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After 12 Long Years, Grand Theft Auto 5 Has Officially Launched In Saudi Arabia And The UAE

By 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Quinton O'Connor

Published 10 hours ago

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The wait is over forꦗ an 𝓰all-new Grand Theft Auto. At least, if you happen to live in Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates. After nearly 12 years, the two key territories can finally play entirely legally, with no discernible strings attached.

The fifth and by far the most successful entry in Rockstar's pop-culture zeitgist franchise - which, by the way, still🌳 sells around five million copies per fi💧scal quarter - was kept way🃏ward of Saudi Arabia and the UAE from Se🍌ptember 17, 2013 until July 17, 2025. Imagine the fresh batch of microtransactions that the nonstop juggernaut known as Grand Theft Auto Online is about to receive.

With A New Age Rating In Place, GTA 5 Has Been Cleared For Takeoff

The governmental regulations against blatantly violent video games like Grand Theft Auto 5 didn't j🌞ust change out of the blue. Rather, and as the industry analysts at have explained, it's a result of a brand-new age rating designated 21+. Both the General Authority for Media Regulation and the UAE Media Council, in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, respectively, have approved this new cla💃ssification.

Previously, the standardized PEGI 18+ rating had been the highest-recognized category for game relea༒ses. Given the regions' staunchly conservative rulings against a wide array of what has been perceived as objectionable content, publishers have had to skip some of their most important launches in both territories.

In 2016, the Genera🎉l Authority for Media Regulation added "localized age ratings", which paved the way for games like Rockstar's own Red Dead Redemption 2. But Grand Theft Auto 5 was still a no-go. Now that 21+ is its own thing, Michael, Trevor, Franklin, and all❀ those millions of player-made GTO avatars can pop up without incident.

The tweaked guidelines may pave t♔he way for further notable launches. Final Fantasy 16, for instance, has been locked out of the nations for its own slew of bloodshed🌠 and sexual content. In MENA (a formal designation for the combined countries of the Middle East and North Africa), studies have shown that an estimated 90 percent or more of gaming enthusiasts are over the age of 21, meaning they'd pass the specified bar for entry into any number of titles that might be tossed onto the list that Grand Theft Auto 5 has now joined.

Maybe, just maybe, can quickly hop onto that list in time for its May 26, 2026 release. Assuming, of course, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:that actually happens.