Because it is never too late to welcome the game phenomenon of a generation, GTA 5 has officially arrived in a new country, twelve years after its original release.
In this month of July 2025, say that GTA 5 is a phenomenon game would be almost euphemism. With more than 215 million copies sold around the world since its release in September 2013, the title of Rockstar Games is nothing less than the second best -selling game of all time, just behind Minecraft and its 350 million. At this point, we could almost believe that no player on this planet could miss it. And yet, twelve years after its release, GTA 5 arrives for the very first time in a new country.
12 years later, GTA 5 officially releases in a new country
Indeed, if the vast majority of the world was able to embark on the adventures of Michael, Trevor and Franklin in 2013, the players in the United Arab Emirates, they were not so lucky. Or in any case, not legal. Because if the nature of the content staged by GTA, very focused on sex and violence, is regularly the subject of controversies through the globe, this is even more the case in the Middle East, a very famous area for its conservative side. No wonder, therefore, that a game like GTA 5 has long been banished in the territory.
However, in recent years in recent years, a certain relaxation of the rules of censorship seems to have gradually started to take place within the government. And this is what allowed the Rockstar to be officially debanni after twelve years of censorship, and therefore authorized for sale since July 17, 2025. Note that GTA 5 then has received maximum classification in the territory, since its sale remains prohibited – or in any case not recommended – with any person under the age of 21.
The game also debanni in Saudi Arabia
And since good news never arrives alone, GTA 5 also had permission to return to the businesses of Saudi Arabia, from where it had been officially banished in July 2018. At the time, the government had justified this decision by the suicide of two young children, who had died following a Morbid game. Consequently, 47 video games renowned for their violence had therefore finally been banned, including in particular God of War 3, Assassin’s Creed 2, The Witcher 3 or Resident Evil 6.
Source : Game Rant
