Saudi have put up a 21+ rating. Ever since the announcement, it is very much possible that the upcoming GTA 6 could also make it’s way to the country, with the same age rating on the release date.
With that said, did you know that Rockstar has finally pushed out a major update to Red Dead Online? Fans have been calling the new update as “Undead Nightmares 2” since the content is very similar to the original game’s DLC. Surprisingly, the update has been released just in time when rumours about the Red Dead Redemption 2 Remaster have started as well.
