With its next franchise release less than a year away, Rockstar Games has finally been allowed to release Grand Theft Auto 5 in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. While such a late game launch might seem strange, the reality is that some countries have very strict laws and regulations that keep developers and publishers from releasing titles with potentially objectionable material. Although issues with the age rating and depictions of sex, violence, and drug use previously prevented the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 in these countries, it appears those concerns have been addressed.
Despite the fact that Grand Theft Auto 5 has been released multiple times in several markets around the world, spread across at least 3 console generations of gaming, it remains one of the most popular games of the franchise. Following the recent release of the enhanced edition of the game in March 2025, Grand Theft Auto 5 reached the noteworthy milestone of being on the list of top 10 most played games twice at the same time, with both the legacy version of the title and its new re-release netting over 100,000 concurrent players individually.
Grand Theft Auto has been one of...
