GTA 5 Finally Arrives in Saudi Arabia and UAE After 12-Year Ban with 21+ Age Restriction

It has been well over 12 years since Grand Theft Auto 5 faced a ban in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and it will now have a formal appearance. This was a historical event as GTA 5 Saudi Arabia was finally launched on July 17, 2024, giving the gamers in the area a long-awaited chance. Nevertheless, this GTA 5 UAE edition is subject to some strict conditions that arouse a mixed response among gamers.

The players of Saudi Arabia and the UAE had long used unofficial ways to get the open-world action game. Today, the official availability of GTA 5 in Saudi Arabia has reduced the cost of illegal game purchases and criminal activities as fans have been able to buy the games and play them by following the right channels. However, with a catch, you are required to reach the age of 21 so as to purchase and play GTA 5 in these Middle Eastern countries.

Why GTA 5 Has a 21+ Age Rating in Saudi Arabia and UAE

The age limit that has been set in GTA 5 by the Saudi Arabian and UAE authorities has never been seen before all over the world. Even when most of the countries have set their rating at GTA 5 17 or 18 years and above, the Saudi Arabian GTA 5 rating and the UAE GTA 5 rating have set their rating to Older than 21 years.

This special GTA 5 21+ rating portrays the controversial nature of the game, which makes use of violence, explicit scenes, and a crime theme. The local ratings authorities ruled that the mature character of GTA 5 ought to be strictly censored in Saudi Arabia and the UAE because of cultural sensitivity.

The official announcement of GTA 5 in PlayStation Arabia on the social media network X helped to settle the news about the game’s release on PlayStation 5 with the special +21 age certificate. This has caused the GTA 5 Saudi Arabia launch and GTA 5 UAE launch to be the most restrictive havens of the game in the whole world.

Mixed Player Reactions to GTA 5 Middle East Release

The Saudi Arabia GTA 5 reaction by players has been split after the official release. Although a large number of GTA 5 gamers in Saudi Arabia and GTA 5 gamers in the UAE are ecstatic to actually be allowed to play the game in their country, some of them have been disappointed by a variety of problems.

Other game players ask themselves whether the GTA 5 age limit only alters the content in the game or renders it culturally acceptable. The critics claim that the 21+ rating, in no way, changes the controversial aspects that first attracted the GTA 5 ban in Saudi Arabia and the GTA 5 ban UAE.

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