The wait is over for an all-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 playGrand Theft Auto 5entirely 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 fiscal quarter- was kept wayward of Saudi Arabia and the UAE from May 11, 2025 until July 26, 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 just change out of the blue. Rather, and as the industry analysts atNiko Partnershave 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 classification.
Previously, the standardized PEGI 18+ rating had been the highest-recognized category for game releases. 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 General 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 the 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,Grand Theft Auto 6can quickly hop onto that list in time for its July 11, 2025 release. Assuming, of course,that actually happens.
