Grand Theft Auto V was initially released on September 17, 2013, and will have officially been out for 12 years this coming September. For hundreds of millions of people around the world, it's been a game they played countless times, or at least have had access to through legal means for the last dozen years. Unless you've spent the last 12 years of your life living in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and didn't try to obtain the game through any under-the-counter means, in which case, Grand Theft Auto V is a brand new release for you in 2025.
Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online are now available in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and as Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad reports, both titles being approved for launch in the regions is a "turning point for MENA game regulations."
Grand Theft Auto V getting approval for launch in Saudi Arabia and the UAE also marks the introduction of a new age rating in the region, with the General Authority for Media Regulation in Saudi Arabia and the UAE Media Council introducing a 21+ rating. Grand Theft Auto isn't the only series that hasn't had major releases in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The regulatory boards in both regions have previously blocked games based on restrictions that for ratings boards like the ESRB or PEGI would fall under M for Mature/PEGI 18+. The introduction of this new age rating, as Ahmad points out, is what potentially opens the door for those titles that would've previously not made it through. Particularly because under this new rating, Grand Theft Auto V is being allowed to launch "without any major modification."
"This is a positive signal for the industry as it potentially allows games to be approved without edits, thereby offering publishers a viable path to market for games that would normally be blocked," Ahmad writes.
So while GTA V and GTA Online getting approval isn't the most significant thing on its own, especially because GTA V has still circulated in the region through unofficial means in the last decade, this new age rating is the thing that has the power to have a drastic impact on the video game industry in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the rest of the globe.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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