Rockstar Games, PlayStation and VGAR (Video Games Age Rating for Saudi Arabia) have announced that the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is now available to purchase in Saudi Arabia. The Video Games Age Rating for Saudi Arabia’s official twitter account announced the game had been age rated for 18 years old and over.
Why has it only just come out?
The GTA Trilogy remasters released in most countries around the world in November 2021. It was then released on Steam and the Epic Games Store earlier this year. So why has it taken so long to come to Saudi Arabia? There are far stricter rules when it comes to the ratings board classifying games suitable for release. Some games have to be censored in various ways to meet the criteria for release.
For example, GTA V was banned in the country during 2018. The General Commission for Audio-Visual media in Saudi Arabia took this step after the tragic suicide of two children. Whilst GTA V and a long list of other games were banned following this event, they were not the cause but rather a violent “social media challenge”.
GTA Online’s Diamond Casino features several ways to gamble from playing slot machines, Roulette and the Lucky Wheel. However, these features are banned in a large number of countries including Saudi Arabia.
It is also worth noting Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund has invested money into Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company. As recent as the end of last year, the Public Investment Fund increased its stake in Take-Two from 5.3% to 6.8%, thanks Axios. This is close to 3 million shares in total. Take-Two are not the only gaming company that has seen sizable investment. Nintendo, Activision and more have seen Saudi Arabia’s share size grow.
A different cover art
The Saudi Arabian disc version of The GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition features a different piece of cover art. Twitter user @housambakhsh posted a video of him unwrapping the game box and showing the front and back covers. As you can see, the cover art is the game logo and a black background. This is different to the cover seen in other regions that feature three women for the various three classic games. The rear cover of the game box is the same as the other versions found worldwide.
Are you a gamer from Saudi Arabia looking to pick up the GTA Trilogy now it is out? Let us know down in the comments. Stay tuned to RockstarINTEL for all news updates on Grand Theft Auto.
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