After waiting for 12 years, Middle Eastern gamers can finally play GTA V legally.

While the rest of the world was exploring Los Santos, pulling off heists, and living out their virtual criminal fantasies, players in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could only watch from the sidelines - until now.

Starting July 17, 2025, Grand Theft Auto V will officially be available for purchase in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The game, which has sold an astounding 215 million copies worldwide since its 2013 release, will arrive on digital storefronts completely unmodified.

This means players in these countries will experience the exact same game that everyone else has been playing for years with no censored content, no removed missions, and no altered dialogue. This feels like a long-overdue victory.

The ban has been particularly frustrating because GTA V is a cultural phenomenon. From memes to YouTube videos to streaming content, the game has been everywhere, yet officially inaccessible to millions of potential players.

With Grand Theft Auto VI scheduled to launch next year, allowing GTA V into these markets now gives new players a chance to experience the current game at its best, potentially creating a whole new customer base for Rockstar Games - and hopefully indicating the sequel will launch in these countries, too.

Both the UAE Media Council and Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Media Regulation have given the game a 21+ rating, acknowledging its mature content while recognizing that adults should have the choice to play it.

Players will get the full current-generation experience, which is Grand Theft Auto V: Expanded and Enhanced and Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, complete with ray tracing, HDR lighting, faster load times, and improved textures.

With that said, if a game as controversial as GTA V can now be sold officially, it bodes well for the future of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

No longer will players need to use workarounds, import physical copies from other countries, or create foreign accounts to access the game. They can simply purchase it from their local digital storefront, download it, and play.

The best part is that players in Saudi Arabia and the UAE can now join Grand Theft Auto Online, participating in heists, races, and all the chaotic fun that has kept the game alive for over a decade. After 12 years of waiting, gamers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are finally getting their chance to see what all the fuss has been about.

Speaking of GTA, Rockstar is apparently preparing to release new zombie-themed content for GTA Online set in Cayo Perico.