Both GTA V and GTA Online are coming to Saudi Arabia and the UAE after nearly 12 years from the original release and a delay to the release. Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive have finally been able to get the game approved for release in the country plus a deal has been signed for future titles. Gamers in the Middle East now turn their attention to GTA 6 and the possibility of a day one release there.
GTAV Middle East Release Date And Age Rating
In a Tweet on Thursday, the official PlayStation Twitter account for the Middle East revealed regulators have given Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online the go ahead to release. The Tweet includes a release date of Thursday July 17th.
This means fans in both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will be able to purchase the game from that date. It will have both physical and digital copies. The games will be rated 21+ which is higher than the 18+ found in almost every other country.
This comes over 2 years after the GTA Trilogy got approval to release in the country a while after its initial launch. Games have to go through stricter approval processes held by local regulators which means many games, such as those with the content that GTA V has, are yet to see a release.
This is despite GTA being popular in places like the middle east. Copies have been imported for many years. It is unknown if the game will be censored in anyway outside of the Casino features in GTA Online being banned since 2019.
Workers And Fans Delighted
Gamers in the Middle East have expressed a lot of excitement over the 2nd best selling game of all time getting the go ahead to release in their region. Hattan Tawili who works in the video game department for the General Authority for Media Regulation in Saudi Arabia took to Twitter to share excitement over the age rating approval:
“A project we’ve been working on for years to develop the Saudi market, and although it was delayed, it has officially come to fruition, even though it was one of the goals that seemed nearly impossible! This step will completely transform the gaming market in Saudi Arabia.
Seeing GTA with a Saudi rating was something unimaginable for any day” – Hattan Tawili, General Authority for Media Regulation in Saudi Arabia (Machine Translated)
Tawili also shared a photo of the physical disc copy of the game complete with ther 21+ age rating on the box. You can see the photo below.
Will GTA 6 Launch Day One In Saudi Arabia And The UAE?
According to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners, Advanced Initiative have “secured the distribution rights for all of Take-Two Interactive’s titles” from now. This allows the company to work on getting more games approved for release in the region. This raises speculation whether GTA VI will launch in the region at the same time as the rest of the world.
Will you be purchasing the game in the UAE or Saudi Arabia? Let us know down in the comments section below.
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1 Comment
I want to win GTA 6 on my phone