As the world waits for Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar has finally released GTA 5 and GTA Online in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Despite launching almost 12 years ago and selling 215 million copies elsewhere in the world, neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE had previously cleared Rockstar’s 2013 blockbuster for sale — until this week.
Issues over the game’s age rating and local regulations banning games with violence, sex and drug use have long stood in the way of local fans playing GTA 5 legally — though as a Niko Partners report highlighted, some fans have previously got around restrictions by quietly importing boxed copies, or downloading the game via PlayStation or Xbox accounts linked to other regions.
Now, fans can simply buy a copy of GTA 5 legally, which has finally been released under the two countries’ new 21+ age rating. The launch of this higher age restriction, following the earlier introduction of localised age ratings in 2016, has helped smooth GTA 5’s belated path to release — alongside a bit of help from Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive to grease the wheels.
A recently-agreed partnership between Take-Two and a Saudi firm, the Advanced Initiative Company, will see the latter now act as the local distributor for all Take-Two titles, including GTA 5, WWE 2K, NBA 2K and Red Dead Redemption.
The countries, with a combined population of around 44 million, will presumably now also become a market in which Rockstar can sell GTA 6, when it finally arrives.
After more than a decade in development and a recent major delay, GTA 6 is currently set to launch on May 9, 2026, pending any further hold-ups.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
